Ashley & James: A Timeless Chicago Wedding at the Harold Washington Library

May 13
4 min read

Photographer: Megan Kay Photography | Planning & Design: Wedicity Wedding Planning & Design

We are beyond proud to share that Ashley and James' Chicago wedding — planned and designed by Wedicity — was recently featured by Inspired by This, one of the most celebrated wedding publications in the country. Head over to their site to see the full feature. Then come back here, because we have a lot to say about how this day came together.

Article: A Chicago Wedding Complemented by Timeless Design.

Flat lay of Ashley and James' wedding invitation suite featuring ivory pocket folders with gold script typography, a watercolor Chicago skyline envelope liner depicting Cloud Gate, a gold monogram wax seal, and white gardenia blooms as styling accents.

Designing a Wedding Around an Icon

When couples choose the Harold Washington Library Winter Garden as their reception venue, they are not starting with a blank canvas. They are starting with soaring glass ceilings, neoclassical columns, sweeping marble floors, and a sense of civic grandeur that very few Chicago wedding venues can match. The design challenge — and the opportunity — is figuring out how to layer onto that without competing with it.

For Ashley and James, the answer was restraint with intention. An all-ivory and white palette let the architecture breathe while still feeling warm and dressed. Tall white hydrangea and rose arrangements by Life in Bloom gave the room vertical drama. Gold x-back chairs and sculptural white seating added modern elegance without overpowering the space. And candlelight did what candlelight always does in a room with marble floors — it multiplied, softened, and made everything feel like it was glowing from the inside out.

The Details That Made It Theirs

A great Chicago wedding design is not just about the room — it is about every surface a guest touches, reads, and remembers. For Ashley and James, that started before anyone arrived at the venue.

Their invitation suite, designed by Lively House in collaboration with Amore Creative, featured a watercolor envelope liner depicting the Chicago skyline and Cloud Gate — a nod to the city that would host their celebration. Gold script typography, a monogram wax seal, and ivory pocket folders set the tone immediately: this was going to be a wedding with a point of view.

That same attention carried through to the reception table. Iridescent gold-brushed charger plates caught the candlelight. Blush linen napkins added a whisper of warmth to the white-on-white palette. An ornate die-cut menu card with gold script sat at every place setting — the kind of detail most guests stop to read and then tuck into their pocket to keep.

A Ceremony Built on Restraint

Before the reception, Ashley and James were married at St. Vincent de Paul Church — and if you know this church, you know it does not need help being beautiful.

The gilded mosaic dome, the ornate white marble altar, the rows of jewel-toned stained glass windows — this is a space that carries centuries of history in every detail. Our design approach was intentional: enhance, do not overcrowd. Soft, minimal ceremony touches let the architecture do exactly what it was built to do, and the result was a ceremony that felt timeless, reverent, and completely unhurried.

The Bride

Ashley wore the full Catalina collection by Galia Lahav — the intricately appliquéd gown, its voluminous overskirt, and a cathedral-length veil that trailed half a block behind her on a downtown Chicago crosswalk. It is the kind of bridal look that stops traffic. Literally.

By the time the after-party arrived, she had changed into a strapless silver beaded mini dress that was made for a dance floor — and she used every inch of it.

An After-Party Worth Staying For

The best wedding receptions do not end — they evolve. When dinner wrapped, the Winter Garden transformed into something looser, louder, and completely electric.

An espresso martini on tap kept the energy going well past midnight. A s'mores dessert cart brought a moment of nostalgia and joy. A speakeasy-style lounge tucked away from the main floor gave guests somewhere intimate to land between songs. And the dance floor — dollar bills flying, the room full and loud and alive — was exactly the kind of after-party moment that people talk about for years.