Lauren Brocato Lauren Brocato | June 5, 2024 | Wedding Features,
DERRICK TAYLOR is surrounded by lavish weddings every day—in fact, he creates them as the owner of esteemed event design company Taylor & Co. So when his own nuptials to husband Scott Ellsworth came around, it was time to create the fabulous winter wedding at The Drake that he’d always dreamed about. “I have so many wonderful memories of starting my career in the wedding industry in Chicago at The Drake,” Derrick says. “The staff are like family to us, so it truly felt like a family affair.” Thirteen months after saying “I do” in a private minimony, Derrick and Scott finally celebrated their love with nearly 250 guests.
The Gold Coast Room was transformed into a luxurious scene for the ceremony and a larger-than-life reception. “We wanted the ceremony to have a more masculine feel but still be an over-the-top wedding,” Derrick says. “Since we used almost no white anywhere, we felt a mirrored aisle was a much better reflection of the type of ceremony we were having.” A 13-foot-tall, 11-tier cake was covered with more than 1,200 flower stems and topped with a laser-cut mirrored topper matching their monogram; and 12-foot silver- and-gold-dusted trees tied the color scheme together.
Derrick counts the surreal moment of walking down the mirrored aisle—something many guests hadn’t seen before—as one of his favorite memories from the day, along with seeing so many of his friends and family together after years apart. “I spend so much of my life creating these moments for my clients,” he shares, “but never truly understood the impact until I had them for myself.”
The couple captured a moment under the iconic Drake marquee.
A stunning mirrored aisle led to the altar with the couple’s luxe monogram as backdrop.
Both rings are adorned with five diamonds—one for each of their four children and a fifth to represent the sparkle they see in each other’s eyes.
In German tradition, the pair’s crowning ceremony signified them becoming kings of their new home together.
The 13-foot-tall cake was a showstopper.
The List
Venue The Drake, thedrakehotel.com
Wedding Planners Lynne Kennedy & Chelsea Kiely, The Gilded Aisle, thegildedaisleweddings.com
Grooms’ Attire On Derrick, Tuxedo: Tom Ford, Neiman Marcus, neimanmarcus.com; Bow Tie & Accessories: Maggie Sottero, maggiesottero.com; On Scott, Tuxedo: Hugo Boss, Nordstrom, nordstrom.com; Jacket: Ericdress, ericdress.com; Cufflinks: Tiffany & Co., tiffany.com
Grooms’ Hair & Makeup Hair: Hair by Juan José, hairbyjuanjose.com; Makeup: Bridal by Aga, bridalbyaga.com
Rings Tucker Inc., tucker-inc.business.site Groomsmen’s Attire The Black Tux, theblacktux.com
FlowerGirls’ Dresses Mary Catomy Bridal Alterations
Wedding Party Makeup The Bridal Beauty Team, thebridalbeautyteam.com
Florals & Rentals Taylor & Co. Event Design, taylorandcoevents.com
Cake Delish Cakes, delishcakes.net
Cocktails Spritzology, jfod.com
Invitations & Place Cards Eight21 Studios, eight21studios.com
Ceremony Backdrop Joseph’s Events, josephsevents.com
Linens Windy City Linen, windycitylinen.com
Entertainment BeatMix Band MixTape featuring Tina Jenkins Crawley, beatmixmusic.com
Lighting Diamond Event Group, diamondeventgroup.com
Photo Booth Instant Party Photo Booth, rickaguilar.com/instant
Videographer LaCour Images, lacourimages.com
Photography by: Swiderski Weddings