Cynthia & John

CHICAGO CULTURAL CENTER | CHICAGO, IL

Cynthia and John planned their August 2024 wedding around two buildings that look like nowhere else in Chicago. The ceremony was at Bond Chapel, a small Gothic chapel wrapped in ivy on the University of Chicago campus in Hyde Park. The reception was downtown at the Chicago Cultural Center, under its Tiffany glass dome. Two venues across the city, one guest list, and a day that had to feel like a single story.

It started on campus. John waited on an ivy-lined walkway for the first look while Cynthia came up behind him in an off-the-shoulder lace gown from Alice in Ivory, her cathedral-length veil trailing most of the path. Portraits followed in a vaulted stone cloister, where the Gothic arches did the framing for Stephanie Lang Photography. John wore a black tuxedo from Suitsupply, and Rare Bird Beauties did hair and makeup.

Inside Bond Chapel, the dark carved wood and stained glass needed very little help. Studio Poppy set white and blush arrangements on tall pedestals at the front and along the aisle, and a white runner ran the length of the pews. After the vows, Cynthia and John walked out through the chapel's arched doors into a cloud of bubbles.

The planning challenge was the distance between the two venues. The 312 Limo and Signature Transportation Group moved the couple and their guests from Hyde Park to Michigan Avenue, and Wedicity planner Giovanna Horist built the timeline around that drive.

Cynthia and John kissing in a stone courtyard at the University of Chicago, her cathedral veil spread across the pavers behind them

At the Cultural Center, the couple stopped for portraits on the marble grand staircase, with its mosaic inlays and carved balustrades. The reception room was set with round tables in white linen, gold chiavari chairs from Tablescapes Event Rentals, and blue glass goblets that picked up the color of the dome overhead. Studio Poppy's centerpieces stood tall in white, blush and soft blue so they could hold their own against the arched windows and hanging lanterns.

Boka Catering Group handled dinner. The cake from ECBG Cake Studio was four tiers hand-painted with watercolor florals in blue, teal and peach, and Firecakes Donuts added donuts. The sweetheart table sat directly under the Tiffany dome. Luniks Entertainment ran the dance floor, Mariachi Sirenas, Chicago's first all-female mariachi, played for the guests, and Old North Film Company filmed the day. Out-of-town guests stayed at the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel.

Two venues can easily feel like two separate events. Cynthia and John's day held together because the palette, the florals and the timeline were planned as one piece, from the chapel steps to the last song downtown. For another wedding in the same building, see Cassie and Colby's Preston Bradley Hall wedding. And if you're weighing a ceremony in one part of the city and a reception in another, our Chicago wedding planner team builds exactly that kind of day. We'd love to hear about yours!

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