If you have not been into Magnificent Milestones‘ stunning shop be sure to visit right away! Owner and designer, Kara Underwood Gordon, has always been a strong supporter of the eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway. This is her third year as our invitation sponsor (and she does so much more than just invitations!).
For the 2012 eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway, Magnificent Milestones will be providing all of the printed items including rehearsal dinner invitations, wedding invitations, programs, place cards and menu cards. All of these will be selected from the completely customizable Third Coast Collection – a Chicago Centric stationery line that focuses on the best the Windy City has to offer.
But that’s not all … A beautiful invitation is simply not complete without extraordinary calligraphy. Thanks to the generosity of the amazingly talented Rosemary Hall, the lucky winners of the 2012 eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway will have Rosemary’s handiwork on all mailed items and place cards.
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 are really enjoying working with Amy and Howard on their 11.11.11 wedding! I was tickled to get these reflections from Amy and Howard after our first day of planning meetings.
From The Bride’s Perspective …
We started at Magnificent Milestones. Let me start by saying that the store is amazing and beautiful. I just want to live there. The workspace is great, and it was amazing to see the literally endless amount of options they provide!! Nothing is off limits and that’s just unbelievable to me. Kara was super sweet and really went off our ideas and just ran with it! Howard put it correctly, it is like a kid in a candy store!
Next we met with Kelly from Fleur … AMAZING! Probably my favorite meeting, though all other meetings were a VERY close second. Kelly really listened to what we were thinking and took it to the next level. Never did she stray from our ideas, just enhanced it all. I loved her passion for her work and really giving us creative options for not just the bouquets, but also for the centerpieces, flower girl flowers, and the boutonnieres. Her attention to detail was amazing.
And then there is Talia from Rappatone Boutique Training. This woman is changing our lives! We are both eating better and are a thousand times more active than we’ve ever been. Howard and I are totally embracing the changes in our lives to be happier and much healthier people. She is teaching us to put fuel into our bodies, not just junk. I am absolutely loving all the organic food! And the best part is that we’re doing this together. Her advice and awesome workouts are really having us start our lives together on the right foot.
Going to Bella Bridesmaids was so much freaking fun. All the ladies are absolutely amazing. Answered all our questions, no matter how silly and really made sure that we were comfortable with our decisions. I’ve been a bridesmaid plenty of times, and this was the best and most organized bridesmaid shopping trip. And most importantly, they carry dresses that women actually want to wear again. My older sister may just order dresses just to have for special occasions!
Lastly was wedding dress shopping at Jenny Yoo! It was really great to share this time with family. I was fortunate to have my sister in laws and my niece on this shopping trip. And trying on dresses with my niece was so much fun. The ladies at Jenny Yoo were so helpful! I absolutely loved all the accessories you can add on to a dress. Totally makes it completely different with all the belts! Jenny Yoo is really my style, simple elegance, and seriously cannot wait to wear it on 11.11!
From The Groom’s Perspective …
Our first meeting was with Kara at Magnificent Milestones. This got the ball rolling on our planning and speechless is the only word that comes to mind. I was blown away with the extensive variety of invitation designs that we were asked to choose from. Basically a candy store for a little kid but for invitations. Kara was truly special…kind, warm, full of enthusiasm and she really cared about each individual detail that would ultimately form our wedding invitations. Essentially, Kara is a creative genius…period. I can’t wait to see the final product!!
