All the planning, prepping and preparing was done. Every last detail had been finished. She sat and took in the room. It was filled with the people she loved the most. Although the hum of a neighbor’s lawn-mower could be heard – nothing could take away all the beauty of this moment.
Today.
She would marry the love of her life.
A few moments before the ceremony I asked him if he wanted me to relay any messages to her. He said, “Tell her I love her. And I can’t wait to see her in a moment.”
Katie and Mike, THANK YOU. Thank you for giving us the privilege of having the backstage pass to such a beautiful, moment-filled day. Thank you for taking the time to program in special moments to really soak in the day. And sweet Katie, thank you for driving 20 minutes out of your way THE DAY BEFORE YOUR WEDDING to give me a sweet memento. You are incredible. Both of you are. And we couldn’t be more excited for you. I hope you are loving every last moment in Hawaii…
To start us off, I chose to begin with two details that are so perfectly Katie…
A friend of the family made matching handkerchiefs for Katie and her mom. And her dad wore her grandfather’s cufflinks…
Katie, you’re beautiful. Beyond measure. Marek, you’re a hair GENIUS. (Of course you had 3 gorgeous models to work with…)
Before we knew it, it was time to get into her dress.
With all of my brides, I try to plan out beautiful moments throughout the day. I want them to soak up every last bit. And I don’t want to leave any detail out. When I mentioned the idea of doing a special reveal to her dad she immediately replied YES. She walked down to her father and the tears started coming. (And they weren’t alone in those tears.) These types of moments are once again why I love what I do.
KATIE – you are STUNNING. oh.my.goodness.
Ted joined the handsome gentlemen…
Since Katie loved the idea of programming in moments throughout the day, we thought she should do a reveal to her bridesmaids. I LOVE their expressions….
These girls brought it.
And there you go again, bein’ all stunning and such…
The limo came and whisked us away to the church. Her amazing bridesmaids decided to serenade their sweet friend in the car. And I fell even more in love with them all.
The ceremony decor was so beautiful.
We then took over Morton Arboretum for a bit to capture the entire bridal party.
Mike…the Flying V never looked so good.
I looked over for a moment as Katie was adjusting her dress and could not help but document that gorgeous moment.
LOVE LOVE LOVE
Then came time for the reception at Venuti’s. My jaw may have dropped when I saw the elegance that Yanni Design Studio had put together.
And this is where my emotions took over me.
And again…
Have I mentioned that I LOVE that my wedding parties dance? PERFECTION.
Other fact: I LOVE when people go all out for the bouquet and garter toss. LOVE IT. LOVE THEM.
Then Katie’s family busted a move together. And I wanted to ask if I could join their family…
And yes, I totally got photo-bombed. (I’ll forgive him since he’s a great DJ) But I love it all the same.
If you’d like to see more from their wedding day, click below to view their SLIDE-SHOW.
Katie and Mike: August 10, 2012.
And a little vendor love:
Flowers, Ceremony and Reception Decor – Yanni Design Studio
Ceremony: St. James the Apostle Church, Glen Ellyn, IL
Reception: Venuti’s Banquets
DJ: Jojo and Gizep
Hair: Marek
Make-up: Stephanie Bagnole
Comments will load here