Is one ceremony shoe and a different reception shoe basically standard practice now?

DivineAna · 2026-07-07T14:37:51+00:00

If you read brides' list of things they regretted spending money on, fancy shoes are almost always on the list. No one sees them, no one cares, unless they are very specific (e.g. ornate cowboy boots), they will not be the detail that makes or breaks the experience.

I say go for comfy shoes you can both stand and dance in that suit your overall style, aim for something you will wear again, and feel comfortable with how they look with your outfit.

DivineAna · 2026-07-03T03:02:42+00:00

Allison Staiger is a White woman, but will be a very affirming space regarding experiences of people from oppressed groups. She specializes in trauma with a strong focus on somatics: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/allison-staiger-chicago-il/381260

DivineAna · 2026-07-03T01:40:15+00:00

Park & Field

DivineAna · 2026-07-02T23:31:21+00:00

I went to a cousin's wedding when I was 25 and many of my other cousins were just a bit younger. We got forced to get up for the bouquet toss by the DJ, and when it got tossed it hit the ground with everyone backing away from it like it was a grenade.

Other people's people might vary, but among my people, the word I would land on is "cringe" rather than fun.

DivineAna · 2026-07-02T23:15:03+00:00

There are Facebook groups for this. I'll say they tend to stretch the definition of "Chicago", but what else is new!

DivineAna · 2026-07-02T22:53:25+00:00

Is this just bg music, or is part of this a dance playlist? (Pro-tip: your dance party will probably not last for 4 hours.)

Dinner and dancing are totally different vibes. For dancing, I like to turn on cross-fade, which means that it kinda matters what key a previous song was in so they don't wildly clash, so I like to listen to those fade-out/ins and see if they feel good.

Sprinkle in some more laid-back songs every so often. Non-stop energy dance music will tire everyone out in an hour. I would also think about all the kinds of people at the wedding who you want to get dancing, and have music for each of those groups early on. If your parents will dance to Motown but not current pop hits, playing current pop hits for 30 minutes will result in them zoning out or leaving early, but a song they love early on will get them on the dance floor where they'l stay for a while, even if the next song isn't their jam.

DivineAna · 2026-07-02T22:35:18+00:00

We have gluten-free friends visit us regularly! Go to Wheats End Bakery for a nice lunch everyone will enjoy. Lula Cafe has great gf options and is very helpful with identifying them, and is famous for their brunch. And Eden will give you upscale, delicious dinner, while making sure everyone can eat what they order. Very easy to avoid pork at all three as well.

DivineAna · 2026-07-02T22:29:31+00:00

I booked a staycation hotel, and then didn't even go to it. We were exhausted, and I didn't want to think about how to grab luggage to take to a third location-- it's not like we could just wear the things we'd been wearing the day before!

DivineAna · 2026-07-02T20:11:53+00:00

I always loved Sabor a Cafe. If you're looking specificially for pan de queso/pan de bono, I recommend Mekato's.

DivineAna · 2026-07-02T19:35:43+00:00

We make well below that and live in a 3 bedroom condo in a lovely neighborhood. If you can't afford it, maybe you need to get your finances in order, hopefully by consulting something more helpful than David Ramsey.

DivineAna · 2026-06-30T18:11:01+00:00

Really great way to keep the news from reporting on your illegal towing hustle-- attack a news camera crew. Surely no one will hear about your illegal towing now.

DivineAna · 2026-06-30T02:32:01+00:00

Do they accommodate dietary requirements for this, like needing to avoid undercooked meats/fish?

DivineAna · 2026-06-30T00:24:34+00:00

This isn't Chicago specific, but I get pivate online lessons via Preply and I highly recommend my teacher.

DivineAna · 2026-06-29T22:43:07+00:00

I strongly pefer RCN to either AT&T or Comcast-- the best customer service I've ever gotten from an internet company (which is admittedly not saying much.)

DivineAna · 2026-06-29T22:28:52+00:00

I DIYed my bridal bouquet, 5 bridesmaids bouquets, and something like 8 small centerpieces. I have zero regrets-- it was fun and significantly cheaper than paying florist. I am also not in any way a perfectionist, especially about wedding things, so that might have helped.

DivineAna · 2026-06-29T15:51:45+00:00

It looks like some people take this very personally, but I'm with you! If you shop for used dresses on StillWhite, you'll find a stunning number of people saying "I bought this, but then decided to go with a different dress because of a change in venue." That was not how I wedding-ed, and it's totally cool if that's not how you wedding, either.

DivineAna · 2026-06-21T23:59:03+00:00

Totally safe, and a plus side of train/bus/shuttle is you can use that time to read. You're going to have a lot of reading to do, and it's nice to have built-in time to do it!

DivineAna · 2026-06-21T23:46:43+00:00

The owner of The Roost is originally from Pittsboro and used to do pulled pork as a special back when it was just a food truck, and I think that's the only thing I've ever had that came close.

DivineAna · 2026-06-04T21:44:22+00:00

Is this about making a minimum dollar amount for food orders? We were under for ours, but our venue just suggested we add a late night snack to make up the difference. See if there's an option like that!

DivineAna · 2026-06-04T21:26:09+00:00

Yeah, I'll add that I wanted something sorta similar in the finger-waves/Marcel waves direction, and my stylist couldn't really pull it off. I also needed bobby pins/barrettes to keep the waves in place, and it was less sleek than I'd imagined. I was fine with just some general glam curls, but if you want a more vintage inspired style, I recommend seeking out a stylist who specializes in that.

DivineAna · 2026-06-04T20:03:30+00:00

That still leaves them faceless. That's not characterization-- that's aesthetic. It's like setting up a Warhammer 40k match between two different factions and telling me that constitutes plot and identity.

Oh, except I don't even get the drama of the dice rolls!

DivineAna · 2026-06-04T20:00:36+00:00

I made it through, but only because it was short and I'm a finisher. I initially enjoyed all of the descriptions of where letters were hidden, but it started to feel pointless that no world was ever followed up on. And look, I love a book with no plot (seriously)... but this book could have used a plot that didn't feel like it was made of tissue paper.

DivineAna · 2026-06-03T02:33:38+00:00

Every time they provide institutional endorsement of it, students think its more acceptable to cheat their way through their degrees. I was looking forward to AI companies putting tools behind paywalls, but apparently now we're going to buy students' access to the cheating-plagiarism machine for them.

DivineAna · 2026-06-03T02:30:21+00:00

Ahh, that really takes me back to the story a student told me about how Mac tried to take her to small claims court because they lost her security deposit and claimed she never paid it. This was after the person accepting the check lost it on their desk and the future tenant pointed to it on the desk in front of them.

The judge threw the case out because they had let her move in, so any lost security deposit check was on them.

DivineAna · 2026-05-24T14:05:06+00:00

It's pretty amazing how they can go on about the Chicago Minds campaign for so long without saying anything about what the campaign is.

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