About Indie Wed
In 2009, Kelly Maron Horvath was diligently working in her Chicagoland letterpress shop and graphic design studio, Paper Stories. Desperate to reach more wedding clients that seemed to fit with her quirky and unique style of design but noticed that all the traditional wedding shows seemed… well a bit too traditional, too commercial, and often stale. Having participated in a number of independent craft fairs, Horvath thought it would be great to infuse the spirit of those events into the wedding industry. As a former high school art and photography instructor, Kelly was no stranger to organizing people and events. Soon after, Indie Wed was born. The first event was in Chicago in January 2010 and while Kelly only expected a moderate turnout, Indie Wed welcomed nearly 50 vendors and over 11oo attendees.
It was clear that people were craving something different than the typical cookie cutter bridal show.
Due to the tremendous response, in 2011 the event expanded to include a summer show. In 2012 Indie Wed, LLC was formed while the Indie Wed event started its expansion by heading past the Illinois borders to other cities across the midwest. Indie Wed is now the longest running independent wedding show in the country! In 2015, Indie Wed began teaming up with Naturally Yours Events to bring a unique beer-themed wedding event to Chicago called Wedtoberfest.
When not running two successful businesses, Kelly is spending time with her family which includes her charming husband Russ, her utterly unique 9 year old Jackson Calder, her tenacious 4 year old daughter Penelope Clementine, and two crazy Boston terriers Abbie & Rosie. Whew!
Of course, Kelly can’t do it all alone. During the actual events, there is a wonderful team of people that come together to keep Indie Wed running smoothly. There are also many generous businesses that provide support, such as our annual winter show host, Ravenswood Event Center.
Founder profile by Fresh Roasted Films
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Indie Wed and Wedtoberfest are also looking to expand to other cities. To do so, we need a committed local contact who has some knowledge of event planning or the wedding industry. If you think you might be that person and know that your city could benefit from an Indie Wed event, please contact us.
About the Design
The design and layout for Indie Wed® was created by Kelly with additional web development provided by Jonathan Poole. Additional site photography by Jeremy Lawson Photography, Ryan Moore Photography, Tuan B & Co, & Imaginative Studios.