Ceremony in the Round | E&R 2024
The BW Studio team has seen a ton of ceremonies over the years, and helped execute a plethora of unique traditions, but one of our new favorites is a “ceremony in the round”. This past summer an absolutely lovely couple of ours pulled it off beautifully at Cafe Brauer in Chicago, IL. It was such a joy to see their vision come to life for them!
Couples often wonder how they will see everyone at the ceremony, and how everyone will see them as well. Especially if you have a large guest count, some of the guests are in the back rows can be pretty far from the main action! A ceremony in the round creates a unique setting where guests surround the couple, officiant, and the wedding party. Not only can they see the couple better, they can see the reactions of each better as well.
For Erica and Ryan, they stood center stage in Cafe Brauer’s main ballroom while their wedding party stood just behind their officiant along the grand window walls to Lincoln Park. They grouped their guests into three sections so the wedding party could enter the ceremony space from Cafe Brauer’s mezzanine between two coordinating aisles. Guests were obviously curious what was going to happen when they arrived and you could tell they were a little excited to see something different!
The couple diagramed their layout carefully and tested it at the ceremony rehearsal to make sure it worked well with their whole group in place. Everyone was thrilled, and even excited to run through it twice and make sure we had it down to a science.
After their beautiful ceremony, Erica and Ryan spent the rest of the evening celebrating with their friends and family over dinner, drinks, and lively music. So glad we were able to bring this vision to life for them!
If you’ve ever considered doing a ceremony in the round, let us know and we can help you plan it out! This sort of ceremony does require a little bit more logistical planning with your catering team and coordinator/planner, but it’s absolutely worth it.
A special thank you to E&R’s vendor team that made their day so very special:
Venue: Cafe Brauer // Photo: Victoria Saint Martin // Florist: Flowers for Dreams // Catering: J&L Catering // Bar: Tigerlily Events // Cake: Butter Bird Bakery // Sweets: J&L Catering // Entertainment: The DJ Firm // Hair/Makeup: Feeling Pretty Inc // Dress: Glamour Closet // Transportation: 312 Limo & Echo Limousine // Hotels: Thompson Hotel & Westin Michigan Ave // Planning: BW Studio + Events