Signing their crane.

We met Sarah and Kyle at Indie Wed last weekend, they drove six and a half hours to attend the event (it helped that they have family in Chicago) to find a few details for their St. Louis-based vintage, outdoorsy-with-a-short-dress, casual, fun wedding on their 10th anniversary in September.

When we asked what the groom would wear on the day, he smiled and shrugged, “maybe a vest, maybe a hat, not a suit” and she followed up, “maybe some suspenders for the groomsmen.”

Dressed at Indie Wed, as Sarah put it in an email earlier this week, “in matching cowboy shirts” they looked every bit the ultimate couple for the show. And their wonderfully hands-on, personalized wedding is a perfect fit for the artisanal exhibitors. Kyle is a photographer and so pictures are making up a large part of the budget while a lot of the decor sounds like it will be DIY however, they loved the super 8 cinematography they found at the show as well as vintage wedding veils and the adorable wedding cake toppers from The Small Object.

We’ll find out soon enough if they do go for any of the Indie Wed vendors; we’ll be keeping tabs on Sarah’s own blog, Sarah’s Confections: Sweet little daily thoughts, a spot where she organizes and muses on her favourite online finds and potential projects as well as shares her thoughts about the planning, such as the anxiety she feels over their lack of venue.

The Small Object's cake toppers start at $135US

More of the dresses at Indie Wed … we loved the range we saw and while a trip to Chicago to try a dress or two might not be all that practical, we hope these vintage-inspired and fun creations get your imagination working on finding something a little more than ordinary for your own wedding gown, hair and accessories.

I especially like one dress from Dame Couture in which the train is lined with a gorgeous striped fabric that peaks out along the bride’s waist at the back where the train meets the gown in a series of pleats and also when the bride is walking and the fabric billows out behind her. For all the designers who participated in Indie Wed, check their vendor’s page.

Photography: All black and white images, plus the picture of the MC are courtesy of Mary Kate McKenna Photography, the rest are by our Catherine Lash.

Duo Lucid Flower Necklace, $55US

The third accessory designer we met at Indie Wed was Katie, the metalsmith and artist whose hands are behind the work at Dollybird Design. Launching her first bridal collection for Indie Wed, Katie promised us she’d hurry to get her bridal designs up on Etsy but we had no idea we’d hear from her four days later, be among the first to view her bridal-specific designs here.

I love Katie’s aesthetic, from the her website that feels like a revered specimen collection to this bridal collection that, as she says, strikes a balance between being non-traditional but also non-competitive with a wedding dress, to that incredible poppy ring on her homepage (that I would definitely give to a bridesmaid — but want to keep pour moi)!

Made from sterling silver and lucite, the rings, necklaces and earrings of this collection are feather-light and brilliantly white, they’re lush and large and absolutely perfect for a spring wedding, paying homage to the over-sized blooms of the season.

Lucid Flower Button Earrings, $40US

Layered Lucid Flower Ring, $65US

Another accessory designer we met at Indie Wed was Agnes B. Miles who creates amazing hair accessories, mostly daring and a little demure, all her pieces have a nice little edge to them and hit the high notes when it comes to glamour. Our booths were almost touching and it was fun getting to know a local Chicago girl who has such a distinctive vision. Miles, who began her career working in musical theatre, found herself stuck in a creative rut before recognising that she always had something in her hair or on her head in photograps and from there, her independent business, Lulu Mae, which she feels blends couture statements with an indie approach was born.

Agnes (left) and her model at Indie Wed

Agnes’ prices range from about $50 US and up, her custom bridal collection custom pieces start at $225. She needs three months notice to put a creation together for you and she’s always happy to re-create sold-out designs (with new variations and colours) for new clients!

Photography: product images courtesy of Lulu Mae, bottom picture by Mary Kate McKenna Photography

Three booths featuring accessories at Indie Wed pulled us like magnets! All completely were and beautifully different and we loved that each was so distinctive and indicative of the designer.

The first was Ododo Originals, handmade flowers for brides’ and ‘maids’ hair.

Especially fitting for the destination wedding and non-traditional bride and designed to add a splash of colour and to be worn as individual hair pieces or in groups of three, the flowers come in two sizes, tiny ($25US) and regular ($28).

We just loved how different colours popped against different hair colours and how sweetly they accented a variety of outfits, what a great gift for bridesmaid: love that they can be worn again and again!

Click here to see what Ododo Originals have been bought and to place your custom order!

Tiny Turquoise - Small Hair Clip

Copper Belle - Hair Clip

Imperial - Hair Clip

Who says DIY desserts can’t be utterly adorable inside and out? There’s no excuse now that we’ve found Layer Cake Shop Baking Supply!

