Keg Design: Real Wedding: Kari & Josh

When Josh and I decided to get married, we knew we wanted a wedding that was small, intimate and low-key. City Hall weddings in Chicago are conducted in a truly unromantic basement, but twice a month civil ceremonies are held at the Chicago Cultural Center, which is a romantic old building with a Tiffany-glass dome. Our only guests were our parents, my two children, and a close friend who is also a photographer. We were married in a brief 15-minute service by a judge and then walked a few blocks to a lovely riverside restaurant for brunch. The weather was absolutely glorious, and the smiles and well-wishes of strangers as we strolled through the city was one of my favorite parts of the day - we even had a boat full of people on an architecture tour cheer for us as they went by! After a leisurely brunch and mimosas, we bid everyone farewell and spent the remainder of the afternoon relaxing. Later that night, we got dressed up for a romantic dinner alone at an upscale sushi restaurant that we've always wanted to try. It was a perfect day, and the perfect way for us to start our lives together.