First off let me just start by thanking everyone behind the eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway. Thank you to everyone who voted for us and thank you to the amazing sponsors!
The past month has been intense! We spent the whole voting week glued to our computers, phones, and pounding the pavement. We pestered our friends and family, we contacted every media source we could get our hands on, and utilized social networking websites to promote the contest in every way possible. We were so shocked by the overwhelming response from everyone that voted for us, shared our link, or wrote about our story. Our story and the contest was shared all around the world! We received such wonderful responses from long lost grade school friends to the It Gets Better Project. Regardless of whether we won or lost, we felt like this contest showed us that we are loved, that we are accepted, and that there is so much support for our relationship and for same-sex marriage. We never dreamed of this much support.
When we found out that we were finalists we were even more surprised! All our hard work (17 hour days of tweeting, sending out press releases, going to local businesses and organizations) really paid off. The next step was the interview processes. We were so excited to meet the Greatest Expectations team! Poetic Productions made us feel so comfortable in front of the camera! After the interview we waited a few weeks for the live reveal event at Nellcote. Let me just say that we were sitting on pins and needles waiting to hear who won!
Tuesday night finally came and we were so excited to be able to bring three of our closest friends and Jessica’s mother to Nellcote for the live reveal. The staff at Nellcote was wonderful, the food and drinks were amazing, and the space was stunning! It was a pleasure to finally meet the other finalists and generous sponsors, but as the event went on we grew more and more excited for the big reveal! Luckily having a blast in the Shutterbooth photo booth kept us at ease.
And then.. all of a sudden there we were, watching the interviews with the other couples and ourselves. Everyone had such an amazing story, some of which brought us to tears. It was such an honor to be in this contest with the three other couples. Then finally.. the big moment when last year’s winners Amy and Howard came to announce the 2012 winners and it was (Drum Roll Please!) Connie and Jessica! We were beyond shocked, but as we held each other close and cried, the applause from the crowd and the love from our friends and family affirmed our win.
The sponsors and other couples rushed to congratulate us with hugs and kind words. Our friends and family, who have been so supportive throughout our relationship and this contest cried. It was overwhelming and emotional and we couldn’t have felt more love and acceptance in that moment. We are truly blessed.
We cannot wait to start the planning process with all the wonderful sponsors of the eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway! We look forward to keeping everyone up to date throughout the process! And guess what? We’re getting married… IN NOVEMBER!
We are so pleased to announce that the 2012 winners of the eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway are Connie and Jessica! This adorable couple impressed the sponsors with their beautiful love story and zest for life!
Connie and Jessica will be documenting their entire wedding planning journey so be sure to keep checking back for fun details!
We would like to give an extra special thank you to Nellcote for hosting the most amazing Live Reveal Party last night, Cris from BKO for the entertainment and to Amanda Hein for capturing these stunning images (she promises more will come very soon)! It was fantastic to see so many of our sponsors come out for the big reveal … This giveaway would not be possible with out them!
Thank you to ALL of our amazing finalists for taking this exciting journey with us and congratulations to Connie and Jessica! Buckle up, this will be a fun ride
Theentire eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway team is excited to announce our newest sponsor, Pure Kitchen Catering. When it comes to delicious, beautiful and innovative food you can’t beat Pure Kitchen Catering. This boutique catering company believes the flavors of their food should be a highlight of your event. They use only fresh ingredients from local farmers and producers, because the less time between the farm and your plate, the brighter the taste. Buying only local ingredients helps Pure Kitchen do their part to support the local community here in Chicago. In addition, Pure Kitchen donates a portion of their profits each month to local community-based charities.
For the 2012 eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway,Pure Kitchen Catering will be donating a family-style reception for up to 75 guests and an open bar of beer, wine and specialty cocktails. It doesn’t get more delightful than that!
We couldn’t be more pleased to announce that Greatest Expectations has offered to work their wedding planning magic for the 2012 eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway! With their expertise and knowledge of the Chicago wedding planning community and their passion for all things wedding, we know that this years eleven eleven WEDDING giveaway will be exceptional!
We love this picture of the Greatest Expectations staff with Amy & Howard just after their eleven eleven WEDDING!
Have you have been sitting on the edge of your seat, anxiously awaiting the news? Well, now the wait is over! We are are excited to announce that this year’s eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway will be hosted at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum. There are so many things to love about this unique and delightful space. We cannot wait to get our creative partners together with our winners and come up with some spectacular design ideas!
