One Chicago couple brings Bridgerton to life at a brand-new West Loop wedding venue.
LAUREN PERLMAN AND MICHAEL GRAYSON went to the same high school but had never actually spoken—until, a few years post-grad, their paths crossed again. They connected for a first date at The Hoxton, Chicago, and exactly one year later, Michael proposed in a yurt overlooking the ocean on a trip to Rhode Island.
The couple was the very first to say "I do" at new West Loop spot 167 Events, and they used all the spaces the venue had to offer. First, they exchanged vows in a Jewish ceremony on the outdoor terrace (complete with stellar city skyline view) beneath a lush chuppah. During the ceremony,"I remember Michael telling me to look around at all our friends and family there with us, and to try to remember the moment," the bride says.
For the reception, they moved inside—and the couple's decor direction? "Bridgerton in the sky," Lauren says. HMR Designs delivered. A custom sky-blue-and-marble checkerboard floor anchored the space, which abounded with colorful forals, tall blue taper candles and antique-inspired china place settings. Their 220 guests were on the dance foor all night long-"a great band is key!" Lauren says— and at the end of the night things came full circle with an afterparty at Lazy Bird, a speakeasy tucked into the very hotel where they'd had their first date.
