Romantic Pastel Garden Wedding

This romantic garden wedding hits all the right notes — a sweet, soft color palette, beautiful scenery, and a celebration rich with the couple’s cultural traditions. Anxhela and Tao employed the talents of Codrean Photography, LOLA Event Productions, and Elizabeth Wray Designs to create a perfect day full of memorable moments, culminating in a dance party unlike any we’ve seen before.

From the bride, Anxhela: I had always imagined a romantic garden wedding in the hues of dusty blue, blush and ivory. After I walked down the aisle and said “I Do” to my soul mate, I was blown away when I entered the finished tent to see my wish become a reality; The drapery, the lighting, and the flowers throughout the entire day were just magical. We even incorporated DIY elements by home-making the seating charts as well as the ceremony program fans at each chair, and as a gift, we gave our guests personalized vanilla, soy candles. If I could give one piece of advice to another bride-to-be, it would be to relax and enjoy your wedding. You only live through it once, and I wish I could experience mine again!

From Michelle Kurinec of LOLA Event Productions: From the moment I spoke with Anxhela, I knew our goal was going to be to create a secret, whimsical, garden somewhere in the middle of the Chicago-land area. The softest blue, the palest pink, and the dustiest of miller were all head liners to our color palette and our inspiration to create an elegant affair among the arbors. Cafe lights whisked over-head of the “lounge” created the perfect atmosphere for guests to take a quick rest from the active dance floor. Anxhela and Tao began their day surrounded by family and friends, practicing wedding traditions brought over from their original home of Albania. They visited the homes of both their parents, where there was dancing, singing, smiles, and an extraordinary amount of rice throwing as a sign of well wishes for the newest bride and groom. I’ve never seen two families mesh as well on a wedding day.

They proceeded to make their vows official under a romantic arbor accented by divine greenery and lush floral in front of the arboretum’s “Meadow Lake.” Their ceremony was beautifully officiated by the bride’s aunt Entonella, in their native language of Albanian. After the ceremony, guests strolled throughout the arboretum, making their way to the “Hedge Garden” for cocktails and finally the “Pine Pavilion” for dinner and dancing. They danced the night away with traditional dances, flaming napkins, and impressive acrobatics by the groom! Their sweet tooth was fulfilled by the homemade, Albanian pastries made by the families of the bride and groom.