destination barn wedding at secrest 1883 octagonal barn

Annie and Jared were married in July at the Secrest 1883 Octagonal Barn in West Liberty, Iowa. It was a family and friend-filled affair to prepare for the big day and Annie really to DIY to a whole new level. The photos of this fabulous party certainly speak for themselves.

The ceremony included handmade fans, programs and lavender-sugar toss cones:

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Annie and her mom walking down the aisle to a song that Annie’s late father wrote and sung. I can promise you there was not a dry eye in the house.  Certainly Jared’s eyes were not dry.

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Photo shoot with the couple, obsessed that their puppy dog came out to join them!

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The bridal party looked amazing in their outfit picks.

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Annie told me that night that the cake topper she made was her favorite thing. She said please PLEASE make sure we get a picture of it. I’d say Jagger Photography did admirable justice to that little cake topper.

The decor in the barn was absolutely stunning.

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Annie and Jared moved to Iowa from the coast so many of their guests had never been to Iowa before. To give them a taste of the local flavor Annie and Jared hired a local band and square dancing caller to get the party started. Their guests really got into it.

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Annie and Jared’s wedding was amazing and I was so happy to be a part of it. The entire weekend was full of family and friends, amazing food and lots of love…exactly what a wedding should be.

Annie + Jared’s Vendors:
Ceremony & Reception: Secrest 1883 Octagonal Barn
Catering: The Motley Cow
Cake: Friend of the couple
Photography: Jagger Photography
Florist: St. Bridget’s Flower Farm
Music: Goosetown Stringband
Day of Coordination: Anticipation Events

city chic wedding at the james hotel

Amy and Eugene’s wedding at The James Hotel in Chicago in July was in a word…legendary.

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The beautiful bride Amy, wanted an extra pair of hands with her rehearsal and ceremony as well. The on-site coordinator at The James handled the reception, but Amy wanted to make sure the rehearsal wasn’t painful for anyone and that there was someone to oversee the ceremony. When you have a secular ceremony and a judge or friend/family member preforms it, they are not always willing to or have experience with coordinating getting guests seated, cuing musicians, getting the bridal party lined up and down the aisle, etc. and it’s definitely not something the bride should be doing on her own!wedding event styling

The James Hotel has some great places for pictures. Amy and Eugene, in the library, with the…bridal bouquet?wedding event styling

The James did a fantastic job of flipping the space while guests enjoyed cocktail hour.

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And they lived happily ever after!

*all photos courtesy of Photography by Lin

Amy + Eugene’s Vendors:
Ceremony & Reception: The James Hotel
Catering: The James Hotel
Photography: Photography by Lin
Rehearsal and Ceremony Coordination: Anticipation Events

classic chicago wedding at st. linus church

Kate and Mark were married at St. Linus Church in June 2010. Kate was a super organized bride, she knew what she wanted and did all of the planning herself. She hired me to run the rehearsal for her (this is something I have found that almost everyone dreads) and then coordinate the ceremony and a cocktail party that Kate’s parents hosted in between the ceremony and reception. DiNolfo’s took care of the rest!

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It was so fun to be at Kate’s parents’ house with them in the morning while Kate was getting ready:

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This is Mark. This is how guys get ready for their wedding day. I am jealous. I actually met Mark last year at another wedding I was coordinating. Mark owns Trailing Edge Media and really saved the day when there was a big ol’ technological glitch at that wedding. He must of thought I wasn’t so bad myself–I was so happy to get an email from Kate a few weeks later about their own wedding!

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Since they were both all dolled up and ready to go, we headed over to St. Linus in Oak Lawn. Kate had all the details ready to go:

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It was one of the hottest, stickiest days of the year. Right about when Kate and Mark were saying I do, a monsoon started. Literally. A crack of lighting made the lights in the church flicker on and off and winds were throwing patio furniture around Kate’s parents’ backyard. But Kate and Mark just carried on.

I’m always amazed at photographers ability to catch these great expressions:

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Congrats to the beautiful couple and thanks for letting me take part in your amazing day!

