The Amalfi Coast is known for its amazing views — and for its harrowing roads. Luckily, at this point in our trip, Justin was a pro at driving. We cruised through the tolls with ease. We figured out how to put Read More…
Our Blog Entries
Read here for wedding, wedding and MORE WEDDING stuff!!!!
Honeymoon Part 5: Abruzzo
I didn’t quite know what to expect at the farm. It is, after all, a farm. When I woke up there the first morning, I peaked outside the door to find a donkey and goats chillin’ in our front yard with the Abruzzo Read More…
Honeymoon Part 4: Treia
From Venice we made our way to Treia, a small town in the Marche region where my great-uncle and great-aunt own a beautiful villa. They graciously let Justin and I stay at their stunning property, which includes two houses, an Read More…
Honeymoon Part 3: Venice
Venice initially didn’t make the cut for our itinerary. It’s going to be too expensive and too touristy, I thought. My mind changed at some point because, well, it is our honeymoon after all. How could we go to Italy Read More…
Honeymoon Part 2: Verona
Driving in daylight (and no rain) on our way to Verona seemed much easier than our initial experience on the road. That is until we came to our first toll both. After much fumbling around trying to give the machine money, we Read More…
Honeymoon Part 1: Lake Como
Oh, Italy. With its amazing views, good food and fun people, there’s no place quite like it. As most of you already know, I’ve been obsessed with Italy ever since I spent a semester in Rome, so I was beyond Read More…
Wedding Day Trailer
A huge thank-you to my Dad’s cousins Barb and Scott from Chicago Cinematic Weddings for making this amazing wedding video for us!! It’s so fun to relive all of our special memories from the big day!
Say it ain’t so!
Just found out that the amazing bakery we used for all of our special wedding treats has closed down. Such a bummer!! I had been so excited that the store was located just around the corner from our home so that Read More…
A welcome home surprise
When we came back home on Tuesday, bummed that our vacation was over and exhausted from the time change, we were nicely surprised to see that my brother made us a “welcome home” sign hanging in our kitchen, accompanied by a Read More…
Trivia answer revealed
Well, we’re finally back in the U.S.A. after having spent two amazing weeks traveling around Italy. Before I get into the details of our crazy adventure, I know you’re all dying to find out if you won the trivia competition about Read More…
Italy here we come
Today’s finally the day! We set off on our honeymoon this evening for an adventure all across Italy. Despite most people’s recommendations to just relax and take it easy, we have quite the extensive itinerary. There’s too many cool places to check out! Read More…
Helping hands
Remember when I said my wedding favors were super simple and easy to make? Well, that’s because I only had to make one of them, haha. After I made the sample bag, I had my trusty wedding crew come over and take Read More…
Extra! Extra! Read all about it
To borrow a line from one of my favorite movies, the Newsies, “You get your picture in the papes, you’re famous.” Not sure if we’re quite famous — yet — but a recent front page of a Chicago community newspaper features Read More…
Final Ceremony Readings
I know it was hard for many of you to hear parts of the ceremony, so here are copies of the readings that Justin and I ultimately chose. A big thanks to our readers, Justin’s sister Tracy and my brother’s girlfriend Ginny, Read More…
Throwback Thursday
How about we “throwback” this week to that one time Justin and I … GOT MARRIED!!!!!! We had an absolute blast last weekend, and thank you all so, so much for sharing in the experience with us. To all the readers Read More…
Throwback Thursday
Katie, Justin and their families throughout the years.
Centerpiece Statues
This is a belated post, but I’m excited to share one of my centerpiece ideas, which had actually been one of the first wedding-related things I did last year when the planning first took off. I figured if we were Read More…
A Few Reminders
Here are a few things I want to draw your attention to before the big day… We will have a yellow school bus available after the wedding that will pick up guests from the venue and take everyone back to Read More…
Planning with pets
They always have to be part of the action…. Groomsman Scottie walking down the aisle. Jack wasn’t very helpful. Michael took Justin’s spot in the taste test. Scottie is my editor.
Throwback Thursday
Katie and Justin throughout the years.
Summer in the City
Looking for some fun activities to do while you’re in Chicago? Here are a few ideas for you — including a couple of our favorite spots. The Taste of Chicago takes place in Grant Park from July 8 – 12. Read More…
Breakfast of Champions
I know a posted a lot about our unofficial bakery tastings, but I think I forgot to reveal our final choices. We decided on Sensational Bites, a little shop located near us on Southport, and went there one Saturday morning — Read More…
Throwback Thursday
Katie throughout the years. Click here to see the full gallery!
Bridesmaid dresses: complete!
It’s official. I have the most fashionable bridesmaids out there! Each special lady had been tasked with finding their own dress in any style they wanted, as long as it was short and fell within a mix of neutral tones (gray, beige, Read More…
Throwback Thursday
Justin throughout the years. Click here to see the full gallery!