Next we met with Kelly from Fleur. Within 5 minutes of meeting Kelly, I realized that we were truly blessed to have our floral arrangements designed and provided by Fleur. Even prior to discussing floral arrangements etc. Kelly’s heartfelt sincerity and love for our wedding nearly brought me to tears….(male pride is kicking in….my eyes watered…but Amy’s eyes looked like waterfalls)….from that point on, everything came together fast. Kelly took our vision and created a floral arrangement that took our breaths away. With the help of Heather and Katherine, we all collectively finalized an overall look that will represent our wedding with elegance, class and beauty. Can’t wait…
I wrapped the day up with Talia from Rappatone Boutique Training (Amy still had Jenny Yoo and Bella Bridesmaids on her agenda!). Talia was kind enough to add me to the package that she donated and for that, I will be forever grateful. Talia has changed my daily diet and that has already had a profound effect on my life. Our initial meeting consisted of a diet consultation along with defining clear goals that we wanted to achieve. She closely monitors our diet with the goal that we continue this changed lifestyle post wedding as well. Now the hard part….the workouts!!! Amazing, tough, very effective and all catered to our initial goals. The best part…Talia is an AMAZING person…she truly cares. She is sincere and as dedicated a trainer as I have ever seen in my life. She really, really cares..not much more you can ask for.
So far this experience has been exceptional! I cannot wait to meet all the other sponsors and continue our planning!
Based on my meeting with Amy and Howard, I would describe this lovely couple as fun, bubbly, and excited! We had a great time customizing their one-of-a-kind invitations in our invitation studio. Their style is clean and modern with some character…nothing too traditional.
We designed electronic, Chicago skyline save-the-dates to get the word out fast and will be sending letterpress invitations out within the next month. The invitations have a damask pattern running through it, adding a vintage feel, in combination with very modern fonts. It also has an unexpected element, a pocket neatly holding the inserts, on the reverse side of the invitation.
The couple’s venue, the gorgeous Chicago History Museum, is a unique blend of modern and vintage, so pulling all those aspects into the invitations is crucial for setting the perfect tone for this perfect couple.
If you are looking for truly amazing wedding invitations then you need to schedule an appointment at Magnificent Milestones first thing! Kara Underwood Gordon has created a luxurious and beautiful custom invitation studio. When you walk inside it becomes instantly apparent that you are someplace special.
For the eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway 2011, Magnificent Milestones will be providing all of the printed items including save the dates, rehearsal dinner invitations, wedding invitations, programs, place cards and menu cards. All of these will be selected from the completely amazing Third Coast Collection – a Chicago Centric stationery line that focuses on the best the Windy City has to offer.
But that’s not all … A beautiful invitation is simply not complete without extraordinary calligraphy. Thanks to the generosity of the amazingly talented Rosemary Hall, the lucky winners of the eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway 2011 will have Rosemary’s handiwork on all mailed items and place cards.
Last year Kara and Rosemary collaborated on Amanda and Mike’s stunning stationery suite including these gorgeous rehearsal dinner invitations … Who knew you could have so much fun with paper!
I was so happy to join the amazing group of participants for the Eleven Eleven Wedding, but am even *more* excited after meeting with Amanda and Mike! One of the first things that Amanda said (after many sincere “thank you’s”) was that she and her fiance are a “Chicago couple,” which is music to my ears. It is because of this common admiration of our fair city that I decided to create a custom line, Third Coast Collection, that screams: Chicago!
Wedding Invitation: I am no traditionalist, but I appreciate nothing more than an elegant calligraphed wedding invitation. For Amanda and Mike, we are designing just that: an elegant hand written, letterpress invitation, letterpress on the front and a beautiful with a hand drawn map of Chicago on the back. Simply gorgeous!
Rehearsal Invitations: I believe that rehearsal invitations, like thank you cards and save the dates, should be fun, spunky and in *any* color you want. Rehearsals are rarely the same feel as the wedding, so the invitation shouldn’t be either! We are going with a modern outline image of the skyline in teal and papaya.
Day of Details: One of my favorite pieces to design is the wedding program, which is shocking to most. The reason I love designing the program so much is because I believe if you are going to do anything, anything at all, do it right. Forgo the program if you must, but if you are going to have one, it should require just as much thought and effort as every other piece. For this “Chicago couple” we are designing a program that mimics the CTA purple line (of course).
Catch a glimpse of our meeting on the video link in the fleur post and stay tuned for pictures!
It was so exciting to finally meet Amanda and Mike!
