An Elegant, Whimsical Wedding at the Field Museum in Chicago, Illinois

Norman Kabir (43 and a software engineer) and Lauren Russell (27 and speech-language pathologist) met by a stroke of luck on a flight from Seattle, WA to Portland, OR when they were randomly seated next to each other. After talking for a bit, they realized they were both on their way to the same wedding! Since both of them were attending the wedding without dates, they spent the time together. They started dating a few months later. They chose to have their wedding in the Stanley Field Hall at the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, IL. Both grew up in the Chicago area and always loved the museum. "We liked that the space was unique and had elephants, Sue the Dinosaur and a totem pole all in the same room," Lauren says. Their color palette was a mix of dark colors, fuchsia, purple and navy. "We wanted to match the elegance of the Field Museum, but add personalized touches to make our guests feel welcomed and relaxed," Lauren says. They had African bride and groom worry dolls pinned to the bridal bouquet, robot cake toppers and placed dinosaurs on their escort cards to match the dinosaurs in the museum. Centerpieces were a mix of peonies, garden roses and hydrangeas surrounded by candlelight creating a warm, sophisticated ambiance. Adding a fun touch to their day, Norm and Lauren setup a photo booth in front of Sue the Dinosaur for guests to take creative photos. Norm and Lauren made sure their styles and personalities were shown in their special day.