Wedding favors
Back when we first started planning our big event, I was trying to cut out unnecessary expenses and wedding favors was first on that list. But then I went to a few weddings and realized how nice it was to Read More…
Ceremony readings
The good part about designing your own wedding ceremony is that you can do whatever you want with it. The bad part is that means the choices are endless! For weeks I’ve been researching ideas for our wedding readings in Read More…
Flower arrangements
After many many trips back and forth to Michael’s, Homegoods, Marshall’s, Wal-Mart and Jo-Ann Fabric, I’m excited to say that I’ve finished making the two large flower arrangements that will go in the front of the ceremony space. Surprisingly, it only took Read More…
Hair chopped
Most brides try to grow their hair out as long as they can before their wedding, at least that’s what I’ve been told. So when I went in to the salon the other day and said I wanted to chop off all Read More…
Happy Anniversary
Uh-oh. Justin and I aren’t even married yet and it’s already happening… We both forgot about our anniversary! May 10 marked five years since Justin and I had our first date at a bar in Wrigleyville. Over the weekend we Read More…
Wedding rings
Sometimes it takes a few bad apples before you can appreciate a good one. That was the case for Justin and I as we visited jewelry stores looking for our wedding bands. Before we even began our search, I didn’t Read More…
More bakeries!
Yes, Justin and I did visit a few bakeries last weekend and made our own little tasting session at home with all kinds of cupcakes, brownies and cookies. But, you can never do too much research! I had to do my due diligence Read More…
DIY decor (in a nutshell)
Here’s a quick update on how all of my do-it-yourself decorations are coming along… [stag_intro]VISION:[/stag_intro] [stag_intro]REALITY:[/stag_intro]
How sweet it is
Justin and I had a pretty productive day yesterday: We started out at Men’s Wearhouse to pick out tuxedos for the guys, then spent the rest of the day visiting bakeries to gather some samples and also jewelry stores for Read More…
Speaking of mauve…
All this talk about “mauve” — or, “moo-ah-vay,” as Justin pronounces it — reminded me of a funny story of mine from high school. It has nothing to do with the wedding, but writing about mauve over and over again brought back Read More…
Wedding colors, part three
The wedding palette saga continues… After poking fun at my sister and then also my fiance for not really knowing our color scheme for the wedding, I found myself chuckling again last night over the confusion I’ve created with this palette choice. Read More…
Bridal shoes & accessories
I recently went to DSW looking for shoes for the wedding, but instead I ended up finding a clutch for the big day. Of course, it’s in the dusty rose color that I’m now obsessed with and matches the bridesmaids’ attire. The Read More…
Dear Bridesmaids: April Fools!
To: Bridesmaids From: Katie Date: Wed, Apr 1, 2015 at 9:57 PM Subject: wedding updates: PLEASE READ ENTIRE EMAIL Hey ladies! We’re at 100 days away now! I can’t believe it! Now that our planning is kicking into high gear, Read More…
Wedding registry tips?
Earlier this month I went to a registry event at Crate & Barrel with one of my bridesmaids, Kristine. They closed the store to the public so couples — or friends, haha — could explore with no crowds and put Read More…
Wedding colors, part two
I just got back from a fun trip to Nashville for my cousin’s bachelorette party (she’s getting married in May!) so we’ll keep this weekend’s post short and sweet. While my plane sat stuck on the runway waiting for an Read More…
Christmas in July
It’s finally starting to warm up in Chicago, thankfully, but that long winter we endured was actually beneficial for me when it came to wedding planning. Not only was being stuck inside a perfect time to do research, but the holiday Read More…
Wedding colors, part one
Yesterday I told my younger sister Emily that I could take her to the store to activate her new phone (her first smartphone ever, if you can believe it!) but first we needed to make “a few stops” for wedding Read More…
See the full gallery of our engagement pictures
[stag_intro]If you’re not sick of looking at us yet, there’s even MORE to see![/stag_intro] We couldn’t be happier with Chris and Rachel from First Blush Photos, who took the pictures from our engagement session and will also be photographing our wedding day. Read More…
Will you be my bridesmaid?
It didn’t take much time on Pinterest for me to learn that “bridesmaid proposals” are a thing now. Hoping to find something with a little humor, I poked around the internet until I came across this cute and funny photo book that shows Read More…
How we became involved in a Pyramid scheme
[stag_intro]”And we had to wake up at 8 a.m. on a Saturday to do it.” — Justin[/stag_intro] I’ve had quite a few strange experiences in my life, but I think this one might top the list. And I’m sharing it here Read More…
The story of our engagement
[stag_intro]SPOILER ALERT: I said yes. [/stag_intro]Every year between Christmas and New Year’s, Justin and I visit Captiva Island in Florida with Justin’s family. We’ve made it a tradition each time we’re there to sneak into the resort’s pool area at night for a Read More…