2018: What an exciting year for Preoccupied Bride! In my first full year of business, I was fortunate to celebrate six great couples, get quoted in multiple media outlets and win two wedding awards.
I am excited to share my 2018 Year in Review with you.
Weddings
I started 2018 with the lovely Lisa & Tom at North Shore Country Club. Their reception had not one but two live bands, tons of dancing and lots of love. More on their gorgeous wedding can be found here.
In the spring, my husband and I pulled off an intimate, black-tie wedding in the heart of the city at InterContinental Chicago. Four courses of Chicago’s finest food and two DJs had guests fully satisfied and the dance floor packed until the end of the night. A few weeks later, we took a road trip to Indianapolis to coordinate our first out-of-state wedding. Sonia & Richard had their beautiful ceremony and reception at Pipers at the Marott, and our favorite detail was their DIY cupcake bar. (More details here.)
The summer began with my team coordinating a local wedding here in Evanston at Merrick Rose Garden. The ceremony was simple and sweet with guests standing in the garden as the couple recited their vows before heading over to a brunch reception at a delicious Italian-Mediterranean restaurant. (Click here for more details.) Later in the summer, my team coordinated our first traditional South Asian wedding at Chicago Marriott Naperville. Mango ice cream served to guests during the morning ceremony, the shoe stealing game afterward and a delicious buffet featuring popular North Indian dishes at the reception were some of our favorite highlights.
The season ended with Tiffany & Alan’s wonderful winter wedding at Hilton Chicago Northbrook. The couple braved the cold for their first look pictures at the property’s beautiful outdoor gazebo before heading to their family’s church where the groom’s cousin married them, making the ceremony extra special. We can’t help but mention their reception had a cookie table with close to 1,000 cookies! The groom was from New Jersey and apparently at New Jersey weddings, they have serious cookie tables. I’ve never seen so many cookies at once. It was incredible. The wedding went seamlessly and was a perfect end to the wedding season.
Media
Preoccupied Bride was honored to be featured in several media outlets this year, but some of my favorites include:
ChicagoStyle Weddings: Local Love – Maria & Rob at the Chicago History Museum
Lakeshore In Love: Intimate Evanston Wedding at Merrick Rose Garden
SheFinds: 8 Ways for Couples to Save Money & Cut Their Wedding Budget in Half
Insider: What You Should Actually Wear to a Rehearsal Dinner
SheFinds: 6 Things Every September Bride Should Know for Her Wedding
Your I Do Crew Podcast: Avoiding Reception Seating Nightmares
Planners Lounge: Day in the Life – Maya Devassy Tarach of Preoccupied Bride
Awards
Preoccupied Bride was also recognized by WedBiz Peer Appreciation Awards for New Talent and Outstanding Service.
Thank You
Before 2019 begins, I’d like to thank everyone who has supported Preoccupied Bride. To all my amazing couples, thank you for having trusted me to be your wedding planner. It means so much to be able to ease your anxiety and take away some wedding stress so you can celebrate your special day the way it should be celebrated.
To all the great vendors I’ve had the pleasure of working with, thank you for your talent and passion. It takes a village to make a great event happen, and I appreciate how easy you make it look when in reality I know you’re working your butt off to do what you love. Your gifts and professionalism do not go unnoticed.
To my fellow wedding planners who are about community over competition that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting, assisting and having assisted me—special shout out to Malenia Events, Madison Elyse Events, JPB Designs and Joy Jones Planning—it’s wonderful to work with other professionals who understand the highs and lows and successes and struggles of doing what we do.
To all my assistants—Alison, Jessica, Cindy and Debbie—thank you for helping me with all that entails with wedding day madness.
Last, but certainly not least, to my husband Andrew. Thank you for being my better half, partner in all things and the biggest supporter of Preoccupied Bride. You’ve helped me with so many events and have done more wedding tasks than you probably ever imagined you would, from spreading flower petals down the aisle right before the bride walks in to dealing with seating chart issues to decorating place card and memory tables—the list goes on. You’re outstanding on wedding days and all days. You gave me the courage to start this business and I would not be where I am without you.
Here’s to a healthy, prosperous and peaceful 2019. Happy New Year!
Monday, December 31, 2018
