Enchanted at Café Brauer | B&E 2022
When Emily and Ben came to BW Studio + Events looking for assistance, they already had beautifully grand plans for their wedding weekend. A Ceremony and Reception at the stunning Cafe Brauer in Lincoln Park, a lovely dinner at Cafe Baba Reeba, and a huge welcome party at the illustrious Surgical Museum of Science. Problem was, there were so many moving parts and not enough hands to do it all. Our team jumped at the opportunity to bring this vision to life and coordinate all the logistics for them!
We started planning with them approximately a year in advance. A few hiccups got thrown our way, such as a videographer going out of business a week before the wedding, but we navigated through it all as a team. Often the amount of moving parts required members of our team to be in different places at once, which is why it was essential to have a professional team on board to help pull this gorgeous day off whiteout a hitch!
The wedding weekend started with a family dinner at Cafe BaBa Reba in Lincoln Park. Then the couple and their wedding party met the rest of the guests at the Museum of Surgical Science for a quick ceremony rehearsal and lively welcome party. Every room of the Museum's second floor was filled with snacks, sweets, and drinks. The bride rocked a gorgeous white suit set!
Morning of the wedding started early with hair and makeup for a large bridal party. The bride and groom shared their first look at their own condo, giving the moment a very personal touch.
From there, the wedding party moved into the iconic Lincoln Park to capture some of those picturesque skyline views. The weather played along perfectly as the bridesmaids showed off their coordinating but not matching dresses and bouquets. By then, the ceremony setup had been completed at Cafe Brauer’s stunning Great Room. Five enormous chandeliers had been suspended from the rafters and draped in greenery to provide a full ceiling height ceremony altar by Nichole’s team from XO Design Co. Truly filled the room from top to bottom.
After vows were shared and the couple kissed, guests were escorted onto the outdoor loggia while the production team flipped the room for the reception. Everything from the ceremony was repurposed into the reception decor. Large chinoiserie vases perfectly paired together sat on each table, along with a personalized table number of all Ben and Emily’s favorite Chicago locations.
The long head table was snuggly positioned underneath the hanging chandeliers for a romantically lit dinner. A grand three tiered cake was covered in a combination of blue and white florals to coordinate with the design aesthetic.
Once dinner was served and speeches were had, the live band started up and never stopped! Lively and engaging with the crowd, they played two sets that kept the dance floor full all night long.
The couple ended the night with a pizza food truck and the iconic sparkler exit at the front door of the cafe. A beautiful weekend of festivities and a lesson that wedding weekends are a marathon, not a sprint. It takes a skilled team to pull off the logistics of a busy wedding weekend!!
A huge thank you to an amazing creative team that pulled this one together:
Venue: Cafe Brauer // Photo: Todd James Photography // Video: Munaco Pictures // Florist: XO Design Co // Catering: Tigerlily Events // Cake/Sweets: Molly's Cupcakes // Entertainment: Spoken Four // Photo Booth: Zippy Booth // Hair & Makeup: Pin Me Up Chicago // Dress: Bella Bianca // Suits: The Black Tux // Hotels: Hotel Lincoln // Rehearsal Dinner: Cafe Ba Ba Reeba // Welcome Party: Museum of Surgical Science // Transportation: Second City Trolley // Late Night Food Truck: Connie's Pizza // Planning: BW Studio + Events