Lily and Nick’s Chicago Botanic Garden wedding was filled with beautiful details, colorful flowers, and plenty of garden-inspired touches. Their wedding day began with an outdoor ceremony at the Rose Terrace, followed by a reception that was originally planned for the McGinnley Pavilion tent. But with the Canadian wildfires affecting the air quality, the reception plan changed at the very last minute. What happened next was a true team effort, with everyone coming together to make sure Lily and Nick could still have the wedding they had envisioned.
Photos by Joseline Rodriguez (bts_bridal)
The day began with Lily and Nick’s ceremony surrounded by the natural beauty of the Chicago Botanic Garden. The outdoor setting was exactly what you would hope for from a Chicago Botanic Garden wedding; greenery, flowers, and an open-air setting that became part of the celebration.
For the ceremony, MDM Entertainment provided the barnwood ceremony structure, which gave the couple a beautiful natural backdrop. Blooming Events Chicago filled the structure with colorful flowers and greenery, creating a full floral arrangement that framed the ceremony beautifully.
The combination of the barnwood, greenery, and colorful blooms worked perfectly with the garden setting. The flowers brought in shades of red, orange, and yellow, while the natural wood of the structure kept the overall look grounded and connected to the surroundings.
It was a beautiful way to start Lily and Nick’s wedding day.
And at that point, everything was still going according to plan.
The original plan was to continue the celebration outdoors at the McGinnley Pavilion tent for the reception.
But the Canadian wildfires had been on everyone’s radar all week.
We knew by Monday that the wildfires were very likely to affect our events, and this was definitely the wedding we were preparing for the most. Early in the week, however, it looked like the wind was going to blow the smoke out, so we had to wait until the day of the wedding before making the final decision.
At 10:00 AM on the wedding day, the decision was made to move the reception indoors.
The decision was made by Lily and Nick, their planner, the Chicago Botanic Garden venue representative, and our team. Our input was primarily that we could make any space look amazing, so we were there to support whatever decision was best for the couple and their guests.
And once that decision was made, we shifted gears.
A last-minute reception change is a big one.
The original plan had already been designed around the McGinnley Pavilion tent. Suddenly, we were working with a completely different space and needed to figure out how to make Lily and Nick’s wedding vision work there.
When we arrived onsite, we had rough floor plans and sketches from the venue along with our initial plan. But many of the decisions were made right there on the spot.
A big part of the process was figuring out what we could rig from within the space and how we could use the room to our advantage.
Instead of trying to force the original plan into the new space, we looked at what we had and started creating a new version of the reception.
The goal was simple: keep as many of the original elements as possible and make sure Lily and Nick still felt like they were walking into the wedding they had planned.
Photos by Joseline Rodriguez (bts_bridal)
This was probably one of the biggest challenges of the day.
How do you take a wedding that was supposed to happen surrounded by the gardens and make an indoor reception still feel like a Chicago Botanic Garden wedding?
The answer was teamwork and creativity.
Blooming Events Chicago brought beautiful floral arrangements and greenery into the reception, helping connect the indoor space to the garden setting. Our team worked alongside them to bring the lighting and decor together with the floral design.
The reception featured warm rattan lanterns, red paper lanterns, and string lights that helped create a warm and inviting look overhead. We ended up with three mixed-lighting pieces on rigging grids, with string light “V” shapes extending from the largest central ring.
The lighting design worked beautifully with the greenery and flowers throughout the space. Instead of feeling like a completely separate indoor venue, the reception still had the natural, garden-inspired feeling that was important to Lily and Nick.
Once we started working in the new space, we realized that the larger room actually gave us some opportunities we wouldn’t have had with the original setup.
We were able to give the band more room while still creating a dedicated area for them. Our pony walls helped separate the band area, while the large plant-filled planters from the venue helped define the space.
The dance floor also became an important part of the room.
The black and white checkered dance floor brought a bold element into the reception and created a great contrast against the greenery, colorful flowers, and warm lighting around it.
It gave the room a strong visual element while also creating the perfect place for Lily and Nick and their guests to celebrate once the dancing began.
By the time the reception was mostly finished, Lily and Nick walked through the space.
After everything that had happened that morning, they couldn’t say enough “thank yous” for how well their vision still held true.
And that meant a lot.
Because behind the scenes, we knew how much had changed.
We knew the original plan.
We knew how much had to be figured out that morning.
We knew how many conversations happened between vendors and how many decisions had to be made quickly.
But Lily and Nick didn’t walk into the room thinking about any of that.
They walked in and saw their wedding.
That’s exactly what we wanted.
Photos by Elena Bazini Photography
Lily and Nick’s wedding ended up being a masterful example of teamwork and what can happen when vendors communicate well and are willing to adapt.
There wasn’t time to start over.
There wasn’t a new wedding design being created from scratch.
We already knew what Lily and Nick wanted. We simply had to figure out how to make it work in a different space.
Our team worked closely with Blooming Events Chicago, the planner, the venue, and the other vendors throughout the day. Everyone had to make quick decisions, adjust to the new space, and keep moving.
And somehow, all of those changes came together beautifully.
The ceremony remained the beautiful outdoor garden celebration Lily and Nick had envisioned. Then, when the reception had to move indoors, we found a way to bring that same feeling into a completely different space.
That’s what we love about events.
Sometimes everything goes exactly according to plan.
And sometimes, you have to throw the plan out the window and figure it out as you go.
For Lily and Nick, the latter happened. And it turned out beautifully.
Photos by Elena Bazini Photography
This Chicago Botanic Garden wedding was a great reminder that a beautiful event isn’t always about everything going perfectly.
It’s about having the right people around you when things don’t go according to plan.
It’s about communication.
It’s about creativity.
It’s about being flexible.
And it’s about remembering why you’re doing all of it in the first place.
For Lily and Nick, it was about celebrating their wedding day with the people they love.
For us, it was about helping them keep their vision alive even when the circumstances changed.
The final reception wasn’t what we originally expected to build at the McGinnley Pavilion tent. It became something new, an indoor celebration filled with greenery, colorful flowers, warm lighting, red paper lanterns, a black and white checkered dance floor, and plenty of personality.
And when Lily and Nick walked through the finished space and saw their vision come together, we knew the last-minute change had worked.
Photos by Elena Bazini Photography
Planning a wedding means having a vision, but sometimes the day brings unexpected changes. At MDM Entertainment, we’re here to help make it work. From wedding lighting and decor to dance floors and specialty rentals, our team works with you and your vendor team to create a celebration that feels like you, even when the plans change.
Planning your Chicago Botanic Garden wedding or another Chicago-area celebration?
Let’s talk about your ideas and see how we can bring them together. Call us at 773.253.4986 to get started.
With warm lights, colorful blooms, and the people you love all around you, your wedding becomes more than the day you planned, it becomes a beautiful memory you’ll carry with you forever.
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When an unexpected change forced Lily and Nick’s reception indoors, their vendor team quickly shifted gears to keep their wedding vision alive. From the beautiful outdoor ceremony to the garden-inspired indoor reception, see how teamwork and creativity brought the celebration together.
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