We were going for a relaxed, authentic, and fun fashion event that highlighted our 14+ year relationship.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
Libby: I am a libra, vegan (lol). I am one of four sisters who I love more than anything! My main job is as a perioperative program coordinator at a children’s hospital, but my passion is vintage clothing and sustainable styling. I run a small vintage clothing business from my home and hope to one day have a storefront of my own. my other love is travelling – I have visited over 30 countries so far!
Saville: I work in marketing for a consumer packaged goods corporation. My favorite hobby is golfin,g and I love to travel. Trying new food and coffee shops as we have moved around over the years has become our thin,g as my job has brought us to Minnesota, North Carolina, Nevada and Missouri.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
We met in high school in our hometown of Appleton, WI. Saville was friends with my older sister (Amber) and would hang out at our house after football games (he played football, and Amber was a cheerleader). We were friends for a few years before Amber insisted that she should text Saville from my phone and ask him on a date. He didn’t respond (he was working) and I panicked and told him that it was Amber. A few weeks passed, and Amber asked me to pick him up from a party she had thrown – the rest is history!
First Impression:
Of Saville: goofy, calm, rebellious
Of Libby: out of my league, the life of the party, her aura
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
Libby: It was little things here and there over the course of our relationship, and then it was everything all at once. Saville is the person you want next to you no matter what life throws at you; he is calm, steady, and sure.
Saville: I knew during our first real date – it was endless laughter and a comfortability that I didn’t know was possible with someone at that age. I knew at that moment that this was what I wanted to have for the rest of my life.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding.
More than anything, we wanted it to feel like us – we tossed all of the traditional elements that did not fit our vision, and we incorporated elements that brought us joy. For us, this meant spending as much time as possible with our guests. The overall mood we were going for was a relaxed, authentic, and fun fashion event that highlighted our 14+ year relationship. There wasn’t necessarily a theme or colour palette per se (maybe autumn sunset?); we chose our florist for her creativity and organic styling and really wanted to highlight her talents. She really had free reign to design the space how she saw fit! As for other styling elements, we let the space speak for itself, not crowding it or the tables with extra decor.
What styling and visual elements worked best for you?
Having the Art Institute of Chicago as the backdrop for our couple’s portraits was absolutely surreal. The juxtaposition of getting to see Abby create her art among some of the most famous works of art in the world is something I will never forget.
What did you enjoy most about the planning process and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?
We really took our time to soak up our engagement for about six months before we dove into the process, and for us, that made it so much more enjoyable and less stressful. Taking our time to visit multiple venues, and when something didn’t feel right, we left it behind. One part we particularly loved was getting to try all of the food! Canal Street pulled out all of the stops for us, and we ended up with an incredible assortment of food.
Tips: Trust your guts and make decisions together – it made the whole thing super fun and took a lot of the pressure off of one person to do all the planning.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
Libby: my ceremony dress (house of Flora Gloria dress) was a gown I saw online and immediately knew it was going to be the dress I would marry Saville in – I went in to try it on at Alice in Ivory and walked away with it that day! it just felt very me and I knew I would feel so comfortable and confident in it. My party dress is the product of my love for vintage – on a spring trip to New York sav, I visited Happy Isle Salon, where I found not only this 1980s Lillie Rubin mini trench but also a cream wool Bill Blass suit that I wore for our rehearsal dinner and welcome cocktail party! I was absolutely dying to show Saville my ceremony dress, so having him along to pick the party outfit was super special to me.
What was one, or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on?
I really could not pick just one or two – finding a restaurant venue was huge on our priority list as we really wanted the food to be spectacular and have innovative options (especially for me as a vegan!). The photography is, without question, something that we’re super happy to spend money on! One look at these images, and you know it was worth every penny. As for the outfits, I am super passionate about sustainable fashion and vintage clothing, so this was, without a doubt, one of the places where we splurged and spent a lot of time planning, shopping and sourcing.
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
Nothing on the day of – it really went off without a hitch (shout out to my wedding planner and event coordinator!). The night before, however, we had a welcome cocktail party planned at a local bar. We showed up about 10 minutes before our set time and the bartenders told me they did not have me down for a party that night – it accidentally got scheduled for the night after! I panicked, but I pulled up our contract (pro tip: keep all of these and have them accessible), and the bar team took quick action to clear out the space, called in their manager and got us back on schedule. They were super sweet about it – popping bottles of champagne and extending our time. I do not know what I would have done if they weren’t all so great!
BRIDE Elizabeth (Libby) Meuli, @justbeingmeuli GROOM Saville Meuli, @savillemeuli LOCATION Canal Street Eatery Chicago, IL, @canalstreetchicago PHOTOGRAPHER Wren and Rose Photography, @wrenandrosephotography STYLIST Mad Libs Vintage, @madlibsvintage PLANNER Lion Hearted Events, @lionheartedevents FLORIST Three Swords Floral Co, @threeswordsfloralco CELEBRANT Donnie Pette ENTERTAINMENT Toast and Jam, @toastandjamdjs CATERING Canal Street Eatery and Market, @canalstreetchicago CAKE Bang Bang Pie, @bangbangpie ENGAGEMENT RING Avenue Jewelers, @avenue.jewelers WEDDING BANDS Brilliant Earth, @brilliantearth BRIDAL DRESS Gloria Dress – House of Flora, @_houseofflora_ purchased at Alice In Ivory, @aliceinivorybridal BRIDE’S SHOE Mayslibi 70mm Floral Slingbacks – Manolo Blahnik, @manoloblahnik BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES Double Pearl Earring – Borrowed from Saville’s Nana; Vintage Blue Enamel Round Button Stud Earrings – Hermes, @hermes sourced from The Real Real, @therealreal; Heart Socks in Vintage Blue – Sezane, @sezane; Julianne Veil 110” in Pale Ivory – Sara Gabriel, @saragabrielveils purchased at Alice In Ivory, @aliceinivorybridal MAKEUP Julia Simone, @juliasimonebeauty HAIR Tamara Holden, @tamaraholdenhair PARTY DRESS Vintage 80s Lillie Rubin Satin Trenchcoat Mini Dress sourced by Happy Isles Salon NY, @happyisles_salon BRIDE’S PARTY SHOE Paxton Mary Jane Pumps in Silver Specchio – Cole Haan, @colehaan BRIDE’S PARTY ACCESSORIES Sheer Stripe Ankle Socks in Ivory Egret – Nordstrom, @nordstrom TUXEDO Custom Harford Black Velvet Tuxedo – Indochino, @indochino GROOM’S SHOE Cole Haan, @colehaan GROOM’S ACCESSORIES Vintage White Silk Bow Tie – Gucci, @gucci sourced from The Real Real, @therealreal; Watch – Casio, @casio_us STUDS/CUFFLINKS Vintage Shirt Stud and Cufflink Set sourced by Mad Libs Vintage, @madlibsvintage GROOM’S HAIR Midtown Barbershop, @midtownbarbershopstl BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES Anthropologie, @anthropologie; Oh Polly, @ohpolly; Lulus, @lulus; Significant Other, @the.significant.other; L’IDEE, @lidee_woman GROOMSMEN TUXEDO Mad Libs Vintage, @madlibsvintage GROOMSMEN ACCESSORIES Bow Tie – Hermes, @hermes sourced from The Real Real, @therealreal GIFT REGISTRY Honeymoon Cash Fund – The Knot, @theknot
