We just beam from ear to ear when a couple creates a wedding day that's all about them and their story, and Stephanie and Brian's cool spring wedding was just that.

A fun, quirky celebration in Chicago that gave their guests a gorgeous insight into them and their adventures together.

And it was all captured beautifully by the amazing Megan Saul Photography.

With a BHLDN wedding dress she could dance in, pretty something blue shoes, and her Peter Pan-inspired tattoos on display, Stephanie made the most gorgeous bride alongside her beaming beau, Brian, in his sharp Tommy Hilfiger suit and beer cap boutonniere.

Their unique Chicago wedding venue, Salvage One played the perfect backdrop to their day with all its eclectic bric a' brac and cool furniture.

Add in some BBQ eats, cool tunes, and lots of touches that were quintessentially them, and Stephanie and Brian celebrated their day the only way they knew how - hitting the dancefloor with the people who know and love them most.

Wedding Day Snapshot

Our Wedding Day

Our wedding was the perfect start to our awfully big adventure together. When planning for our day, it was important that every decision and detail reflected who we are as a couple and our story. Chicago is where we met and fell in love, so we wanted to give our family and friends a taste of eccentric city life, with the comfort of our Midwestern roots. Our guests experience was just as important as our own, our goal was to throw the best party of our lives with those we cherish most! Thanks to our dream team of vendors and perfect venue, our loved ones enjoyed food and cocktails to never forget, while dancing so hard they might not remember. I have never laughed so hard, smiled so wide, and felt as much pure joy and love as our wedding day. Its hard to put into words the incredible feeling of hearing our truest emotions read in the presence of those we love the most, those who have always loved and supported us both as individuals and now as husband and wife. It really was the best day of our lives, and we are so excited for our new adventure - Bring on forever! Our wedding in three words? Upbeat, Urban, Spring.

Our Love Story

Brian and I are a simple couple. We love to laugh, travel together, and believe that life is an 'awfully big adventure'. (Peter Pan reference - Stephanie is obsessed, hence the arm of tattoos!) Brian supports my never grow up attitude, and proposed at Disney World! This easy-going, fun, outlook on life carried on through our wedding with Peter Pan and Hook quotes in our ceremony.

The Flowers

The bouquet and centerpieces had succulents, ranunculus, peonies, dahlias, tulips, garden roses, and snap dragon. The boutonnières were a white garden rose with hops and a beer bottle cap.

The Attire

We knew our wedding was going to be an epic dance party, so comfort was just as important as style! My BHLDN dress was tiered with an open front, as if made for twirling and grooving, and Brian's tailored suit was the perfect fit for getting down. We wanted our bridal party and best friends to be themselves. Each bridesmaid choose their own fun and flirty grey dress, while the groomsmen wore navy suits with matching ties & pocket squares.

The Ceremony

Our ceremony was our most proud and personal part of the day, officiated by one of our favorite friends and written entirely by us. Brian and I wrote our ceremony entirely ourselves for one of our favorite friends to officiate! It was short and sweet, and was a true testament to who we are together - Easy going, loving, and a little goofy. Our vows including myself promising to always protect Brian from spiders, and him promising to always help me reach things on the top shelf.

The Photography

Megan Saul Photography was first recommended to us by our groomsman. From our first meeting with Megan and Josh we not only fell in love with them, but also their visual story telling shooting style. We loved their relaxed artistic vision - capturing raw moments and memories. It was important to us to not have posed pictures, but rather a story of our day. Megan & Josh truly captured every moment, detail, and emotion; and most importantly they captured us.

The Decor & Details

Salvage One was the most perfect venue for our big day. The vintage décor matched our quirky personalities. From the traditional feel of refurbished church pews during the ceremony, to an interactive cocktail hour hosted in their antique artefact store, and the vintage collection of mismatched tables and chairs for the reception - it was the perfect backdrop to celebrate our love, surrounded by those we love. Each and every detail of our day was hand picked to represent who we are and our story. Our wedding was held in spring, in honor of my late grandmother. When she passed, she left me a springtime figurine with a note, "You are always so full of life, you remind me of spring flowers." The reception tables were lined in coral and white blooms in her memory. We used a palette of gray, coral, mint, and navy to enhance the light, cheery, and upbeat essence of spring.

The Dinner & Dancing

Food and music were at the top of our list - we wanted our loved ones to enjoy a meal they would never forget, and dance so hard they might not remember. The Hearty Boys and Toast & Jam were an absolute dream team. Hearty worked with us to create the perfect comfort-fare menu. We had an urban BBQ inspired sit down meal with choice of braised short rib, lavender fried chicken, or toasted faro. Although we did a cake cutting, in lieu of serving our guests cake, we had a live action S'mores bar - my favorite treat. Rachel of Toast & Jam composed the perfect soundtrack to our celebration. She encouraged off-beat song choices (including walking down the aisle to Darren Criss' acoustic version of Teenage Dream and entering our reception as airplanes to 'Highway to the Dangerzone'), and had our friends and family dancing harder than we ever imagined. - Bridal Party & Bride Processional - Darren Criss, Teenage Dream - Recessional - Passion Pit, Take a Walk - Bridal Party Entrance - Kenny Loggins, Highway to the Danger Zone - First Dance - Darren Criss, Suit and Tie - Cake Cutting - The Lumineers, Ho Hey

Advice for Other Couples

The day goes by too quickly so don't worry about what is traditionally expected. Focus on what is important to you, and everything will fall into place. Remember, it is all about the two of you! Have fun, dance your heart out and don't sweat the small stuff. If something isn't 100% perfect, who cares! Your guests will never know, just remember everyone is there in support and love of you. Also if you have one splurge, make it your photographer! We are so thankful for Megan Saul Photography who captured every detail of our story beyond what we could have imagined. She encouraged us to take alone time together so that we could enjoy every moment, and she captured every emotion. To cut costs on Videography we used StoryMix Media, where your guests create your video for you! StoryMix allows your guests to record and then upload their own videos and memories from your wedding, that you can then create your own DIY video! We didn't believe what everyone says, that it could possibly go by that fast - well as perfect as the day was, it does go way too fast! We are so lucky to have had such an amazing photographer by our side who captured every single moment so that we can relive the best day every for forever.

What a cool wedding - and what an incredible venue! I love Stephanie's choice of a dress she can dance in, a bride after our own hearts!

Thanks so much to Megan Saul Photography and of course, Stephanie and Brian for sharing their alternative spring wedding with us.

For more inspiration and ideas, see more Unique Real Weddings.