Sarah + Ruben at Drury Lane Oakbrook // A Fresh Event

A vibrant Indian wedding setting new records for A Fresh Event

What records, you ask? Sarah and Ruben hold the title for “fastest planning turnaround” — this three-day celebration was put together, start to finish, in nine weeks’ time, in the middle of the busiest wedding season the industry has ever seen. It was the first time we had been waiting on the venue decision to send the invitations to print! Complete trust in the planning team was key to pulling off this event: being able to go to some of our favorite vendor partners, we were still able to create an event that felt like months of preparation had been put into it, and was a total reflection of the couple and their personalities. It was a weekend we’ll never forget!

In Jen’s Words:

Sarah and her mom, Liz, reached out to Jen in June of 2021 with the goal of planning a wedding for Sarah and her fiancé, Ruben, in about a five-month span. Jen was more than up for the challenge and was ready to get going… and then, they disappeared. Jen was disappointed — she had really, really loved meeting with Sarah and Liz and knew they were a great fit — but went back to her busy 2021 wedding season.

In September, Liz called Jen and said, “Okay, we’re ready!” Jen was so excited to connect again and talk about dates in 2022 that would work for the wedding, but they had other plans: the wedding was still going to happen in November 2021. In nine weeks, Jen helped Sarah, Ruben (and mom, Liz) plan a three-day, 300-person Indian wedding during the busiest wedding season of her career. She was able to pull this off for two reasons: one, the stars aligned and AFE’s top pros just so happened to still have that one Saturday available, and two, Sarah, Ruben and Liz were so wonderfully open to Jen’s advice and recommendations. Together they made planning the impossible not only possible, but one of the most memorable weddings weekends Jen has planned to date.

Four Things We Loved About This Wedding

The color! The bride’s favorite color is purple, which we were able to turn into a rich palette for floral and lighting inspiration
“Hidden Mickeys” in a few spots to celebrate their love of all things Disney.
The family bought Jen a sari to wear to the reception: it was such an honor to be included like this in their cultural traditions.
We just loved this couple and their family! They brought their sense of humor and spirit of collaboration to every meeting. Our time together was too short!