College Fashionista's Amy Levin's Glamorous Chicago Wedding

Amy Levin, founder of College Fashionista, always knew what her wedding would look like. "I love the energy inside the Ritz Paris—it feels so glamorous, everyone inside is dressed up in elegant attire and seems to be having the best time," she explains. "I wanted to create that same feeling at our wedding." And, believe us, she did! The fashionista bride enlisted the help of Reva Nathan, who planned her bat mitzvah years prior, to create an elegant, over-the-top atmosphere inside The Four Seasons Hotel Chicago in the bride's hometown on September 16, 2017. This was no challenge as the bride originally selected the venue for its European-inspired architecture. "The Four Seasons, Chicago is a classic hotel—we didn't look at any other venues. I knew I wanted to get married there." From there, Amy and her design team worked to create the feel with flowers and uplighting—and, of course, her fashion! Keep reading to see how KingenSmith captured this college fashionista's dream day.

The bride worked with the designers at Marchesa to create a custom gown. "I knew I wanted a V-neck, long sleeves, and an A-line shape," she explains. She brought plenty of inspiration images to the Marchesa studio, where they dreamt up just that, complete with detailed embellishments and embroidery. "It was such a fun process from start to finish," she says. "I'll cherish the memory forever!" The bride accessorized with diamond drop earrings, ivory sling-backs by Manolo Blahnik, and a custom headpiece from Marchesa, which was very much inspired by iconic bride Grace Kelly. The final touch was not one but two veils, both designed by Marchesa!

For the ceremony setting, the bride worked with her design team to bring the outdoors inside. "We liked the idea of having our ceremony feel like guests were outdoors," she says. "Our design team helped bring this to life with a pebble stone aisle, large urns filled with untrimmed flowers, and our chuppah of wild hanging flowers." The couple exchanged their vows under said canopy in a ceremony that included traditional elements to honor their heritage. "We wanted our wedding ceremony to be sacred," explains the bride.

The reception décor was magical as the ceremony set-up, with tables covered in soft pink florals, ivory linens, and high candlesticks. The hotel's ballroom was actually transformed to look like the Ritz Paris, complete with blue velvet curtains (pinned back with gold tassels!) and gold sconces on the walls.

Ever the fashion bride, Amy impressed her 400 guests with a second dress, too! After the ceremony, Amy slipped into a satin slip dress (get it!) designed by her good friend Danielle Frankel. The dress featured a deep cowl neck in the back and a high center slit in the front. "I was so excited to slip into this dress after being in the Marchesa ball gown all day," she says. "The dress felt modest and sexy at the same time." She also changed into Manolo Blahnik criss-cross sandals and pulled her hair back into a ponytail before dancing the night way!

And, of course, Amy's bridal fashion didn't stop there. She looked amazing the night before the wedding in a custom ivory silk jacket and skirt for the rehearsal dinner, which took place at The Peninsula. She completed her chic, all-white look with custom sandals by Steve Madden and opal drop earrings by Ilana Ariel.

We wish all the best to the original fashionista bride—if only we had even more looks to admire! But for now, take a peek at Amy's after-party dress being made in the video below.