A Colorful, Modern Wedding at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago in Chicago, Illinois

When planning her marriage to Jeffrey, artist Jacqueline jumped at the opportunity to design her own vision on a larger- than-life canvas—which turned out to be Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art. “I reached out to them, expecting it would remain a pipe dream, but they had one date left for that year,” Jacqueline says. After securing the venue, she got to work producing a modern masterpiece, complete with handmade touches like a painted leather jacket, printed lyrics to the pair’s first dance song on each menu and calligraphed escort card envelopes.

Jacqueline added a dose of edge to her modern white dress with a black leather jacket emblazoned with “‘Till Death.” Jacqueline rocked a glamorous gold headpiece to celebrate the evening’s events. Jeffrey spiced up his classic attire with red socks and patent leather shoes. At the reception, Jacqueline laced up white Converse embroidered with her new last name.

The bride used her creative expertise to DIY pink pom-poms for their nieces to scatter down the aisle in place of flower petals. Jacqueline’s bouquet, which included ranunculus and poppies, was tied with lace from her mom’s wedding dress. Each reception table featured a table number cut into abstract shapes. The modern motif also appeared throughout the couple’s stationery and printed materials.  Jacqueline partnered with an artist friend to design the invites, finishing each with a custom wax seal. “It’s my favorite way to send mail,” she says.

Instead of a cake, the couple hired a local ice cream shop to serve pops to guests. “They set up a funky cooler and let us make a custom sprinkle blend,” Jacqueline says. The newlyweds offered up fried chicken sliders, burrata and bang bang shrimp during cocktail hour.  

Much of the reception space had sculptures and plants hanging from the ceiling. “It was the main reason I didn’t want to add any other décor,” the bride says.