“In a lot of ways, Stephen and I grew up together. We didn’t know each other as kids, but were together for a long time even before we got married. We went from a missed connection in high school, to long-distance sweethearts in college, then roommates through grad school and a new job, and landed somewhere beyond that. We’ve weathered loss together, and watched each others’ values shift and expand, and become even more of ourselves. We wanted our wedding to be a celebration of that: for it to feel grounded and intentional and to feel authentic to the relationship we built together. And to throw a hell of a party for all of the people who supported us, as individuals and as a couple, along the way. Both Stephen and I were born and raised in Calgary, but we’ve lived in Chicago since 2016 and didn’t realize until we started planning how much that informed what we were looking for in a celebration. It wasn’t a design aesthetic, specifically, but more of a feeling: we wanted everything to feel modern, down to earth, with a mix of old and new. And we knew that having excellent food and drinks were top-priority. We looked for (what felt like) a long time before our wedding planner, Chelsea Townsend of Coco & Ash, found The King Eddy rooftop for our ceremony venue. Being so closely linked to the National Music Center, it felt like the perfect combination of contemporary and classical style; exactly what the Chicago downtown is known for. Similarly, when we first looked at The Brownstone, the owner, Penny, described that her vision in designing it was to create ‘a Chicago-style courtyard,’ we knew it would be a perfect fit. For the design in the space, we opted for a modern and minimalist tablescape to support serving the dinner family-style. Looking back on the day, my favourite moment was the ceremony. There was so much anticipation and build up to that moment, and to walk out onto the rooftop and see all of family and friends there to support us felt like pure joy. Stephen and I each wrote our own vows and giggled as we heard how they overlapped and complimented each others’.We capped off the ceremony with a champagne toast for everyone present and it felt like the best celebration we could’ve hoped for.”
– Pam, the bride
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