Christina and Jerry chose to host their ceremony and reception at Elske Restaurant in Chicago’s hot West Loop which seemed entirely appropriate as Elske means “love” in Danish, a nod to Chef David Posey’s Danish mother. David, the former chef of Chicago’s iconic Blackbird and his wife, Anna Posey (pastry chef extraordinaire of the Publican) got engaged in Copenhagen. “Our travels in Denmark have really influenced us,” Chef Posey said. “We like that clean, simple aesthetic.”

The Michelin Star restaurant was named #2 Best New Restaurant in America in 2017 by Bon Appétit.

A lovely outdoor area offers an open-air campfire with chairs and complimentary lap furs where the couple hosted their outdoor ceremony.

Following cocktail hour on the restaurant’s private second floor,  guests were welcomed to the first floor main dining room which features crisp lines, minimalist décor and soft lighting. The couple’s dinner menu consisted of …

Publican Quality oat porridge sourdough with cultured koji butter

Belgian endives with walnuts, pickled raisins and sherry

Soft shell crab with stewed spinach, cucumber and smoked pickle XO

Black bean agnolotti with ricotta, braised morels and English peas

Confit king trumpet mushrooms with pocha beans, artichokes, amaranth and egg yolk jam

White asparagus with veal sweetbreads, pickled shrimp and cippolini onions

Grilled stuffed porceletta with broccoli, ramps and raclette

Meringue with roasted rhubarb, fresh rhubarb and whipped buttermilk

Sunflower seed parfait with sour honey, bee pollen and licorice

Buttermilk lemon cake with raspberry jam and citrus curd

… and did I mention that I got to savor dinner too? It was incredible! Jerry says his favorite was the King Trumpet Mushrooms with egg yolk jam and Christina’s was the Black bean agnolotti. Personally, I couldn’t get enough of the oat porridge sourdough with cultured koji butter, though I could’ve eaten two of everything else as well!

Christina and Jerry met in college while Christina lived in the Illinois Street Residence Halls. Jerry would go over to hang out and study with his engineer friends. As a resident, Christina also happened to have a lot of the same engineer friends. It was only a matter of time before the two of them would cross paths. Once they got to talking, they found lots of common interests and bonded over music, food, and coffee.

Jerry knew Christina was going to be in Chicago for one week in May so he planned to propose to her during that time. Jerry got Christina’s brother Alex to convince her that she was going downtown to pick up some tickets to a Kygo concert from a friend later that night. Instead of some random friend, it was Jerry with a ring (and concert tickets). Christina was definitely tipped off when she realized Alex was dropping her off in front of the Adler Planetarium. After Christina said yes, the couple brought along some friends to celebrate with Pequod’s pizza afterwards.

What made you choose Elske?

“The moment we saw Elske, they knew that it would provide the intimate setting that we were going for on our wedding day” said Jerry.

The couple planned their wedding day from New Jersey where the two currently live.

“We were looking forward to seeing how all the planning leading up to the wedding would come together. Planning from out of state comes with its challenges, so seeing how incredible everything turned out was all the more exciting. We were also looking forward to hosting friends and family from near and far (including other countries), some of whom we had not seen in a while.”

What was the best thing that happened at your wedding?

When the last song of the night was played, Boys Like Girls – The Great Escape. Everyone knew the song and it gave great energy to go out to.

Is there any advice you would give to couples planning their wedding?

Christina admits, “A lot goes into planning a wedding.  Take things one step at a time, communicate with each other, and take healthy breaks to enjoy the fact that you’re engaged!”

Jerry confides, “All the little worries and tiny details will melt away once the day starts so don’t get hung up on any one thing (but you still have to plan!).”