H&H Weddings

This styled shoot of two gorgeous grooms, Brad and Tom (a real couple), was planned amidst the elegant backdrop of the Presidential Suite at the Four Seasons, San Francisco and the bright twinkling lights of the city. The idea was to showcase an intimate affair that occurred when the sun had already set. I mean, honestly, how many sessions happen when its dark outside. But, we rose to the challenge, and created something truly unique and truly inspirational. The details were kept crisp and elegant, perfectly in tandem with the style of the venue, and the handsome couple. We had a running theme of silver grey with deep red (almost marsala) panning through the main table and dessert table. And very masculine and structured flowers via the maroon calla lilies.  A wonderful roster of vendors came together to bring this vision to life, including custom wedding rings by luxury jewelry designer,  Vittoria d’Aste-Surcouf. We wanted to create a visual inspiration for a same sex wedding that was equal parts elegant and creative. And, we hoped to have created a few inspirational looks for any same sex couple looking for gorgeous ideas for their own intimate wedding.  

From Kaydee...

When Alex and I met, it was a strange coincidence. I was living near her parents in the suburbs, and she was living in the city near my sister. Soon enough, we were inseparable: visiting new restaurants, getting to know each others' families, and hanging out with both circles of friends.

Fast forward two years. We were standing on a median in the middle of Michigan Avenue, in front of the old water tower and Alex proposed.

When we started planning the festivities, we knew we wanted a classic feeling to the venue. Think Old Hollywood or Classic Chicago. Our styles have always been a blend of antique and modern looks, and the Warwick Allerton Hotel had just that. We saw several venues over the course of a few weeks and just didn't feel anything special. We walked into the Allerton and knew right then that this was the place; a beautiful view (aforementioned engagement median included), glamorous chandeliers, old Chicago history, delicious food, and room for our guests to dance the night away 23 stories above the city with panoramic views.

We really wanted to be able to sit with and talk to our bridal party and their dates at the table. The incredible events team accommodated our 21-person head table with a giant U-shaped setup.

Beau Buttacavoli, the event coordinator for the Allerton was a huge help for us. Beau helped to keep all of the women, two brides and two moms, in sync during the planning process. Beau brought together each one of our visions to pull off an incredible night. The entire team at the Allerton was well trained and on point during the entire event, from the rehearsal to the morning after the wedding. The team made our day really special and stress-free.

The Allerton works with BomBon for wedding cakes. We have very different and strong opinions when it comes to cake so BomBon let us pick 4 of our favorite flavors and made a mini cake for each guest to enjoy the night of. Each cake was expertly decorated like a small piece of art. We did have a big cake for cutting because, well, we both believe you can never have too much cake.

Our DJ, Josh Law, was incredible and helped to keep the night flowing according to our timetable. The decor was inspired by the Allerton's existing features, but enhanced to fit our vision by Raymond Joseph with RJ Designs. Raymond brought in hundreds of candles and red roses to make the space warm and romantic. One of our guests favorites was the photo-booth set up through Still & Motion Media, and they were more than willing to accommodate our last minute addition to the wedding. Still & Motion Media gave us copies of each of the photo strips which was so fun to go through the morning after. 

Winter weddings have our hearts forever! The coziness, the plaid, the deep hues all combine to create the most beautiful fêtes! Michelle & Robyn are weddings industry professionals, so we knew they'd nail it! We are honored that they shred their big day & love story with us!

From Robyn...

Michelle and I met in 2009. We live together in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood with our two dogs, and we run two businesses together out of our home office. We spend a ridiculous amount of time with each other, and we love it! :) We both believe that the most valuable and precious thing in life is TIME....and time spent together. We love owning our own businesses and working together because it offers us a flexible lifestyle--sometimes you can find us trying a new brunch spot on a random Tuesday or wrapping up our week early and opening up a bottle of wine at 2pm on a Friday to get the weekend started. We love making last minute travel plans and exploring new cities. We are currently planning our honeymoon--somewhere nice and warm where we can relax on a beach and ditch the winter for a bit.   

We got engaged on top of Kite Hill in San Francisco in early 2014, and knew we wanted to seal the deal before the end of the year with a winter wedding in Chicago.   

From the very beginning, we knew we wanted to plan everything ourselves. We knew we wanted to work with eco-friendly vendors and vendors who gave back to the community. We also knew we wanted special DIY projects and personal details throughout the ceremony and reception.   We picked our venue, Gallery 1028, because it is a raw, open warehouse space--lofty and full of original old wood. The venue also works with a catering company that accommodated our request for comfort food--BBQ chicken and BBQ glazed salmon with green beans and sweet potato fries.   

December in Chicago is typically FREEZING, so we wanted to create a warm, cozy feel throughout the venue. We used over 400 candles--Yes....400! We had votives lit around the entire perimeter of the room, and each centerpiece included a cluster of candles with varying heights. We used mercury glass to create an added sparkle and glow. Pine was used throughout the venue as additional decor to fill up the space with a fresh, wintery smell. Each table setting included a sprig of pine, as well.  

