From their engagement session to the photo booth, Patrick and Brian got the Andree Kehn experience and grabbed one-of-everything. They invited me to their Facebook group to chatter with the Facebook-obsessed about the big buildup. Promises (and threats) were made about how the day would unfold.

The Rehearsal Dinner at the Salt Exchange gave me my first good gander at the group- I got a sense of who their parents are and a feel for the dynamics of the wedding party. This was an intimate group, despite the size of the guest list.

The next day, I met with the group at The Westin and Patrick and Brian had some pre-wedding cocktails with their wedding party, which included nephews and ex-husbands as well as life-long friends.

We then all scooted over to The Landing where the entire party got ready, and got into their Chuck Taylors and gowns. This was my type of wedding! There was a strong penguin theme running through the wedding. Brian andPatrick referred to each other as they penguins. It was adorable without being sappy. A little secretly sentimental.

Brian is a Mainer, Patrick is from California. Now they’re in Chicago. They have friends from all. over. the. place. It is so satisfying to have a wedding that knits together so many of the personalities and life experiences you’ve each lived. And delightful to see a big ripping party feel like an intimate celebration.

And the party did rip. From red clown noses to a crazy photo booth and dancing up a storm, these folks partied to beat the band.