A Modern Spring Wedding at Room 1520 in Chicago, Illinois

Not many couples can cite Baconfest as the location of their first date, but for Sara Youn (35 and an attorney) and Mark Choh (37 and a surgeon), both of whom have a passion for food (especially bacon) and the Chicago food scene, it was the catalyst for their eventual walk down the aisle. It was only appropriate then, that their wedding pay tribute to their love of good food. Room 1520 had few vendor restrictions, allowing Sara and Mark to bring in Blue Plate Chicago to whip up a mouth-watering menu of inspired East-meets-West eats. A variety of dinner and dessert stations, including bacon themed and build-your-own bi bim bap stations, created a fun, interactive way for guests to fuel up before hitting the dance floor, while making it easy for Sara and Mark to serve a wide range of cuisines to suit all of their guests’ tastes. When it came to the decor, the couple, with the help of planner Charlene Liang of Sweetchic Events, struck the perfect balance of modern and vintage. “Room 1520 was essentially a blank canvas,” says Sara. “We tried to keep things simple and modern, adding little vintage flourishes to keep the space from feeling too cold or sterile.” This was achieved with rustic wooden accents, chalkboard-inspired stationery and signage and even the lace on the bridesmaids’ dresses. The bright pink, coral and orange color palette was also key in bringing the venue to life, with florist Vale of Enna translating the punchy hues into eye-catching arrangements of peonies, pincushion flowers, roses and hydrangeas for the ceremony and reception. Another detail that spoke to Sarah and Mark’s personalities was the music selection. For the ceremony, Sarah’s sister Grace put together a string quartet and performed some of the couple’s favorite songs, like “The Good Life” by Weezer, “Pompei” by Bastille, “Somebody to Love” by Queen, and “Fell in Love With a Girl” by the White Stripes as guests were arriving. A tip for the taking from Sara: “Charlene, our planner, was a godsend. She was very down to earth and responsive and made the planning process as smooth and as pain free as possible. She was worth every penny and it was so wonderful showing up to our wedding day knowing that everything was taken care of. And it went off without a hitch!”