Mary and Maged’s JW Chicago Marriott Wedding
What happens when the executive designer and planner of M. B. Classics, Event Designing Company gets married? The wedding is stunningly exquisite with unstoppable stylish details. Mary and Maged’s JW Chicago Marriott Wedding was the event of the season and MDM could not have been more thrilled to be a part of it.
Love At First Sight
“Quite the story- July 2010 I did a typical venue walk through with Miranda Thomas of the JW Marriott literally in hard hats. I remember looking to Miranda and saying, this is going to be an incredible hotel and this room an incredible ballroom. After its grand opening, my team went for another site visit where we finally got to see the finished product and it was incredible. Deep down I said, I hope when I get married I can have my wedding here…and that was that,” said Mary.
The top two points on the bride’s check list were the Chef and an opulent ballroom; a JW Chicago Marriott Wedding was just the ticket! The culinary team at the JW is amazing and the grand ballroom is breath taking.
Having very high ceilings with a creamy pearlized hue to it, the ballroom was an amazing canvas for Mary to “push the envelope” and bring in colors like magenta, fuchsia, hot pink, silver, white and a lot of bling.
Cirque Du Soleil meets the Oscars
“Shakespeare. Life is a stage and we are but actors. I’ve always been fascinated by these words and I knew way before that I’d have a bit more of a different theme than most typical brides or event planners. So my theme was generated from 2 elements, the Oscars (my idea of the Superbowl) and Cirque Du Soleil. I wanted the giltz and glam of Hollywood and the mysteré, magic and intrigue of the Cirque,” said Mary.
The Bride and Groom’s theme was unique. From the pink up lights, to the crystal covered centerpieces, to the pure white dance floor, the room oozed with opulence.
Chicago Lighting Design provided the hot pink up lights and pin spot lighting. Adding to the mix, the bride also loved MDM’s two 42” HD TV’s and intelligent dance floor lights.
To set up beautiful tables, the bride chose The Meetinghouse Company for her floral and room décor in collaboration with M&M Special Events unique vases. The centerpieces stood tall with white and fuchsia orchids, catelya orchids, and hot pink hydrangea. And what Hollywood theme would be complete without a little bit of bling! Crystal elements were all over the place adding that touch of glam. All these companies came together to help bring the couples vision and dream to life, not to mention the M.B. Classics signature touch.
BBJ supplied the silver lamour table clothes and the table toppers added a pop of color with their bengaline hot pink napkins and elegant petal overlay for the place card table.
As if that wasn’t enough, each table was named after a Cirque Du Soleil show. After seeing over nine Cirque Du Soleil shows and owning all the sound tracks, Mary knew she wanted to include Cirque Du Soleil in her wedding day. Each table represented one of Mary’s favorite shows and created the mystere and glam she was looking for.
Since the JW Chicago Marriott already had a red carpet, the couple didn’t have to worry about rolling it out. They treated their guests like celebrities with specialty drinks and an ice sculpture of the famous Oscar! Nadeau’s Ice Sculptures’ created the sculpture after hearing Mary’s grand wedding ideas. The sculpture was not only beautiful but functional. It helped to stir and chill the couple’s signature drink, “Marry Me Melontini’s”
With so many different details, one image remained the same.
“The Gobo design is actually the image from our invitations which I created. I knew I wanted a reoccurring monogram that would tie the wedding together so when I was working on the ‘monogram’ I always wanted to take our initials and unite them. So when you look at the image it signifying that two separate entities have been brought together and their mirror image is a reflection of how we’ve become one,” said Mary.
MDM Entertainment helped the newlywed couple light up the entrances to the ballroom with two custom made GOBOs at the top of each stair case. The same design was also seen as a decal on the white dance floor created by Centerpiece Productions.
The Entertainment
The wedding was not only pleasing to the eye but also pleasing to the ear. The Bride and Groom went above and beyond for entertainment with two Las Vegas Ballerinas, the talented Blues Singer, Louise Kelly, and of course MDM DJ Nick R, mixing not only music but music videos.
During cocktail hour Louise Kelly Ensemble serenaded the guests while two gorgeous ballerinas pranced around them. The music was deep and soulful and the dancing was light and graceful.
“Louise Kelly is one of the most talented performers I know. We’ve worked together on so many other projects and I wouldn’t have seen my wedding without her magical touch! I had to have some sort of element of surprise which is very typical of me and my personality,” said Mary.
The element of surprise was definitely present when the guests were not only hearing high energy mixes, but seeing them as well. MDM’s HD TV’s showed music videos transitioning into one another with the music. It was amazing to see and hear the music blending together all at once. MDM DJ Nick R mixed not only the couples favorite Top 40 hits but also Arabic, French and of course Cirque Du Soleil songs. Each different genre melted into the next without a hiccup, keeping the eyes on the videos, the ears on the beat and the feet on the dance floor.
“As for vendors to hire- My entire vendor team are all favorites- each and every one of them,” said Mary.
With the help of Mary’s amazing team at M.B Classics the night went smoothly as ever. The night was amazing from start to finish. Mary looked stunning in her Atelier Amiee Italian gown from Dimitria’s Bridal, and Maged looked sophisticated and handsome sporting a Calvin Klein Tux. Congrats to this new amazing couple!
Wedding Vendor List
Planner/Designer/ Coordinator: M.B. Classics Event Design Company
Ceremony Venue: St. Mark’s Coptic Orthodox Church in Burr Ridge
Officiate: Father Samuel and Father Pavlos
Reception Venue: JW Marriott Chicago
Catering: JW Marriott
Bakery: Toni’s Patisserie and Café
Stationary: Invitations by Checkerboard were completely customized with Thia and Company
Brides Attire: Dimitra’s Bridal– Atlier Aimee – Italy, Left Bank for Veil and Earrings
Grooms Attire: Calvin Klein
Photographer: Lorenzo De Gregorio Photography
Videographer: Jesse Morrow- Veil and Tie
Hair and Makeup: Makeup- Celebrity Makeup Artist Kevianno Guerrero, accompanied by Laura Slosberg, and Mayra Scott. Hair, Styling by Sylva
Transportation: Limo and Party Bus- Al’s Platinum Limousine Company, WindyCity Buses for Guests
Florist: Ceremony and Personals- M&M Special Events (Brian Smith), Reception and Bride Bouquet- Meetinghouse– Floral Designer-David Halsey, Ann Mullen Project Manager
Rental Items: M&M Special Events
Photo Booth: MDM Entertainment
Entertainment: Champagne Creative Group for Ballerinas, MDM – DJ Nick R., Louise Kelly Ensemble for Piano and Bass.
Lighting: Chicago Lighting Design, Up lighting and Pin spotting, Gobos-MDM, Backdrop lighting MDM
Floor: Centerpiece Productions
Linens: Tabletoppers- Napkins and Overlay, BBJ Linens
For more information on DJ services and lighting for your JW Chicago Marriott Wedding, contact MDM Entertainment today at 773.253.4986.