The Nature Museum’s unique, natural beauty will lend an enchanting theme to this year’s eleven eleven WEDDING . Highlights include the Atrium and Courtyard, and South Gallery. Guests will be dazzled by the natural beauty of the outdoor ravine plaza and indoor glass-enclosed lobby. The South Gallery features floor-to-ceiling windows with views of Lake Michigan.
Both the ceremony and reception will be held at the Museum on Sunday, November 11, 2012.
Words cannot describe how amazing Amy & Howard’s wedding was, but it wasn’t just the wedding day, they were such a pleasure to work with from the first moment we met them.
It was such a pleasure for all of the event sponsors to work hand in hand with Amy & Howard to create their dream wedding. We took great care to make sure the event beautifully represented their personalities and their cultures. I can speak for each sponsor involved, this was an extraordinarily fun event to be part of!
As Amy & Howard began the planning process it was clear that they wanted something elegant, sophisticated and slightly modern. The talented women of Greatest Expectations worked tirelessly to ensure that the process was fun and exciting for the couple and also each of the sponsors. Their dedication and hard work spanned months of planning and you should have seen them in action on the big day! This stunning wedding would not have been possible without the onsite assistance of so many extra hands including the entire Greatest Expectations staff, Susan from The Left Bank, Sheshe from Berghoff, Kelly and Caleb from Fleur, Barb from the Chicago History Museum as well as countless others brought in by individual sponsors.
The bridal party started the day at Hotel 71 where the ladies had hair and make up done by Mario Tricoci Salons and were then transported to the ceremony in style by Chicago Trolley.
All of the little details, which we all know are not so little, were attended to by Magnificent Milestones and Rosemary Hall Calligraphy with the most beautiful menu cards, programs and hand done signage.
Because this was a brunch wedding, Berghoff Catering offered an amazing pancake bar, savory station and beverage bar featuring speciality champagne cocktails. It was really so much fun! Amy Beck Cake Design seriously blew our minds with the most spectacular cake ever and the guests were treated to delicious custom created favors by Truffle Truffle.
I am not sure what you were doing at 1:00 p.m. on 11.11.11, but I can tell you that all of the guests at Amy & Howard’s wedding were dancing their butts off! The Larry King Orchestra gets a party started like no other band! They are so amazingly good that it’s impossible to stay in your seats. It was extra fun because the guests were really into music. Seriously one of the best afternoons ever.
When people were not dancing, they were having a blast with the photo booth from ShutterBooth Chicago.
A special thank you is due to Bev Albert from Ceremonies for your Life for creating a truly meaningful and beautiful wedding ceremony and Rappatone Boutique Training for helping the bride and groom get fit and healthy for their big day (and the rest of their lives).
Thank you for following along with us as we took this journey! Much love to Amy & Howard! We are very much looking forward to what 2012 has in store! Stay tuned for more details over the next couple of months!
We absolutely LOVED having Amy and her bridesmaids in the shop and are so excited to see everything come together in November. Our favorite part about what we do is getting to know the network of friends and family behind the bride and groom and Amy certainly has a stylish and seasoned bridal party supporting her.
It was immediately clear that I was in the presence of professionals as Cindy, Kathleen, and Jennifer hit the dressing rooms. They were speedy changers, very articulate and in perfect alignment with Amy’s vision and style preferences.
After lots of fun, laughter, and taffeta Amy and the girls selected a sophisticated Lela Rose cocktail dress in the gorgeous color Spa with a bow belt by Simple Silhouettes in Chocolate to anchor it. The girls are sure to look sensational for Amy & Howard’s big day and I was so lucky to spend an afternoon getting to know and shopping with all of them!
The link below is from the talented Amanda Hein … Be sure to watch the Stop Motion Video of the girls trying on dresses.
Meeting Amy & Howard was such a delight! As soon as I met them I felt like we were definitely not on any kind of hand shake relationship, it went straight to hugs! They are such genuine people, filled with so much love for one another. You can just see it when they speak to the other and how they communicate together. I’m thrilled to be working with them.
Our first meeting went so smooth! Amy came prepared with a basic style board and we discussed a few ideas. After that everything came so smoothly! The color palette, the flowers they enjoy, their vision for the brunch ceremony and reception…, filled with simplicity, class and sophistication. To be honest, I was a little surprise with how quickly everything went, and when Amy’s eyes welled up with excitement for the day, I had to wipe away a few tears as well. Thank you, Amy & Howard, for reminding me why I love my part of the wedding planning so much!!! I can’t wait to see everything come together!!!
