A Chinese-Taiwanese-American Queer Greenhouse Loft Chicago Wedding

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A Chinese-Taiwanese-American Queer
Greenhouse Loft Chicago Wedding

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About The Greenhouse Loft

A BEAUTIFUL SUSTAINABLE URBAN OASIS IN LOGAN SQUARE CHICAGO, IL

In the heart of Logan Square is a building called the Green Collective which notably houses the stunning glasshouse and courtyard sustainable wedding venue The Greenhouse Loft. Part of the Green Wedding Alliance, this venue boasts 16 foot ceilings in their glasshouse and a stunning view of their sky garden. It’s the perfect combination of natural and urban elements that make for a beautiful background to celebrate your love.

Haley & Jeff chose The Greenhouse Loft from a random online search. Jeff is in the wedding industry and thought he would rely heavily on his connections and previous weddings worked in order to find the perfect setting for their wedding. All it took was one tour and the couple were fully enamored with the space. They knew immediately they were done looking and had found the perfect setting to celebrate with their loved ones.

Meet the Couple

MEET HALEY (SHE/THEY) & JEFF (HE/HIM)

College sweethearts, Haley & Jeff met in college through the touring choir when she was a junior he was a freshman. They messaged him a question about choir which was met with a simple response and the couple joke that their initial conversation ended then and there. Fast forward a year, the musical couple were officially dating. Since that initial virtual message, they have been together 7 years and are parents to Hershey the dog as well as Noodles, & Elsie the cats.

The Proposal Story

Intimate Mutual Proposal

Haley and Jeff aren’t the type of couple to have traditional gender roles. As such, they didn’t go the traditional route of proposals. They decided to mutually propose at home and then celebrated with a fancy date night at a nice restaurant. It speaks to how they are as a couple — valuing the sentimental, personal experiences versus needing to fit any designated mold. That kind of mentality transferred over to their wedding which was the perfect amount of traditional elements (like having their wedding party wear red to honor Haley’s Chinese and Taiwanese culture) and non-traditional ones (like them walking arm-in-arm down the aisle).

How They Chose to Get Married

A JOYFULLY BOISTEROUS WEDDING

Already officially legally married, the new spouses enjoyed their celebratory ceremony in a relaxed manner with a spontaneous script written by their dear friends Ash and Alyss. Married by close friends, and standing among their beautiful wedding party, their ceremony was very sweet.

Even though this was a joyous occasion, the couple wanted to honor the pain and strife that Palestinians are currently facing in Gaza. Alyss gave a beautiful heartfelt prayer on behalf of the couple.

To end the ceremony, the couple played rock-paper-scissors to decide who would say their vows first (Haley was the victor with a rock smashing Jeff’s scissors). The couple exchanged rings, and had their “first” kiss as a married couple (though they had already had a little courthouse celebration prior).

The Reception

A MUSICAL JOY

A surprise for Jeff, Haley and her friends joyously performed a song just for the new spouse. Then to continue the celebrations, there were two additional acapella performances one of which was very heart-warming as it was Jeff’s (belated) senior showcase song that he wasn’t able to perform at the time. Everybody gave an amazing standing ovation after his brilliant rendition, the joy and enthusiasm from his loved ones was palpable.

For their first dance, they went with a *wicked* good song choice of Dancing Through Life from Wicked the Musical! The couple love this musical; as part of an ideal date night, the couple would love to have a personalized meet-and-greet with the cast of Wicked. This song choice perfectly encapsulated the fun as well as the non-traditional elements that Haley & Jeff chose to have during their wedding. As the couple have said, their intention for the day was to focus on “memories, friendship, love, [and] a bunch of queer weirdos having fun together”.

Haley’s family’s sweet slow dance was interrupted by Gangnam Style by Psy which had the crowd erupting with equal parts surprise and laughter. From that point on in the reception, the dance floor was packed and the fun lasted through the night.

About Their Four-Legged Family

MEET HERSHEY, CUPCAKE, NOODLES, & ELSIE

So incredibly excited for their parents to get married, Hershey (along with Haley’s family dog Cupcake) and their two cats Noodles and Elsie unfortunately weren’t able to join the festivities in person. However, Iced Chicago did a brilliant job of commemorating the four-legged family through dessert. They all sent their love from the comfort of their home and it was such a *sweet* way to have them incorporated into the day where all parties would be most comfortable.

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The Creative Team

Huge thank you goes to Haley & Jeff’s incredible creative team!

Photography | Mei Lin Barral Photography
Venue | The Greenhouse Loft
Venue Coordinator | Becca from The Greenhouse Loft
Floral Design | Hedonia Flowers
Officiants | Friends of the spouses Alyss Weissglass & Ash Hurtado
Catering | Yum Dum Dumplings, Portillo’s, & The Pasta Bowl
Cake & Dessert | Iced Chicago
Hair & Makeup Artist | Rare Bird Beauties
Jeff’s Wedding Attire (Bespoke Changshan) | East Meets Dress
DJ | Spinnin Discs
Transportation | Windy City Limos
Dog & Cat Caretakers | Spouses’ family members