Jazzy, Romantic, Restaurant Wedding at Tortoise Supper Club in Chicago: Taylor and Braden

Jun 26

When a California couple makes their way to Chicago for their wedding, you know it’s going to be great! Taylor and Braden work in the film industry and had a wedding day that really reflected them as a couple and we absolutely loved every second of it. They wanted a cool, jazzy wedding with the venue being a restaurant “Tortoise Supper Club” in downtown Chicago that has a jazz band, but really wanted it to be romantic and fun for their guests. They had us there as their coordinators to help with the logistics of their candles with their room flip and we were able to help keep their day running smoothly so everyone could enjoy themselves. You have to see the photos from this chilly November day!

As soon as the guests are first introduced to Taylor and Braden’s wedding day, their invites with the “movie poster” vibe was a perfect way to set the tone for the wedding day. This initial detail is one that really shows their personalities right off the bat!

Taylor and her wedding party members got ready at their hotel in these really cute and cozy PJs! At the end of the wedding, many of the folks changed back into their new PJ sets including the bride, Taylor! It definitely was the best way to rally at the end of the night.

Taylor and Braden did a first look and it was adorable! It was also really helpful for the logistics of the day because the sunset was so early for this late November wedding. That way, they were able to take all of their photos before the ceremony and enjoy themselves after that too!

Taylor and Braden had the colors focus on some golds and champagnes and it was so elegant. It really worked with the venue and keeping everything looking a little more romantic and classy, and we love the new trend of choosing different styles and colors for the bridesmaid dresses while still keeping it cohesive in the same palette. Most of Taylor and Braden’s friends are from California, so thankfully they didn’t have to stay outside for too long in the chilly wind!

Tortoise Supper Club was a wonderful spot to have the whole wedding day, but it was nice that the wedding party was able to hang out there after the photos to stay out of the cold. The Christmas vibe was also fun and romantic for everyone!

One thing that stands out in Tortoise Supper Club though is the red room - it really has such a romantic, classic vibe that we loved for some photos and for guests to hang out! The venue is partially underground, so the photos all were flash and that really adds to the classic, movie-esque aesthetic for the day too!

Our personal favorite detail of the wedding day was the seating chart - the couple used classic movies as the table “numbers” and added their guests’ names into the cast list for them to find their table! We thought that this touch was so unique and spoke so much to the couple and what is important to them.

While the guests were starting to file in for the ceremony, the wedding party got to hang out and get ready for the fun. We just love so many of the photos from the gallery that really made everyone look like beautiful movie stars!

Taylor and Braden brought about 300 candles to help make the space so romantic and we set some of them for the ceremony aisle. We had to change the spacing for the aisle because we didn’t want Taylor’s ballgown to be at risk of a fire hazard, and of course all went well down the aisle!

The ceremony was officiated by a friend of Taylor and Braden’s and it was a hoot as most of their friends are also in the film industry. We loved hearing the special moments and personalized vows!

We got to work after the ceremony with the room flip with moving all of their candles, setting the movie poster table numbers, and placing thank-yous at each person’s seat, which was such a sweet touch! Everything was so moody and romantic for the dinner and it was great helping Taylor and Braden’s vision come to life. For cocktail hour, the jazz band got started and the espresso martinis were flowing!

After dinner, Taylor and Braden had a private cake cutting in the red room which was fun to watch. Their cake was that vintage look that everyone loves and we love it too!

They also had cigar rollers come and make cigars for everyone! That definitely was a nice touch that their guests enjoyed out in the Chicago streets. It definitely fits the restaurant, moody feel that the day had!

They had their formal dances and kicked off the fun right away! The couple had a great time dancing with their family and friends the rest of the night.

Taylor also loves Taylor Swift and made sure to include “Long Live” so that she can continue a tradition of dancing with her friends to the song - it was SO sweet and fun to watch! Taylor also had a bustle malfunction during the evening, so we were able to help safety pin everything back together and she could continue enjoying herself with everyone.

Before the end of the night, Taylor, Braden, and their wedding party went out to the theater district to take some cute photos! It was definitely fitting for their personalized wedding day, but I was shocked that they were all willing to brave the cold!