After meeting at a television marketing and promotion conference in Las Vegas, Dena and Craig began dating. When they decided to tie the knot, they wanted to get married in the bride’s hometown of Chicago — and they chose a special day of the year to declare that they were lucky in love.
The ceremony took place at Holy Name Cathedral, where Dena says she’ll never forget the feeling she had when the double doors opened. “It was the most exciting and overwhelming moment of my life,” she remembers. “All eyes were on me and my eyes were on Craig.” Afterward, it was off to The Gray for cocktail hour in the foyer.
With a wedding date of March 17, Dena and Craig knew they had to include a few St. Patrick’s Day touches. Chicago-based Shannon Rovers Irish Pipe Band led the couple into the reception, and the green cake was decorated with tiny flowers and shamrocks. Photos in front of the green Chicago River were a must.
After dinner in the formal Adler Ballroom, candlelit with mercury glass pillars and decorated in spring garden–inspired blush, white, and eucalyptus displays, the reception took a surprise turn when it moved to the Latin-inspired lounge Boleo. A nine-piece live band started the party right and kept the guests grooving until midnight, while plush couches gave everyone a chance to rest their dancing feet and chat in comfort.
“Overall, it was the best day of our lives,” the couple says. “The Kimpton Gray and their attentive and accommodating staff had much to do with it.” We loved the opportunity to play a part in your big day, Dena and Craig — in the words of an old Irish blessing, “May you both live as long as you want, and never want as long as you live.”
Special thanks to Ginda Photography
