On a cold winter night, Adam Schiff urged his girlfriend Danielle Goss to meet him at the sales office of their newly purchased condominium. Although the construction site was just breaking ground, Adam convinced Danielle that the sales agent had agreed to take them on a tour of the property. After signing a liability waiver and gearing up in hard hats, the couple made their way onto the construction site. While taking in a general view of the area, Danielle turned to make a comment to Adam – and found him on bended knee holding a gorgeous diamond engagement ring. “The sales agent took pictures, and they are priceless,” laughs Danielle. “I never thought I’d be wearing a hard hat at my proposal!”

Between Adam’s pending graduation from medical school and the observance of religious holidays, the couple wrestled with dates before settling on one that allowed them 15 months to plan. “It worked out great [having a long engagement]… all of our first choices were available,” says the bride. A photo Danielle saw in a wedding book years prior was the design inspiration for the celebration. “That picture never left my mind, and I hunted down the book after getting engaged,” she explains. The color scheme was a mixture of earth tones, including greens, browns, and shades of white. Danielle also decided on Vera Wang bridesmaid gowns in a luxurious chocolate brown to complement her attendants’ bouquets of classic cymbidium orchids.

The wedding was held at a private club in Chicago that the bride had loved since childhood. “I’d always envisioned my wedding there,” she says of her dream venue. “The club is beautiful, the food delectable, and the location perfect.” An understated elegance was achieved for the traditional Jewish ceremony with a striking floral design that contrasted beautifully with the room’s gleaming chandeliers and crisp, white aisle runner. Mounds of Kermit mums topped towering glass cylinders strung with spherical arrangements that were suspended within. Alternating aisles featured wide wooden blocks crowned with hurricane candles on lush squares of mums. Delicate orchid blossoms were dotted throughout. “I had never been to a wedding that featured uncomplicated flowers formed into shapes,” says Danielle. “I loved the gorgeous masterpieces!” More mums fashioned tie-backs for the chuppah’s flowing fabric, and the vivid blooms also appeared on reception tables in an eclectic mix of centerpiece designs that echoed the ceremony arrangements.

The couple opted to forego a traditional wedding cake in favor of cupcakes, offering personalized boxes so that guests could also carry extra treats home. Chocolate, vanilla, lemon, banana, and red velvet flavors lined an elaborate tower bedecked with flowers, while a nearby “Berry Bar” offered an array of ripe fruit alongside martini glasses rimmed with sugar. Guests also enjoyed wine tasting in addition to a four-course dinner capped with an assortment of desserts. Homemade ice cream sandwiches, chocolate brownies, churros, vanilla milkshakes, and steaming cups of hot chocolate were all passed on the dance floor.

The couple agrees that their favorite memories from the special day stemmed from the dancing. “Adam and I had taken lessons in preparation of our first dance, and we worked so hard,” the bride explains. The groom, however, is partial to a different unforgettable moment. “Being lifted up on a chair during the horah was the most memorable for me!” That said, Danielle and Adam loved every minute of their wedding, and were thrilled that it matched the tone of their personalities perfectly. “We think of ourselves as stylish, laid-back people who like to have fun,” the couple clarifies, “and our wedding reflected just that.”