Chicago Wedding Weekend

Chicago feels like home to me. Maybe because I lived there for 9 very formative years. The city is clean and beautiful, the people are friendly, and the food and the shopping are great. So, needless to say, when my step-brother decided to have his wedding there, I was super excited not only for the wedding and to see family, but to show my boyfriend around a little.

My father and step-mother surprised us by taking us directly from the airport to an amazing birthday dinner at one of the country’s best restaurant’s Rick Bayless’ Frontera Grill. Hands down, it was THE BEST Mexican food I’ve ever had, and that is saying a lot since Mexican food is one of my favorite cuisines. The weekend was also spent walking around Wicker Park and Bucktown with friends (two of my favorite neighborhoods in the city) and sailing on Lake Michigan.

Of course, the wedding took center stage. All of us girls (my sister, step-sister, step-mother, and myself) were excited to get dressed up and get our hair done for the big event. However, there very rarely is a big event without at least one fashion emergency. The night before the wedding my sister Brooke realized she’d forgotten her dress and unfortunately there wasn’t much time for her to buy another dress the next morning before we had to be at the ceremony. Luckily, we found a brown beaded lace skirt in our step-mother Cindy’s closet which I showed Brooke how to wear as a strapless dress. She eyed me up sceptically, but after I zipped and tied her in adding a skinny brown leather patent belt at her waist she was digging the look. Brooke’s brown leather heels worked perfectly and one of Cindy’s brown leather clutches completed the look. Total time= 10 minutes. What can I say? I’m a professional.

The wedding was an early afternoon ceremony in a cute little chapel followed by a casual outdoor reception at a tapas restaurant. I wore a Club Monaco bold floral printed dress with a pair of Yves Saint Laurent black leather strappy heels.

Delicate gold beaded hoops that I bought at Barney’s Co-op years ago were my only jewelry.

My marigold metallic J.Crew clutch brought out the oranges and yellows in the print of the dress.

And my fabulous Yves Saint Laurent heels. Classic and unique. I was in love at first sight.

My pretty little sister Brooke in the borrowed beaded lace skirt that we converted into a dress. Never would have known? Would you have?

Brooke chose simple silver hoops which worked perfectly with…

…the borrowed patent belt and bag.

Brooke’s own brown leather t-strap heels gave the look a vintage-y feel.

Newly weds Jen & Anthony.

Anthony and I ham it up for the camera.

***Music today: Bon Iver “For Emma, Forever Ago”.