Blended Traditions | WildmanBT A&A 2024
When I first met Arnie and AnnMarie and learned about the initial plans for their big day, I absolutely knew I wanted to be a part of their wedding celebrations! They had enormous dreams for a fully immersive day that included traditions from both sides of their families, but they wanted it to feel intentional and like one big long endless party. And I think we absolutely nailed it!
AnnMarie is Sri Lankan and Arnie is Mexican, so it was essential that we captured both of their rich cultures in as many details as possible. Nothing was “done” just to be done, it had to have a purpose or we didn’t bother!
Starting with the morning off, both of them chose to get ready at homey spaces and enjoy rooms they loved rather than a stuffy hotel. Arnie got ready at home, and Ann was at her sisters with all of her ladies. It was a gorgeous morning, and the ladies enjoyed hair and makeup services in the morning sunlight while they waited for Arnie’s arrival. After we secured Arnie a bow tie (now officially in the emergency kit - lesson learned), we jumped right into photos!
The couple went around to a few local city parks to savor the moment before they were overwhelmed by their giant families for the rest of the day! And I’m glad they did because once they arrived at the venue, it was a whirlwind of photos, photos, photos, ceremony, speeches, dinner, dances, and so on. Glad they had that time together before the party swept them away!
As we prepped the musicians for the ceremony, the family took a full family portrait in front of WildmanBT’s iconic blue velvet curtains. I know these portraits will be cherished, as it’s not often you can get this many family members into one photo.
Once family photos wrapped, our mariachi band kicked off the entertainment with some prelude music to get everyone excited for the ceremony! They walked all of the guests into the ceremony space and we got them all seated under the skylight. Arnie walked down the aisle with his children and a few littles to an iconic "Oye Como Va" by the mariachi. Then, a folksinger joined the mariachi to play “Annie’s Song” as the bride walked down the aisle with her father.
After the ceremony ended, the mariachi once again announced the couple’s kiss with a rousing song and walked everyone back over to the cocktail area! They entertained guests with lively music as guests sampled light bites and tried the couple’s signature cocktails. His was a Mezcal Old Fashion and hers was a Cosmo! BW Studio helped design customized signage for them to share with their guests.
The catering and floral team made beautiful work of the room flip and truly transformed the space from a simple understated ceremony space to a stunning reception set for 250! Colors were rich and vibrant, full of blues and purples, with hints of gold and yellow. Candles glittered across the space, casting a romantic glow throughout the entire room. Their wooden ceremony altar had been repurposed behind their head table, framing them in swags of brightly colored flowers.
Once the velvet curtain was swagged back and guests made their way to their dining tables, everyone was excited to hear special toasts from the family and couple. Then they all dove into the three totally unique food stations the couple had selected with their friends and family in mind - Sri Lankan, Mediterranean, and American. (We saved a Mexican Food Truck for later!!) WildmanBT has a lovely glass surrounded room that’s perfect for a food station or dessert room, we used it for both!
After dinner we still had more surprises for everyone!! Ann changed into her traditional red gown and a close family member brought out his dhol drum to welcome her onto the dance floor. We lit their traditional family lamp and got guests ready to dance! They even had another family friend play a set of traditional Sri Lankan music later in the evening. All of this revelry was only moderately interrupted to invite the Jarabe Food Truck into the back of the room and roll the paleta ice cream cart around the space. Both of which were an absolute hit! Highly recommend ice cream carts for a busy dance floor.
As guests slowly started to leave once the lights came back on, they were handed hand made Love Cakes! A close friend of the couple made them and individually wrapped them as an end of night wedding favor. Eventually the drivers came, picked up the couple, and it was over as quickly as it had begun. But such a memorable night! Thankfully, we got to celebrate with this crew again in September for her cousin's wedding!
Special thank you to an amazing creative team:
Venue: WildmanBT // Photo & Video: Fox + Ivory // Florist: Branching Out Chicago // Catering: Beyond Catering // Late Night Snacks: Jarabe Taqueria Chicago // Alcohol Provider: Garfield's Beverage // Cake: Broken Tart // Ice Cream: Pancho’s Paletas Ice Cream // Entertainment & Photo Booth: Luniks Entertainment // Mariachi Band: Mariachi Ameca // Live Entertainment: Jess Baldissero // Signage: Chicago Printworks & Corduroy Effect // Stationery: Basic Invite & Minted // Lighting: MK Lighting + Design // Hair/Makeup: Appease2You // Hotels: Hyatt House West Loop & Hyatt House Oak Brook // Transportation: Echo Limousine // Rehearsal Dinner: Pinstripes Oak Brook // Planning: BW Studio + Events