Through the (Greatest Expectations) grapevine, word was that they both were interested in a very “country chic” style. Hearing this brought nothing short of a flurry of ideas to share with them. Their color palette is dusty yet vibrant, dramatic, and filled with ambiance and romance. They share a love for an eclectic style paired with a certain familiarity that offers something sweet and heartwarming. And despite their non-traditional tendencies, simplicity was an adjective often used.
Our shared ideas held on as almost endless, flirting with river rocks, rosemary, artichokes, chalkboards, grapevine, succulents, trailing ribbons, moss, and so much more. We discussed mason jars, candles, mix-matched pieces and mercury glass. Blooms included garden roses, hydrangea, ornamental kale, dusty miller, Queen Anne’s lace and orchid florets. I know I’m beginning to sound like a broken record, but this couple’s style just has me gushing! The flowers they love are just exquisite!
Amanda and Mike are such a delight. Our conversation regarding stylized tables and floral blossoms moved along just wonderfully. However, the obvious and larger picture was the two of them as a couple. Their laugher and smiles both carried the conversation and the all-embracing spirit encompassed our time shared together. Throughout the entire meeting they turned to one another, smiled, held hands and were as happy as you can imagine. They are truly in love and behind their bliss for the planning and process of the wedding, the larger joy stems from their love for one another. Amanda and Mike, congratulations on your engagement, and a deeply heartfelt thank you for allowing Fleur to be a part of your wedding on Eleven-Eleven.
Here is a fantastic video from Poetic Productions showing several meetings Amanda and Mike had with some of their wedding sponsors. We hope you enjoy it!
Please let the video load completely before trying to watch it!
Welcome to the eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway! On Thursday night, the eleventh of November, two thousand and ten, one lucky Chicagoland couple will be in the middle of their own dream-come-true wedding. The eleven eleven WEDDING is the brain child of us here at Greatest Expectations, but it is also a labor of love for each and every sponsor involved. We have gathered a group of Chicago’s premier wedding professionals to create this incredible all-inclusive wedding. The lucky winners will receive a wedding valued at over $60,000!!
From the largest and most obvious details to the smallest and most delicate touches, our sponsors have come together in an effort to do a really amazing thing for a couple who would not otherwise be able to have such a lavish affair. Make no mistake about it, this will not be your ordinary banquet hall wedding … We are talking a top-of-the-line, upscale wedding!
The celebrations begin with a rehearsal dinner on November 10th at ZED451, offering one of Chicago’s most unique dining experiences. The big event will be held at West Loop Studio, for 50-75 of your closest family and friends, featuring the scrumptious tastes of Berghoff Catering and the beautiful sounds of the Becca Kaufman Orchestra. Every single detail of the wedding will be taken care of and the winning couple will be dressed, spoiled and catered to in every way. Be sure to read about all of our sponsors to discover what each of them will be providing (this is one extensive list!).
You may be asking yourself “How can I win this amazing wedding?” Well, it’s pretty simple really; just send back the submission form and a photograph of you and your beloved. To be considered, all entries must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (CST) on May 1, 2010. After receiving all entries, we will post 10 semi-finalists online and open the polls to the public for a week to vote for their favorite couple. Yes, that means you can have all your friends and family members voting and helping you win. Heck, you can even vote for yourself or someone you have never met!! The three couples with the most votes will be brought in for an interview and the grand prize winner will be announced at our live reveal party on June 1, 2010, hosted by ZED451. Make sure you read the contest rules to learn about all of the little details.
We have so many fantastic sponsors involved. Throughout the submission process we plan to highlight each and every sponsor so you can get to know them a little better but, in the meantime, take a look at this list of pros ready to make your wedding dreams a reality … Oh, it’s important to note we are still adding more sponsors to the list (and you thought it couldn’t get any better!)
Ok all you wonderful couples out there … Buckle your seat belts and join us on the eleven eleven WEDDING Giveaway ride, it promises to be one of the most exceptional nights of your life!! You’ll be hearing a lot from us and the other sponsors so please check back often!