*Glossy photos courtesy of Danielle Aquiline Photography

Kate + Mark’s Vendors:
Ceremony: St. Linus Catholic Church
Reception, Catering: DiNolfo’s Banquets
Cake: Naples Bakery
Photography: Danielle Aquiline Photography
Videography: JJ with Orange Video Productions
Florist: ZuZu’s Petals
DJ: Spencer with Style Matters
Ceremony music: Panache Entertainment
Makeup artist: Maggie & Sonia with Sonia Roselli Makeup Studio
Hair: Holly Kasprisin & Erica Anderson
Transportation: Chicago Trolley
Day-of Coordination: Anticipation Events

outdoor wedding at a private residence

Ilena and Jack’s outdoor wedding at Jack’s parents’ house in June was the DIY wedding of our dreams.

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 Jack’s parents spent so much time getting the house and the backyard ready. A tent was set-up and family members from all over came in to help get everything ready: from making the seating chart, to bartending for the night and DJing. The day was incredibly humid but that didn’t stop the partying from going into the wee hours of the morning.

It was a family affair, Ilena’s almost sister-in-law Heather did the flowers for them. They were simply amazing.day of coordinatorday of coordinatorday of coordinator

Jack’s step-sister made them this awesome sign for bathrooms. With a backyard wedding comes LOTS of planning that you don’t have to think about in a typical venue.

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 While guests enjoyed cocktail hour, the bridal party slipped away for some glamour shots. Hot or not, it was a beautiful day!
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*Photos brought to you by Grant Legan Photography

Ilena + Jack’s Vendors:
Ceremony & Reception: private residence
Catering: Enticing Cuisine
Photography: Grant Legan Photography
Florist: sister-in-law of the bride
DJ: friend of the couple
Cake: The Cakery
Transportation: Spare Wheels
Day-of Coordination: Anticipation Events

evanston wedding at hotel orrington

Melissa and Alan were married at Hotel Orrington in Evanston, Illinois in April 2010. Firstly, they planned this shindig all the way from New York. Secondly, it was fabulous. They are both so calm and down-to-earth, you would have thought they got married every weekend.

Kevin Weinstein and his team took some gorgeous shots of Melissa, Alan and their bridal party getting ready along with some beautiful and unexpected detail shots (which as a planner, I wholeheartedly love).

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They had their first look before the ceremony and were able to get some great pictures before they signed their ketubah.

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A smootch for good luck and it was down the aisle to say I do.

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Melissa and Alan made the invitations, programs and menu cards and Scarlet Petal created centerpieces for the reception and an amazing chuppah for the ceremony.

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As Melissa walked down the aisle somehow her veil was pulled right off her head. She quickly and deftly grabbed it and stuck it back on like a rock star. She was so great at going with the flow and adapting. Probably not something most brides think about beforehand right?

Back down the aisle as Mr. & Mrs. and ready to start the party!

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When we were working on their time line for the day, Melissa had written “and then Toast & Jam plays the longest hora ever for Melissa.”  I think they followed instructions well. It was the most amazing hora I have ever seen.  Proof:

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It was a total emotional overload. I had goosebumps of excitement, I was cracking up laughing and it soon turned to panic as Alan’s friends were throwing him so high and far off the chair I thought I might have to call an ambulance. He was loving every minute of it.

This post is extremely belated as I really wanted to post their wedding video from I Do Films. The edited version isn’t quite done yet so stay tuned for a follow up post with that deliciousness.

Thanks so much to Melissa and Alan for being so much fun to work with and congratulations on throwing such a fantastic party!

*All photo credits belong to the talented Kevin Weinstein Photography

Melissa + Alan’s Vendors:
Ceremony & Reception: Hotel Orrington
Catering: Hotel Orrington
Photography: Kevin Weinstein Photography
Videography: I Do Films
Florist: Scarlet Petal
DJ: Kate & Rachel with Toast & Jam
Cake: Take the Cake
Sweets Table: The Bent Fork Bakery
Makeup artist: Dana Armstrong
Hair: Livia Corporal
Day-of Coordination: Anticipation Events