A Rainbow-Hued Color Palette Set the Tone for This Fun-Filled Wedding in Chicago

After being introduced to her at a mutual friend’s Super Bowl party in 2016, Rameez Khan sent a fateful DM to Libby Borders asking her out. She accepted, and a relationship quickly blossomed. Five years later, he asked yet another fateful question: “Will you marry me?” “We got engaged on my birthday in Napa,” Libby shares. “We were on a family trip, and Rameez planned a wine tasting at Flanagan Wines. After popping the question and enjoying some wine, we went back to celebrate with my family—and to my surprise, Rameez’s entire family flew in to be part of the celebration. It was a truly incredible day!” 

The Chicago couple was drawn to The Dalcy for their big day because it was a blank canvas they could completely transform to fit their vision—and what a vision it was. “Immediately, we knew we wanted color,” Libby says. “Rameez’s family is from Pakistan, and they are known for fabulous, colorful parties and weddings. We took that as inspiration, but [we] wanted to put our twist on it and make the wedding feel like a combination of our two cultures. I was intent on designing something that no one had ever seen before.” There were few hues not in their palette. “The more color, the merrier,” Libby says. And the brighter, the better.

The couple enlisted Bianca Hall and her team at Estera Events to help curate the vision, but stayed involved every step of the way. “My mom was my planning partner in crime,” Libby says. “We are Type A planners, so we really embraced the planning and ended up having a ton of fun! She supported me in all my decisions and really wanted us to be happy and have the wedding of our dreams.” And that’s exactly what they got. Scroll down to see all the vibrant details of Libby and Rameez’s October 1, 2022, wedding, which was planned by Estera Events and photographed by Studio This Is.

Despite the loud vision for the day’s décor, Libby opted for minimalism when it came to her makeup. “I wanted simple, elegant, and to look my like myself,” she says. Her beauty team nailed it, finishing the look with a chic low chignon. 

“I have always loved fashion, so I immediately had a vision of what I wanted to wear,” Libby says. In a word? Color—naturally. She took a trip to New York City to shop, and immediately fell in love with Monique Lhuillier’s colorful creations, ultimately opting for the Lily of the Valley gown and matching veil. "Once I tried on my dress, I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and I knew it was the one!” She added additional pops of color with green crystal Aquazzura heels and her mother’s green cocktail ring and matching pendant necklace.

“I wanted a white bouquet with a twist that would let my dress shine,” Libby says. "The Life in Bloom team outdid themselves and the end result was unlike anything I had seen before.”

Rameez wore a custom white jacket from bespoke clothier BLVDier, black tuxedo pants and a Tom Ford bow tie. “He wore Paul Stuart tuxedo shoes—but later changed into high-top Nike Dunks for dancing,” Libby adds.

“We really wanted that intimate moment between the two of us before all of the craziness,” Libby says of the first look. “We were both a little anxious, but as soon as we saw each other, we became so much more relaxed. After that, we were ready to seal the deal and have the best night of our lives with our friends and family.”

The bridesmaids’ dresses provided a literal interpretation of the couple’s rainbow color scheme. “I provided a mood board but let the girls select their own dresses in solids, florals, or patterns, and it all ended up coming together so well,” Libby says. Their individual bouquets were the icing on top. “I literally screamed when I saw the bridesmaid bouquets. They were multicolored and coordinated with all of the girls' dresses; they really enhanced the colorful vision we had for the wedding.”

“Our ceremony decor was all about the flowers,” Libby says. An overhead installation in pink and purple spanned the length of the aisle, and was bookended by dual rainbow floral arches at either end. “It was really important that we reuse all of the elements throughout the wedding. The arches from the ceremony were used during the reception as décor on our photo backdrop.” Clear Chiavari chairs let the décor do the talking.

Libby walked down the aisle with her parents as the band played “Can’t Help Falling in Love.” “The groom and bridal party entrance songs were instrumental, but we added live vocals for the bridal moment to make it extra special and dramatic,” she says.

During the ceremony officiated by the bride’s sister, Rachel Borders, the couple honored Rameez’s culture and religion. “We invited two of his aunts to give an Islamic blessing—one reading it in Arabic, and one reading the English translation.” Then, they exchanged personal vows. “Rameez’s vows brought the house down,” the bride remembers. “I think everyone in the room cried—and it was the talk of cocktail hour for sure!” 

Signature drinks included a spicy mezcal cocktail, a vodka mule, and—in keeping with the latest wedding bar trend—a fruity mocktail. “A lot of our guests don’t drink, so it was important to us to ensure they felt special and had the same experience as the other guests,” Libby says.

Attendees found their reception seating assignments on a colorful arch that was in keeping with the day's bold color palette.

Three different table designs accommodated the couple’s 240 guests (including a 45-person head table!) “My favorite were the rectangular tables that had this amazing tinsel tablecloth our planner found,” Libby says. “We balanced it out with whimsical flowers and candles.” Other tables were topped with light pink and yellow linens, and playful menu cards adorned each place setting.

“The groom didn’t have many requests for the wedding, but the one was a raw bar,” Libby says. “The venue created a massive ice structure that had more shrimp, oysters, and crab claws than you can even imagine.” For the main meal, Mediterranean tapas were followed by lobster bisque, short ribs, and risotto. 

“We wanted to wrap up dinner and get people dancing quickly, so we opted for cake, a dessert bar and Pakistani tea in the dancing area.” They kicked off the party with a fitting track: “May I Have This Dance” by Francis and the Lights.

The bride changed into a disco-inspired second look by David Komo and Larroude platform heels. “We ended the night with Bollywood music, which is a staple at Pakistani weddings, and all of our guests absolutely loved it,” Libby remembers. “The dance floor was bumpin’ until the end! It was such a representation of us as a couple and the blending of our families and cultures.”

Their advice for other to-be-weds? “Focus on what will make the day feel unique to you as a couple,” Libby says. “And don’t be afraid to do something outside the box—it’s so much fun to do something unexpected.”