Wedding Story
Bride’s Comments: “We met through a mutual friend in college. I was a freshmen at Indiana Wesleyan University and Caleb was a senior in high school, living down in Greenville, IL.
“One of my roommates was good friends with Caleb back home, and after a lot of texting, snapchatting, and facetime dates, we went to Greenville to visit him after 2 months of talking.
“We went on our first date that weekend and the rest is history. Our entire relationship up until 1 month before we got married was long distance. It was a challenging time, but strengthened our relationship so much. It has made being married and getting to be together all the time even more sweet.
“In October of 2017, Caleb was coming to see me during his senior year in college, when I was living at home. My sister was going to be home from school for the weekend, and I had a strong inclination it was going to happen then (since I had been bugging him about it for so long). We had a picnic planned at Cantigny Park in Wheaton, IL for Saturday afternoon. We woke up Saturday, and it rained all. day. long. We still went and ate in the back of my car. As we were finishing up, the sun came out and it was so beautiful! Caleb suggested we go on a walk, and after walking for a bit, he popped the question in the gardens. My sister and best friend were there to take pictures and celebrate with us. WE were so ecstatic!!”
Bridal Q & A
THE WEDDING
“I had an idea of what I wanted for my wedding before the engagement. I knew I wanted it to be elegant but not over the top. The bridesmaids were going to be in a dusty rose/lavender, so gold was the perfect accent. We didn’t have a specific theme or style, but it came together perfectly at the end- it looked like we had so meticulously planned everything to match. The ceremony was at our church, and we had a sermon from a dear friend to start it off. After he finished, we had our parents come up and pray over us privately while music from some good friends played. It was perfect.”
DECOR
“I knew I wanted gold decor from the start. Gold is so timeless and adds beauty to any space! Ceremony decor was simple with small, gold lanterns hanging on the pews with flowers and ribbon strung around, and two large DIY lanterns (made by the bride’s wonderful uncle) with large flower arrangements on each one. They had such an elegant presence on the stage. The decorations for reception space were also gold- about 5 or 6 different centerpieces glammed up each table, with cream candles and flowers to finish them off.”
FLORALS
“Flowers MADE the wedding. It was hard to picture them before we got them the day of since we ordered them and didn’t know exactly what they would look like. We incorporated the color of the dresses with amnesia roses, cream roses, and some deep purples to top it off. We used a ton of greens like eucalyptus for ceremony decor and centerpieces- it was a cheap way to really add so much elegance.”
PERSONALIZATIONS
“At the reception, we had an engraved Bible for people to highlight their favorite verses and sign their name. It was so encouraging to look through it after and the little notes our family and friends left. I don’t know if I can even pick a favorite part- each part was so special in it’s own way and had it’s own meaning. But one part I was not expecting was my (bride) dad reading a letter I wrote to him when I met Caleb, back about 5 years ago. It was embarrassing, but I was touched that he kept it all these years. It made my cheeks red but warmed my heart. The most fun part was probably the dancing though. During some wedding receptions I’ve been to, there is a very lame dancing crowd. That was not the case for ours. Almost everyone was out on the floor dancing the ENTIRE time. It was such a blast to see so many friends and family I hadn’t seen in a while, and even more fun to get down with them on the dance floor. Another part that was so special was having friends and family come from across the world (literally) to celebrate with us. We have never felt so loved and encouraged.”
FASHION
“Before going wedding dress shopping, I had a very small idea of what I wanted. I had seen so many styles and designs that I liked. But once getting there, I only tried on maybe 10-12 dresses before deciding on THE one. It was sleeveless, with a ton of beading and lace (the best combination in my opinion). It had a sheer back with lots of buttons, and a long train with the most beautiful lace. It was one of the first ones I tried on, but none of the next ones stood up to it. Caleb (groom) didn’t have a lot of opinions about the wedding, but he knew he wanted navy suits! Which I totally went with. All the guys were in full navy suits with navy vests and ties to match the girls’ dresses. Caleb was in a navy suit with a white vest and white tie. They all looked so sharp and handsome.”
BEST MOMENT
“The most anticipated moment of our wedding day for me (Bria) was walking down the aisle. I had dreamed and imagined what it would look like for years, but none of it compared to walking with my dad (who I knew was nervous because he wouldn’t stop cracking jokes), and seeing the faces of SO many people I loved and cared about. And of course, seeing the face of my handsome groom waiting for me. It still gives me chills thinking about it. If I could do it over again, I would do it exactly the same.”
ADVICE
“Don’t leave it until the last minute. Everything takes time and you will be severely overwhelmed if you wait too long. The week of is supposed to be wonderful and full of smiles and last minute details. It can quickly become stressful if you leave things until the last minute. Secondly, enjoy the engagement period. I was so anxious to be married that I often wished away the time we were in.”
Vendors in this Wedding
Reception Venue: DiNolfo’s Banquets of Homer Glen
Dress Store: David’s Bridal
Cake Designer: Mariano’s
Floral Designer: Phillips Flowers & Gifts
Photographer: Daniel Jackson Studios
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