A Libationist's Wedding

Hello Friends!

I know, I know—it’s been a while!  This spring and summer have been crazy busy and full of amazing stuff; namely, I married the love of my life, John.  Our wedding day was the best day ever.

John and I planned our wedding in under six months.  Yes, you read that right!  We didn’t want to deal with a long and drawn-out engagement, so we set the earliest date possible and jumped right into the planning process.  I learned a lot from planning our wedding and I’d like to share my newfound wisdom with you brides-to-be!

1. Don’t try to do it all.  John and I didn’t worry about any of the things that everyone says you "have to" include.  We kept the focus on us and included the details that made the two of us happy.  That focus eased our planning process and made it more enjoyable for us to do together. 

2. Create a timeline and share it with everyone on your wedding team.   A timeline helped us communicate the step-by-step details of our big day and the days leading up to it.  Because of our detailed timeline, everyone understood our game plan and knew their roles and responsibilities.  Basically, the timeline helped everyone in our wedding group to be on the same page.
 
Speaking of our group of people, we couldn’t have pulled the day off without the help of many.  Montesaro’s was the perfect space for us and their staff did such a great job.  Especially Maria Montesaro, who gave us many helpful suggestions and made the planning process easy.  A special thank you to my bridesman, Kyle.  He handled all of his duties like a pro and even reminded the groom that he wasn’t allowed to be tenser than the bride…and I was cool as a cucumber! 

3. Expect at least one thing to go wrong.  Now that I think about it, this was probably the best piece of advice that we received.  We kept the vibe of our wedding very chill.  But it was helpful to know that things out of our control could happen and that it would be okay if they did. 

4. Make your wedding, YOUR wedding. John and I have a fun tradition of going on 50’s-style dates like mini golfing and a milkshake afterward. So, we decided to incorporate that into our wedding.  On our big day, we went to the Bunny Hutch and took a few wedding photos on-site. Those shots are some of our favorites because they aren’t cookie-cutter photos, they reflect our unique personalities, and they represent our special relationship. 

5. Punch it up with a special cocktail. Of course, there were cocktails!  You may recall that I featured a few aphrodisiac cocktails on this year’s Valentine’s episode of the Steve Harvey Show. One of the cocktails, The Aphrodite, included mead.  I just love the story about mead and thought it was befitting our wedding. As a special touch, we included the Aphrodite cocktail recipe on the back of our invitations for our guests to make at home. 

So, what’s next? Well, I’m excited to announce that I’ve joined the awesome team at Loews Chicago Hotel.  If you haven’t made it over to visit us yet, you have to change that—STAT!  Stop in for a drink and say hello. 

Also, Sub Rosa is alive and thriving!  We recently had a vintage Spanish-inspired Sub Rosa event that you can read all about on the Kissing Booth Blog.  

We’re planning a couple more for the year and you can get all of those details as they become available by following me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Cheers!
LP

New Year, New Space

Do you remember any of the resolutions that you made for 2014?  Yeah, I hadn’t remembered any of mine either… except for one.  Last year, I made a resolution to find a place of my own where I could work on cocktail development and hold my events.  

It all began when my friend, Dana Chen, and I began to notice a need for space in many different capacities.  Between the two of us, we knew dozens of freelance professionals and small business owners who regularly worked from home or at a local coffee shop. Many of them were looking for another work space option.  I totally understood their need because I myself had started to outgrow my apartment with all of my libationist ingredients and equipment.  It was a lightbulb moment for us and toward the end of last year, we found the perfect spot.

Table of Typewriters is a multi-purpose space: co-working office by day and event space by night.  Co-working spaces fill the need for start-ups and small businesses who are looking for an affordable office; and we’re excited to support our peers in the small business community.

Event space is another big need. People always ask me for venue recommendations.  With Table of Typewriters, not only are we opening our space up to the public for event rentals, but we also plan to host a variety of events beginning with our Valentine’s Day event. 

Dana and I couldn’t think of a better way to start the new year than with an open house welcoming our friends and family to our new space. 

2014 was an amazing year on so many levels.  Reconnecting with old friends and making new ones.  Embracing new opportunities and taking on new adventures. 

You may be wondering — what’s my resolution for 2015?  Simply put, my resolution is to keep evolving.  I’m grateful to be one of the fortunate people who gets to do what they love for a living.  And I want to keep growing in my craft.  I’m working on a few exciting projects right now and I look forward to sharing them with you very soon!

If you’re ever in the Edgewater neighborhood, we invite you to stop by Table of Typewriters and say hello! 

Cheers to your resolutions and happy New Year!
-LP