One Couple’s Rooftop Wedding and Brunch Reception at a Museum

After Rachel and Paul met in a songwriting class at Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago, they developed a close friendship over several years—they eventually started a band together to write and play original music—before things turned romantic. On January 2, 2020, Rachel, Paul, and their kids flew out to New York to visit her father. They planned a belated holiday gift exchange—and Paul surprised Rachel with a Tiffany & Co. diamond solitaire engagement ring.

The couple initially thought they’d host their wedding at their home, which is listed on the National Register of Historical Places. But when their guest list grew too long, they decided to hold their nuptials at the Halim Time and Glass Museum in Evanston, Illinois. “Having been a teacher from a family with many teachers and art collectors, getting married at a museum filled with precious decorative arts made sense,” Rachel says.

There was another connection that made their venue feel just right: The Halim family, who built the museum, are their neighbors. They knew it was the perfect spot for their rooftop wedding with a brunch reception on September 25, 2021, which was attended by 90 guests. As for the driving force behind the vibrant party? They worked with Beth Bernstein of Beth Bernstein Events to pull inspiration from the way colors meld in paintings. Read on to see the results, all photographed by Liz Banfield.

The couple worked with Sarah Drake Design to create a custom invitation suite on handmade paper and chose neutral tones in oatmeal, rose, and peach hues. They hired Bernard Maisner and Nicole Black of The Left-Handed Calligrapher to calligraph each piece of the suite.

Rachel searched through Instagram and old family photos to gather inspiration for her wedding dress. “I wanted a classic, feminine, and romantic gown, but I wanted color in it,” she says. “I also wanted an elaborate veil—as long and veil-y as possible—thanks to a dress-up dream I had when I was a little girl.” The winner? Monique Lhuillier's "Jardin" gown, which fit her vision and was incredibly comfortable—plus, she found a sentimental way to make it her own. She added a panel of fabric to the inside of her skirt with a custom stitched message and her wedding date.

Rachel paired her gown with strappy Badgley Mischka pumps, a veil also from Monique Lhuillier, both of her grandparents’ wedding rings, and a pinky ring that once belonged to her grandfather. She wanted to wear butterflies in her hair to go with the butterflies on her dress, so her hairstylist added gold Jennifer Behr bobby pins to her braided style. She also reimagined earrings that her father once bought her mother in Brazil. “I worked with Milli at Christopher Duquet in Evanston to design new settings for the aquas in the earrings,” she says. “Art nouveau inspired because that is my favorite style for jewelry—I like to think that my mom would have heartily approved of the new design.”

Rachel accessorized with a Jeffrey Levinson purse, which was customized with the couple’s names and wedding date inside. The finishing touch? A colorful bouquet of distant drums, snapdragons, peach campanella, butterfly ranunculus, and spray roses. “I loved the texture and color palette Tara from Taxaflora created,” Rachel says. “I love how the romantic design complemented the florals on my gown.”

Paul knew he wanted to wear a morning coat on the wedding day, and when the selection was scarce, he decided to have one custom made. “We scanned the internet for photos to use as examples,” Rachel says. “We found we liked the look when paired with a double-breasted waistcoat of the same fabric.” They went with a gray wool in a slightly darker shade than the groomsmen’s attire. He accessorized with David Yurman cufflinks with an ocean wave pattern and black diamonds. He had some help from Caroline Shaw from The Wedding Dresser, who helped put his wedding day look together.

The pair's wedding party was a family affair. Rachel’s two older sons and Paul’s niece and nephew served as chuppah pole holders during the ceremony; her middle son was an usher and her youngest was the ring bearer. The bride's cousin and her daughter were the matron and maid of honor, respectively. “It was so special to have my family play these important roles in our ceremony,” says the bride.

The guys wore light gray suits with rose boutonnières and the ladies wore matching floral dresses with different silhouettes and held bouquets of garden roses and foxglove.

The couple’s wedding programs matched their invitation suite and were finished with custom-dyed silk ribbons. “We developed a detailed program book so guests could better understand each part of the ceremony and why we chose to include it,” Rachel says.

The couple got ready for the big day at their home; before the ceremony, Rachel and Paul had a private Bedeken ceremony, which is when he placed her veil over her face. “Having a few quiet moments together before the formality of the ceremony feels very nice and helps ease anxiety on a big day,” Rachel suggests.

Paul and Rachel’s rooftop civil ceremony included a few Jewish traditions. Rachel walked down the aisle alone, while the flower girls held the end of her veil. Rachel translated Hebrew and got creative to blend old and new language—she wanted to make it their own. “We wanted everyone to feel welcome, that whatever their background, the sentiments would resonate,” Rachel says. They decorated the chuppah with greenery and flowers and stood on an ornate rug.

The ceremony featured several personalized details, including a custom ring pillow with both of their initials. They also had two kiddush blessings with Polish mead and finished the service with the tradition of breaking glass. “It felt wonderful to be under the chuppah as the breezes swept by us and the sun shone brightly. It was moving to look out at our guests, who had come from as far away as Argentina to share this day with us in person," says Rachel. "I could see and feel their love and happiness and the sharing of warm feelings that flowed through all of us the entire time.”

Rachel and Paul stepped away to sign the ketubah and take family photos while guests enjoyed their cocktail hour (and sipped on a thick European-style hot chocolate). Attendees later found their table numbers on paper butterflies, which were displayed on a bed of moss with flower arrangements.

The ornate space continued the event's vibrant color story. “The room has a soaring ceiling, is drenched in daylight, and is filled with Tiffany and other leaded glass windows, each expertly lit from behind,” the bride says.

The couple held their brunch reception in a room with hand-painted walls. “We wanted to complement the strong colors of the artwork but not compete, clash with, or be matchy-matchy,” Rachel says. Tables were topped with textured ivory linens; plates and glassware with gold edges, antique silver-plated utensils, and blush velvet napkins added gleaming color and texture. For their centerpieces, they wanted the arrangements to look cohesive, but differ from table to table, so they opted for a mix of blooms and fruits. 

For brunch, the newlyweds served a mix of sweet and savory options, plus sides and wedding cake. “We wanted our guests to have seemingly endless choices of both sweet and savory foods, so everyone would find foods they really liked to eat,” Rachel says. “Brunch was ideal.” Rachel is from New York City and Paul is from Michigan, so they brought elements from both places into their dinner menu. They flew in salmon from Rachel’s favorite New York deli, served bagels, and offered jam from Michigan as a wedding favor.

They wanted a lot of different cake flavors, so their main wedding cake included almond, vanilla, matcha, and hazelnut cake flavors; they had a gluten-free chocolate cake on the side. 

Rachel and Paul shared their first dance to “You Are My Everything” by R.E.M. “For us, this song elicits visions of a love that spans youth and agedness, transcending time yet existing in every moment," says Rachel. Some of their family members shared special musical performances throughout the day, and they hired Fareed Haque to perform during the ceremony and reception.

As for their honeymoon? The couple spent four nights in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where Rachel used to spend the summer with her parents—but they plan to take a longer trip to Iceland, as well. To couples planning their big days, Rachel recommends enjoying the engagement and wedding planning process. “The experience of your wedding day is worth more than all the keepsakes,” she says. “Plunge in and bask in the heady whirlwind that is the planning process—in and of itself, it's a celebration of you and your fiancé."