We are so thrilled to be included in the Style Unveiled Paper Styled Shoot Challenge with a few other, select wedding planners from across the country! We were assigned two different “paper inspirations”, one gold shimmery and one beautiful cream and gold chevron, which we will be incorporating into our shoot. We have assembled a dream team of vendors to help us create a beautiful tablescape and we are are so exciting to be working with them! Elizabeth Grace will be creating some fun collateral, Elysia Root Cake has us all excited about some fanciful sweets, Fleur has come up with brilliant floral ideas and David Turner will be capturing it all on film. The shoot will take place on the cute patio at Piccolo Sogno and we are so excited to spotlight this fantastic Chicago restaurant. We couldn’t be more excited about some of the props we’ve picked up for this shoot, including some very cute animal accents! Keep on the look out for the feature!

We are **OBSESSED** with the Ersa Atelier gowns premiering at Dimitra’s Bridal Chicago this week!! This STUNNING collection reveals exclusive and sumptuous bridal gowns and designer dresses inspired by Russian aristocratic style. Combining elegant textures with solely handcraft embroidery and Swarovski crystals and pearls, the dresses recreate the noble and luxurious atmosphere of a royal ball and we just CAN’T GET ENOUGH!

Photos from Pinterest

Brightly colored eggs, pretty flowers, plenty of rabbits and pretty spring dresses come to mind when we think of Easter, and this pastel palette fits the bill perfectly! We always feel that Easter is the true marker of Spring and we are very much looking forward to celebrating with friends and family! With that being said, we have been on the look out for some fun Easter party supplies, and have found some truly great things!

As you all know by now, Sterling and Michelle are avid equestrians, so obviously, brainstorming ideas for a Kentucky Derby party was easy for us! We love how quintessentially “Kentucky” the Derby is, from the singing of “My Old Kentucky Home” to the Mint Juleps, the Derby is (in our opinion) one of the most festive sporting events of the year! There are many special aspects to the Derby; the roses, the May weather, the gorgeous horses and jockey silks, and let’s not forget the hats!!!! Although it’s still chilly here in Chicago, this brainstorming session has us in a May state of mind. We can’t wait to share more of our Derby day party tips with y’all!

Love this #throwbackthursday of the MDE team back in 2011 at Gene & Georgetti’s Restaurant‘s 70th Anniversary! In celebration of this momentous occasion, we rolled back prices to those of the 1940′s, hung with some of our all time favorite celebs courtesy of ZZAZZ Productions (Lucille Ball, Veronica Lake, Carmen Miranda, Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart), listened to the music of SWAY Chicago, delighted in a festive atmosphere and dined on Chicago’s BEST… with a portion of the proceeds benefitting some of our favorite organizations: Common Threads, Standing Tall and St Vincent De Paul Center. What a *FUN* event for the team that was so near and dear to our hearts! Here’s an exciting highlight reel that Ben Mahoney Productions. Video that rocks. put together for us.

Now, we know MDE hasn’t been around 70 years, but won’t you come help our team celebrate 5 years at Chicagoland’s newest event venue Loft 644 on Thursday, April 11th? We hope to see you there! To get your tickets, please visit Eventbrite!

We have lots of creative things coming up here at MDE, so we have been on the hunt for inspiration and in the process, we have found quite a few things that we are absolutely loving and have to share!

St. Joseph’s Day, also known as The Feast Of St. Joseph or La Festa di San Giuseppe, is celebrated today, March 19th!

Traditionally held two days after St. Patrick’s Day, St. Joseph’s Day has the strongest roots and traditions in Italy and it commemorates the feast day of St. Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary.

On Western calendars since the 10th century, St. Joseph’s Day was accepted in Rome in 1479 and added to the General Roman Calendar for celebration in 1621.

Zeppole is a DELICIOUS Italian pastry long associated with celebrating St. Joseph’s day – Gene & Georgetti restaurant passes them out every year in honor of the holiday! So, wish the fathers in your life a happy day today and we hope YOU take the time to enjoy a little zeppole!!! Buona Festa di San Giuseppe!

We are so thrilled to be featured on WeddingLovely today! We got to share one of our all time favorite wedding stories from Jamie and Andrew’s wedding last August, as well as reveal one of our favorite color combinations! We loved sharing the story of our past and more information about our team dynamic.

Make sure to check out our profile on weddingplannerlove.com and our spotlight!

We are officially on the cusp of “that time of year” again, where the Chicago River is dyed green and Chicagoans everywhere embrace a little bit of their own Irish-ness for the weekend! Yup, that’s right — St. Patrick’s Day weekend is ahead and we couldn’t be more excited! The holiday is the perfect excuse to fully embrace the pantone color of the year — emerald — into your special plans. Be it your outfit, your food, or your POP color for your themed party… we can’t wait to see emerald EVERYWHERE!