Besides the pine, the florals we included were simple--the bridal parties had small bouquets made of babies breath. Both brides carried a winter greens bouquet with pine and blue thistle as well as babies breath.   

Some of my favorite wedding projects and highlights from our day include:  

-Michelle painted the "Rob + Mitch 12.13.14" sign on a window pane we found in an alley near our house.

-We collected old photo frames from thrift stores and antique stores and then we collected wedding day photos from both sides of our families all the way back to our great-great grandparents' wedding day, and we displayed those near the guest book table so that guests could see our family histories.

-We used mini champagne splits as wedding favors and as part of the table setting. As the night went on and guests wanted to break out the bubbly, many of our guests "chilled" their bottle in their water glass!

-We opted for a small wedding cake to cut that had buttercream frosting and rainbow layers inside. For guests, we had a variety of our favorite cupcakes from Courageous Bakery which donates 10% of their proceeds to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

-We were married by our good friend, Amanda, and we wrote our own vows to repeat to each other.

-We incorporated our favorite songs into our ceremony. Our entire processional was to Shawn Colvin's cover of "This Must Be The Place", and as we were being pronounced married, we had our DJ start playing "Now Is The Start" by A Fine Frenzy. In our wedding video, you can see that we both start dancing to it a little right before we kiss!  

Advice for brides & grooms currently planning their wedding: The planning process will be as stressful or as fun as you allow it to be. We purposely took on all the planning ourselves so we didn't have tons of opinions and ideas and suggestions being thrown around by relatives and friends. We honestly didn't stress about anything throughout the entire planning process...We found fun ways to include personal details, and we spent time finding the right vendors to work with us so our experience was completely stress-free and enjoyable. We consider our vendors our true friends now!

Remember that gorgeous Art Deco inspired shoot that we featured last week? Well, we kept this gem a secret! This is a little behind the scenes video, put together beautifully by NST Pictures! We are loving reliving this amazing day and we are thrilled to share it with you! 

Because we just can't get enough of all of the amazing details, we want to give you one of our faves! Those embossed dapper french bulldog coasters? They can be yours! Check out our Instagram feed today and repost our photo of the coasters, with @handhweddings tagged! Then, cross your fingers!

In my lifelong quest to dispel stereotypes and create beautiful things (simultaneously, when possible), I am often thinking about concepts for photo shoots! This idea came to me a while back, and it was too good not to come to fruition.  

The idea for this shoot started pretty simply. The words “dapper hour” came to mind…a happy hour consisting of a dapper group. As I thought about it, I realized that this had to be a group of dapper women. There are so few places for masculine women and transguys to find clothing that I wanted to highlight the places that make a point to cater to this community. We lucked out with six beautiful models!  

Soon, the word art deco started getting tossed around and it was a sure-fire way to create the perfect winter/ New Year’s Eve décor and attire inspiration. A curated list of about twenty vendors all came together to make this incredible shoot happen! With suiting from J.Crew & Saint Harridan, a jumpsuit from & FOR LOVE, headpieces by Hushed Commotion and jewelry from Greenwich Jewelers & Gunner & Lux, these models were outfitted to the nines! I love that we were able to play with so many variations on classic suiting. One model wore a full suit, another wore a vest and trousers, while another wore suspenders. We were truly able to showcase a range of attire for a range of people. I genuinely think that anyone looking for inspiration can find something that would suit them in this shoot!  

We chose to work with more femme models, too, as we wanted this to be an inclusive shoot! Jumpsuits are one of my favorite wedding trends right now, so I had to have this one from & FOR LOVE. Again, we aimed for variety with our models. A short sequined dress, a stunning silk jumpsuit and a camisole with cigarette pants ran the gamut in terms of garb.  

Leah, of Color Pop Events, was a total rock star through the planning process! She had so many great ideas and helped me make my dreams a reality. She also brought in the star of the show, Remy, our dapper French Bulldog!  

Brookelyn Photography created so many beautiful images, we still can't stop drooling over them!  

The backdrop was set perfectly by 501 Union, with the help of Juli Vaughn Designs on floral duty and Octavia & Brown’s exquisite pieces!  

The beauticians on set, Nicole Sievers & Styles on B kept the models fresh and impeccably styled.  

With a palette of gold, emerald green and black guiding us, we really couldn’t go wrong! We stuck with some traditional art deco elements such as the design on the cake and infusion of gold everywhere, and the bar cart, but we wanted this to feel modern, too. The florals were much more lush than typical art deco décor and the graphic glassware made things current. One of the best additions to the shoot was a wall of paper feathers, designed and created by Gina Paola Design. She blew us away with this piece that fit in perfectly with our palette! Gina also created an illustration of a French Bulldog in a bowtie, which added a touch of dapperness to the bar!  

Sincerely Jackie took the illustration to the next level by using emerald green foil to emboss the coasters. Drink flags with the bulldog and “cheers” added a festive touch to the Bon Affair bubbly, which was perfect for our toast!  

