Big City Bride in National NATO News

We were so excited to see our very own Darcey Lohman quoted in national press this afternoon! CNBC posted the article "NATO summit in Chicago sends some brides fleeing." The truth is...some Chicago weddings were scared off by the NATO summit and some Chicago wedding planners avoided the date, but Big City Bride did not! Big City Bride worked through the challenges of planning a Chicago wedding with NATO. The way we see it is that Chicago brides and wedding guests need us more than ever this weekend. See the full article here and the highlighted Big City Bride press below: CHICAGO (Reuters) - Not everyone is fleeing NATO. Chris Moon and her fiancé, McAfee Burke, booked the Chicago Cultural Center - the crown jewel of Chicago wedding venues and just a few miles from the NATO summit site - more than a year ago for their wedding on Saturday. NATO defense ministers will use the venue for their dinner on Sunday night, a day after their wedding. "Planning a wedding has enough moving parts as it is, so adding the NATO Summit into the mix brought a whole new level of difficulty to the wedding weekend," said Darcey Lohman, a wedding planner for Big City Bride, which is handling the event. Prospective bride Moon said they have had to make concessions to pull it off amid the summit. A NATO team needed the hall they had booked for their cocktail hour overlooking one of the city's newest attractions, Millennium Park. Cocktail hour will now take place in a gallery overlooking Michigan Avenue. The parking garage next to the venue will be closed, so the couple must provide valet parking. They changed the start time of the ceremony to give guests more time to arrive. Their wedding website offers some advice: "Please allow yourselves ample time to arrive at the venue. There may be rolling street closures due to public protests and the transportation of foreign dignitaries." Moon said she is confident in the wedding planner and is preparing herself for things not going exactly as she envisioned. "Of course, I'm nervous. I'm hoping that everything comes together easily," she said.

Getting Married with NATO

Chicago weddings are lucky this weekend with incredible Spring time weather! That's one less worry for Chicago brides and grooms as they get anxious to share the city with the NATO Summit. Chicago has been preparing and planning for the NATO Summit for a very long time and awaiting the excitement and potential worries that will come along with it. Big City Bride knows the Chicago wedding planning worries that brides and grooms have encountered. Although the city would like to minimize activity in the loop, Chicago weddings will be happening this weekend and there are a few wedding planning tips for brides, grooms, families, and wedding guests alike: Wedding Transportation: Be prepared and plan for traffic, various road closures, closed parking garages, and parking restrictions in general. Planning an extra night at the hotel is the best idea! Among closed highways and unpredictable traffic delays, public transportation will also be limited. The most affected roads are said to be:

• I90 East and West between O’Hare and Downtown
• Ohio from I90/94 to Fairbanks/Columbus
• Ontario from Fairbanks to Columbus
• I90/94 East and West between downtown and I-55
• Roosevelt Road/18th Street/Canalport Ave access from I-93
• Significant closures in and around McCormick Place
• Significant closures in and around Museum Campus
• Significant closures in and around Willis Tower
• Significant closures in and around Chicago Cultural Center & Art Institute

Security: With Head's of States from all over the world in attendance for the NATO Summit, Chicago is taking tremendous security precautions! A big worry is protestors on the streets. It is advised that anyone in the city this weekend should carry photo identification and proof of where you work and live. Why is a Chicago wedding planner blogging about the NATO Summit in Chicago? Well...we plan and we prepare...we do our best to communicate...and then we get ready to problem solve! If you're a guest at a Chicago wedding, add a purse to your outfit so you can carry identification. Be smart as you travel and allow extra time. If you can, stay in a hotel downtown Chicago the night prior to the wedding so you have no worries about running late! Be smart when it comes to being a tourist. There is so much to enjoy in Chicago but sticking to attractions North of the city might be the best bet. Watch yourself around protestors and dress to blend in when you can. Big City Bride wants to help make sure every Chicago event this weekend runs smoothly with no problems! The NATO Summit is a wonderful opportunity for Chicagoans to show off this incredible city to important people from all over the globe.

YOUR INVITE HAS ARRIVED:

We are relocating all of these wonderful tips, tricks, and trends for Chicago weddings to a new site! Same blog but a new look and a new address! Big City Bride has NOT run out of ideas... in fact we need a better place to share all of our ideas, inspiration, connections, and insight into the Chicago wedding industry with you. As we become the trusted Chicago wedding planner we know our responsibility to bring you the best of the best, and we will not stop. We love and appreciate all of our followers and would want nothing more than to have your support on our newest blog.

CLICK HERE TO FIND BIG CITY BRIDE HERE!

Public Displays of Affection

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Although it may be a Hallmark Holiday...it is still a holiday celebrating love, and Big City Bride loves love, and we absolutely LOVE to celebrate love! Chicago wedding planners plan their careers around romantic gestures so of course this time of year we want to share whatever romantic sentiments we can. The Chicago Tribune's "Chicago RedEye" is currently taking love note submissions for their Valentine's Day issue! Whether you're comfortable snogging in the street and holding hands or not, here is some PDA that Grandma will approve of. For $25 you can make the most creative display of public affection by going to the Chicago RedEye link here. Every commuter will secretly be checking in to see if there is a surprise with their name on it.

Even if your life is lacking romance this February, celebrate whatever love you're thankful for!

For your friend who makes life fun...

For the people you see everyday...

For the furry unconditional loves in your life...

For the people you're thankful for...

Big City Bride could fill up the Chicago RedEye with all of the people we'd like to send love to this Valentine's Day. Be sure to send in your PDA before Monday at 9am! Check it out Tuesday!