What to Expect During the Wedding Rehearsal

As Chicago-based wedding planners, the Fierce Productions team will support you every step of the way. A major perk of booking us, whether for full planning or just coordination, is that we guide you through your wedding rehearsal.

So, what exactly is a wedding rehearsal? Well, it’s when you practice the wedding ceremony a day early! The purpose is to make sure everyone is on the same page, so the actual ceremony goes as smoothly as possible.

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about wedding rehearsals:

Allegra and Hanchen’s Intimate Wedding

Allegra and Hanchen wanted a wedding that felt fun, cozy, romantic, and welcoming. Their main priorities were for guests to feel relaxed, for everything to feel organized, and for everyone to feel present during the important wedding moments. They had the most gorgeous ceremony outside on Loft Lucia’s terrace followed by an elongated cocktail hour, where they got to enjoy plenty of time mingling with all their friends and family. The weather was perfect and everyone loved getting to spend time outside. Guests then headed inside to enjoy dinner, speeches and lots of dancing! Check out some of their cute, colorful, intimate photos below!

Creative Ideas to Enhance Your Cocktail Hour

As Non-traditional Chicago Wedding Planners, we have designed many unique weddings. Many of our clients have desired out-of-the-box ways to make their wedding different, and memorable. A simple way to elevate your event, is by having some sort of “fierce” moment during your cocktail hour. Cocktail hours are the perfect time to get a bit creative, as guests wait between ceremony and reception. You truly can be as tame or wild as you please, but below are a few ways you can enhance your cocktail hour.

5 Questions to Ask Your Wedding Photographer Before Booking

When booking your wedding photographer, you may think “oh it’s just photos, it doesn’t matter who we book it will all be the same”. Well…there’s actually quite an art to photography, and you want to make sure you find the perfect match to your vision. Some photographers excel with the dark and dramatic, some excel with the bright and colorful. Especially if you do first looks, you will be with your photographer for most of the day, so you want to make sure it’s someone you’ll get along with. As skilled wedding planners based in Chicago, we are match makers with photographers and clients. That being said, here are a few questions you should ask your photographer before booking them:

How Do I Build a Wedding Timeline?

As expert Wedding Planners in Chicago, we know how to structure out a wedding day. Truthfully, there are a lot of nitty-gritty details you need to think about when constructing your timeline. Sometimes, it can feel a little bit like piecing a puzzle together. When you book our event planning services, we make sure to create an ideal wedding timeline together; we make sure it’s something you approve of, so we can handle all the logistics. That being said, you might be wondering why we time things out a specific way, or you’re attempting to structure your own. Which ever option, here are a few important things to think about when forming a solid Wedding Timeline:

Christine and Mike's Colorful Karaoke Reception

Christine and Mike eloped in March of 2023, but decided to finally celebrate with loved ones by hosting a joint anniversary, and wedding reception party at Bridge410. The overall atmosphere was a laid back family styled event, but with loads of color, moments of play, and karaoke! The couple wanted the celebration to be more about the experience, so they wanted to make sure there were many unique elements to keep guests entertained.

5 Chicago Venues with City Skyline Views

We get it, the Chicago Skyline is gorgeous! As Chicago Wedding Planners, we always love those sunny clear blue sky days. It’s truly the most iconic way to say “Chicago Wedding.” We have designed, and coordinated tons of weddings in the city, and we never get tired of it. From our experience, here are personal 5 favorite venues with views of the skyline.

Things to Ask Your Wedding Venue Before Booking

Beyond a wedding planner, your venue is the first vendor you should book. Maybe you have your dream venue. Maybe you have no idea what your want. That’s ok. Just keep in mind, no matter how you feel towards a venue, there are a lot of small details, and things you should consider before booking the venue. As expert wedding planners, we have supported clients from the very beginning, and have toured many venues with them. Here are a few questions you should ask your venue before 100% committing (even if it is your dream venue):

Connar and Mike's Modern Whimsical Wedding

When Connar got hired us for her wedding, we were ecstatic! Connar met Mike back in college when they were in a theatre show together. As theatrical artists, we knew their wedding was going to be unique. When they reached out to us, they had a limited vision, but knew they wanted it to be a perfect combination of the two of them.

Olivia and Austin's Colorful Carnival Wedding

Olivia and Austin met in college, where Olivia’s roommate set them up on a date. We were thrilled when they reached out to us to help design their wedding. They knew they wanted a non-traditional wedding. In their inquiry, they shared how they wanted to have an elevated, and interactive experience during their wedding. To achieve their vision, we elevated the design to create a "tasteful way” of being “over the top". Through our various meetings, we came up with the idea of basing the reception on a romantic, and playful carnival.

Jamie and Jared's Luscious, “Fecund”, Disco Wedding

Jamie and Jared had a lovely destination wedding in Chicago, filled with subtle, yet romantic nods to their relationship. Living in LA, they chose to host their wedding in Chicago because not only was it where Jamie was born, but it was also a perfect middle ground for families coming from both the east and west coast. They knew they needed to hire an event planner to assist from afar.

Rachel and Daniel's Rock and Roll Barn Wedding

This unexpected Rock n’roll wedding took place in a barn in the middle of farm land Illinois. As Chicago and Miami wedding planners, we love taking a traditional venue and flipping it on its head. Instead of the expected designs you associate with a barn (rustic tables, mason jars and baby’s breath) we produced a glitzy, glamorous, tattoo and sparkle inspired Rock n’ Roll Wedding.

The Most Stressful Parts of a Wedding Day (And How To Combat Them)

We have coordinated, planned, and designed many weddings, so we understand what elements of planning are more fun, and those that are a bit….less fun. Here are a few classic moments of wedding planning that can be a bit more stressful, and tactics you can use to limit the stress.

Unique and Fun Entertainment to Have at Your Wedding!

As Chicago based wedding planners, we have designed some amazing weddings. Many clients want to elevate their wedding with some sort of non-traditional entertainment. If you are considering some unique entertainment during your wedding, check out a few examples from some wedding’s we have designed below:

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