ARIN CALAMARI AND JOHN BUSCH first met in Chicago in 2017 (despite having grown up three minutes apart, they later learned!). They got engaged on Valentine’s Day 2021—and as a senior wedding planner for Big City Bride, Arin knew a thing or two about pandemic weddings. So, they decided to split their wedding into two celebrations, beginning with an intimate tented dinner party at her parents’ central Illinois home, then bringing all their loved ones together to dance the night away a year later.
Thanks to Arin’s expertise, both affairs were design masterpieces. “I grew up in a home that embraced color and valued creativity; there was no such thing as neutral,” Arin says. Her favorite color is hot pink, which served as a core hue—along with Kelly green—in the palette for their Lilly Pulitzeresque dinner party. Sixty guests dined on a duet of shrimp and filet, then indulged in cake, cookies and a s’mores station. “It was so fun to have a meal with all those I truly love most,” Arin remembers. “I’ll never forget just sitting back and taking it all in.”
For the second celebration a year later, there were a few design holdovers: Customized pillows adorned couches at both celebrations, and drinks came served in personalized frosted cups. Hot pink made another appearance, now paired with royal blue and golden yellow. But this time, Arin was a little more hands off. “The team at Life in Bloom totally surprised me for the 2022 reception,” she says. “I spent so much time obsessing over every detail for 2021, I was just over making decisions. They created the concept and designed it all; walking into the surprise was the best!” A diverse mix of florals and textures was accented with whimsical details. Though passed apps and food stations paid homage to the couple’s favorite cuisines, the focus this time around was less on dinner and more on dancing. “I may or may not have taken the mic for a few too many songs!” Arin laughs.
In the end, the duo did things their own way. “Thankfully, we got to see our original plans come to life; however, the pandemic definitely changed our approach,” Arin says. “I loved that it forced us to do something a bit unique—and we got to do things twice!”
The couple wore uberchic traditional wedding attire for their first celebration. PHOTO BY NATALIE PROBST PHOTOGRAPHY
An emerald wedding cake by ECBG Cake Studio. PHOTO BY NATALIE PROBST PHOTOGRAPHY
Custom matchbook favors. PHOTO BY NATALIE PROBST PHOTOGRAPHY
Arin’s colorful bouquet for the 2021 wedding featured garden and spray roses and ranunculus. PHOTO BY NATALIE PROBST PHOTOGRAPHY
Guests toasted at dinner. PHOTO BY NATALIE PROBST PHOTOGRAPHY
Her engagement ring features an emerald-cut diamond on a gold band. PHOTO BY NATALIE PROBST PHOTOGRAPHY
The scene was set for socializing, mingling and dancing at the 2022 reception. PHOTO BY NATALIE PROBST PHOTOGRAPHY
A bold invitation suite set the tone. PHOTO BY NATALIE PROBST PHOTOGRAPHY
Arin carried a lily of the valley bouquet PHOTO BY NATALIE PROBST PHOTOGRAPHY
Cake Design crafted a whimsical confection with different flavor combinations in each of the four tiers PHOTO BY NATALIE PROBST PHOTOGRAPHY
The couple went less traditional with their attire for the 2022 reception, with Arin wearing her “something blue.” PHOTO BY NATALIE PROBST PHOTOGRAPHY
The List
Venues 2021: private residence; 2022: Café Brauer, lpzoo.org
Wedding Planner Arin Busch, Big City Bride, bigcitybride.com
Bride’s Gowns 2021: Peter Langner, Ultimate Bride, ultimatebride.com; 2022: Alexia María, alexiamaria.com
Bride’s Hair & Makeup Beaute Luxe, beauteluxesalon.com
Groom’s Suits Brooks Brothers, brooksbrothers.com
Rings Fey & Co., feyjewelers.com
Florals 2021: Pollen & Pastry, pollenandpastry.com; 2022: Life in Bloom, lifeinbloomchicago.com
Invitations Bella Figura, bellafigura.com
Calligraphy 2021: Simply Scripted Ink, simplyscriptedink.com
Catering 2021: Epiphany Farms, epiphanyfarms.com; 2022: Limelight, limelightcatering.com
Cake 2021: ECBG Cake Studio, ecbgstudio.com; 2022: Flourish Cake Design, flourishcakedesign.com
Sweets 2021: Ivy Lane Bakery, ivylanebakery.net; XO Marshmallow, xomarshmallow.com; 2022: Black Dog Gelato, blackdoggelato.com
Linens BBJ La Tavola, bbjlatavola.com
Rentals 2021: I Do Events, ido-events.com; 2022: Bowery & Bash, boweryandbash.com
Tent 2021: Blue Peak, bluepeaktents.com
Entertainment 2022: BKO, BeatMix Music, beatmixmusic.com
Transportation 2022: Signature Transportation Group, signaturetg.com
Videographer 2021: Old North Film Company, oldnorthfilmcompany.com
Photography by: Natalie Probst Photography and Riverbend Studio
