Real Wedding - Chicago, Illinois

ABC member planner: Saminta T. Harris, Perfect Party Planner, Chicago, 708.715.3413, saminta.harris@gmail.com.Photographer: George Street Photo and Video.Other Businesses: Belvedere Banquets, Rolf’sPatisserie, Palomino Floral Designs, Boolumaster, Inc., Dolce Strings, Christian Fields Natural Hair Salon, Edgy Events, David’s Bridal, Here Comes the Bride, Zeglio Custom Clothiers, J. Hilburn, A Formal Affair, Hair by Robert Rogers, A Perfect Face by Carolyn, Windy City Jewelers, Bogie’s Cigars, Reverend Joan, Marriott Renaissance, Shayne, and Flo.The couple: I planned our wedding from start to finish. We eloped on Nov. 13, 2009 in Canada. Upon our return, we had a lot of explaining to do with family and friends, which is why this wedding was significant for us—to have our friends and family there to celebrate our love.Inspiration: I wanted to “wow” our guests with simple elegance and class. My favorite color is pink. My partner, Stacey, loves the color green. She doesn’t really care for the color pink; she tolerates it because of me. When we chose our wedding colors, I assumed pink was the main color palette; however, Stacey put her foot down. But, in a marriage you have to compromise and I was OK with it as long as pink was there somewhere.Color palette: Chocolate, clover, pink, ivory, and champagne.Budget: $25,000.Most unique design element: I am not Jewish; however, I am deeply in love with the chuppahs. They are a great focal point, a change from the basic wedding arch. The chuppah had up-lighting and a small floral bouquet. We had a custom logo on the hand-painted aisle runner, the programs, the candle seating chart for the guest’s table, and the seating chart poster. Diamond jewel-tone accents were a must. The candles made the diamonds sparkle more on the tables.Biggest challenge: Not going over budget and staying focused. When planning a wedding, it’s very difficult for a bride, who happens to be a coordinator, to include everything on her dream wedding wish list.  Keeping a final decision on wedding plans was my worse nightmare.Hindsight: Negotiating is a powerful tool if you know how to utilize it. Stacey contacted the disc jockey, a famous radio personality, and he gave her a quote I thought was ridiculous. But, Stacey was not walking down the aisle without us hiring him. In the process of booking, our original wedding date was booked, so we chose the day after Thanksgiving. The Friday night event saved us $5,000 for the exact same service as a Saturday—and they threw in a few extras. The disc jockey gave us half off because who else would have a party after eating a Thanksgiving meal? I don’t think we paid full price on anything due to the date we chose.[nggallery id=10]