Greta (left) and Kristen at their booth at Indie Wed

Native to Chicago but available worldwide, there isn’t a day these girls don’t ship internationally, Australia, France and Canada being three of their most popular destinations. Starting with a handful of items, co-owners Greta and Kristen’s online confectionery for the eyes has sustained itself entirely and has grown to 600-odd items from the perennial favourite baking cups for cupcakes to sprinkles, toppers and packing materials. Providing DIYers with what has only been available wholesale until now, Greta (whose parents owned a bakery, giving her a taste of the sweet life) and Kristen have found themselves a fantastic niche market in which to sell their hand-picked vintage and fun baking supplies.

A fraction of their wares ... this was one popular booth at the show!

It was a question we asked a LOT at Indie Wed this weekend and we received a bunch of wonderful descriptions and ideas in reply: from couples who aren’t afraid of incorporating a little colour to their day, to events and people being contemporary and artsy, to fostering new ideas in order to make a wedding something personal and not being afraid to embrace the independent spirit and express oneself.

My personal favourite, came from Jolene Sullivan at Delicate Creature, an event services firm: indie couples, she explained, appreciate the artisanal culture of the independent business owner and “care for the hand behind the wedding.”

Delicate Creature's Indie Wed booth

Aesthetically, indie weddings can take any form and can go from black tie to jeans and t’s but some really broad themes do seem to be popular at the moment with couples pushing beyond the boundaries of a strictly traditional event and a handmade or DIY feel often permeates: nature, for example is a current favourite, especially with city couples. Sullivan’s booth was themed Spring in Chicago and featured butterflies, moss, birch bark placemats and small vases of petite single bloom flowers.

It was a theme we saw reflected in The Wedding Show as well; Graydon Hall used a neutral colour scheme, butterflies, natural wood elements and served gourmet hot chocolate while Cake Opera Co. used a lighthearted theme of Milk and Honey to incorporate the soft look of milk glass, bees and honeycomb … it’s absolutely amazing to consider that these three very different companies can all draw from a similar inspiration point and achieve something so unique in which to express their professional identity.

Graydon Hall's Wedding Show booth

Cake Opera Co.'s Wedding Show Booth

On Saturday, The Wedding Co. participated in Chicago’s first ever Indie Wed show with The Crane Chandelier. Held inside Ravenswood Event Center, a venue that’s filled with mint condition vintage luxury cars and equally special vintage neon signs; not surprisingly, it was the perfect spot for a show that wasn’t about the traditional wedding, and made the “unique wedding show and market” feel all the more distinctive and refreshing. And that’s exactly what we felt we were part of. When I asked the brides and grooms in attendance if they identified with being ‘indie’, most felt they didn’t, but they came, they said, because they knew they’d find a room full of things that were fun, original and as one wedding planner in attendance said, “they care about the hand that’s involved with their weddings and that’s why they’re interested in meeting these independent businesses.” More about the show, The Crane Chandelier Project, the attendees and the vendors (especially those whose products are available outside of Chicago) later. But first, a few pics of the day to get started with “Indie Week”.

At the Hotel Monaco ... our pink and orange cranes were a great fit with the room decor and also got a view of the Windy City

Set up is just getting underway on Saturday, January 30: It's so incredibly different being an exhibitor at a show, rather than running it and we loved the experience.

The Crane Chandelier Project is set up and ready to go!

Signing a crane for our growing collection

... and another crane! We'll be posting our full report on the Crane Project shortly.

Indie fashion! Loved some of the models' '50s-inspired hair and the one-of-a-kind dresses

The finale of the fashion show

The end-of-day sunlight came streaming through the skylights just before the show closed, it was beautiful!

Catherine and I spent the day in Chicago’s downtown today, Catherine was preparing for our booth at Indie Wed where we’ll introduce The Crane Chandelier to couples in the Midwest. The event is tomorrow from 11A – 5P and we’re so excited to meet the incredible vendors who are mostly local professionals who have products and services that work for both boho and traditional weddings.

Set up at the Indie Wed show started earlier today ...

... and continued

We're very excited about the bags!

Images courtesy of Indie Wed

Yesterday, our lovely intern, Stephanie (S) began sorting our current stash of cranes. Since moving into the new office and actually having a space to put them all together, boxes filled with the tiny paper birds have been arriving regularly. Stephanie (G) and Catherine have been pulling them out of closets and trunks where they’ve been storing them safely until we could find a time and a place to get a little organized.

Today, Stephanie continues, and we’re hoping we’ll have some idea of how we’re going to organize them… we’re thinking by colour.. as well as a final count. Stay tuned.