The other elements on the bar were custom macarons by Swallow My Words. Min, the fabulous baker behind the company, finished the treats off with classic art deco patterns.

Finally, Purslane Catering created a delicious gin cocktail for the crew to sip on. It was finished with a black sugar rim for good measure.  

Looking at the finished product, my favorite thing about this shoot is that you could use it for wedding inspiration or living room décor. It is so versatile and inclusive! Oh, and totally luxe!

As ideas for inspiration shoots evolve, one way we make sure we stay on-concept is with inspiration boards! 

This shoot started with the idea that rather than doing a traditional happy hour, we would do a Dapper Hour, a happy hour of dapperly dressed ladies. The shoot evolved in so many ways, but one of the most exciting turns it took was towards an Art Deco theme. I mean, come on! How perfect is that for a winter event?! Amazing. With a palette of emerald green, black and gold guiding us, how could we go wrong? Follow our Dapper Hour Pinterest board to keep up with our shoot and check back very soon to see the final outcome!

A HUGE thanks to Nicole, from Salt River Studios for putting this board together!

Image Credit: Left to Right, Top to Bottom; Obaz :: Mustard Seed Photography :: Style Unveiled :: Style Me Pretty :: Shameless Photography :: Little Teacup Bakery :: Ruffled Blog :: Practical Fancy Tumblr :: Neiman Marcus

There is an element of magic in winter weddings that we can’t help but adore. The glisten of a snowy winter day, a chill in the air that draws a love near, and the festive feelings that accompany the holidays are only a few things that set the tone for a beautiful winter fête.    

This season in particular, we are loving mixtures of bold cherry reds and deep greens to enhance a crisp white palette. Adding pinecones, evergreens, and berries into the decor will help bring winter's natural beauty inside. To keep things extra festive, incorporate plaids and tartans as accent linens or layering pieces for you and your guests to enjoy. Serve up some bubbly in frosted coupes and dance away the cold winter'€™s night! 

Sam McAleese continues to keep us in the loop about the season's best & brightest trends!

Want more winter inspiration? Follow our Winter Wonderland Pinterest board!

Images Credits: Top to Bottom; Left to Right: CoffeyMuse :: Etsy :: Finch & Fawn :: Ruffled Blog :: Ruffled Blog :: Style Me Pretty

Even though we hate to admit it, we're a little excited about winter. Why? Because we adore all of the luxe decor that comes along with it! This shoot is perfection! This wooded fairytale screams rustic winter fête! Whimsy Events & Design got it right on the money here! Can we talk about those boutonnieres?!?!

After the new marriage laws passed in Minnesota, we decided it was time for a masculine, same-sex inspired shoot. We found ourselves at a heavily wooded, gorgeous private residence in Afton, MN and wanted to bring a sense of glam to this rustic setting with a stunning harvest table, an "old fashioned" bar, and a smoking station. We liked the idea of the juxtaposition of the antique elements with some modern touches to keep it feeling fresh. 

Using beautiful pieces from On Solid Ground Vintage Rentals and Linen Effects to create this lovely set. We were inspired to create something that felt truly manly. We brought in a beautiful chocolate tufted Chesterfield sofa, and softened it up with gorgeous knits and pillows from West Elm. We used the sofa to anchor the beautiful farm table from Rudy's Rustic Rentals. We carried the knit theme through with an 8' hand knit table runner. The table was completed with super chic ghost chairs from Linen Effects, and beautiful settings from Anthropologie and West Elm.

The flowers were inspired by the romance of the setting, bringing in deep burgundies, reds, and pops of coral. We complemented the floral with beautiful greens, touches of cotton (the boutonnieres are our favorite!) and spices were sprinkled throughout to reflect the feeling of the season. The old fashioned station was set up on an antique radio cabinet with a mix of modern and antique glassware,  local bitters, and crystal decanters.  

The smoking station was anchored by an amazing brocaded green chair from On Solid Ground.  We styled the french nesting tables with vintage cigar and cigarette boxes, greens, spices and floral.  

The invitations were meant to feel very modern. With touches of gold embossing everywhere, vintage stamps, and more little knit details, the suite felt both contemporary and traditional.  

We have died and gone to heaven. This wedding is the ultimate fête! The details are unreal. That dress! Those flowers in the brides hair! All of it is just to much to handle, we're suffering from an overload of beauty! 

As per usual, Chellise Michael absolutely nailed it! She has that dreamy style that makes you forget your supposed to be working, not just drooling over her photos! And, Nine Cakes?! Yes please! This cake is a work of art.

These super-cool babes have amazing style and we couldn't be more thrilled to share their big day with you!

Here at H&H Weddings, we are suckers for romance, so you can imagine our delight when this gem came in! The dapper couple dressed to the 9's, a super romantic quote on the chalkboard and those lush florals...we are in dreamland! The vintage pieces add just the right touch of charm, while the cake looks too good to eat. Seriously. This is the perfect inspiration for any affair!