An Eclectic, Retro Wedding at the Nightwood Restaurant in Pilsen, Illinois

"We met up on a warm August afternoon and walked over to the Lurie Garden at Millennium park and cooled off by dipping our feet into the urban stream," Devon (33 and an art director) says of her first date with Dave (35 and a kindergarten teacher). "A year and a season later, on the coldest February day of the year, Dave proposed at the same spot." For their October wedding in Pilsen, the to-be-weds chose the their go-to brunch spot for both the ceremony and reception venue. "We wanted a location that felt special to us and a place that was comfortable on our wedding day," Devon says. "Nightwood is one of our favorite places to eat in the city because of the farm-to-table, locally-sourced menu," the bride says. "We particularly love brunch there and wanted to share our love of the location with our guests." Prior to the start of the ceremony, guests sampled the restaurant's seasonal bacon butterscotch doughnut holes and listened to Motown-era music that paid homage to the bride's hometown of Detroit. The bride even included Michigan-themed place cards that were attached to various flavored bottles of Faygo as a way of tying her mitten roots into their Chicago reception. "One of the most important parts of the day was having Dave's colleague officiate the wedding," Devon says. "He talked about how the assembled friends and family came to know us as a couple and shared three stories that epitomized our relationship." Once the two tied the knot and completed brunch, the couple and their guests ventured to the local bar down the street to continue their celebration. As far as wedding advice goes for future brides, Devon says, "Just try to make your wedding as unique to you as possible."