I love that this bride incorporated a little Texas flair into her Illinois nuptials! She brought the elegant, rustic vibe we love so much from the lone star state and perfectly blended it with the midwest vineyard setting. The result is sweet, romantic and oh-so-much fun! And I love that this cutie couple donned their wedding day digs one more time for an awesome day after session with the groom’s Camaro all shot by Pam Cooley Photography! See it all in the full gallery!
Click here for the FULL wedding!
From the Bride… Matt and I really wanted to include “us” in our wedding. Because I am from Dallas, Texas, and he was born and raised in central Illinois, we had a difficult time deciding Texas vs. Illinois. Until we say the Mackinaw Valley Vineyard — then we knew! Originally our plan for our September wedding was to have the wedding outside and reception inside, but the weather had other plans. The day ended up being a light drizzly ALL day, but thanks to my amazing wedding planner, the transition was seamless. I wanted to include a little bit of rustic Texas chic in my wedding planning, which is where the cowboy boots for the bridesmaids and me came from, along with the burlap table coverings! I also wanted to include as many homemade items as I could so that our wedding day would mimic our home as well, something that was important to us. My florist thought that I was crazy when I came to her saying I wanted lots of lantern, flowers, candles and fun. But that is what I got! We were also fortunate to be able to get a photo booth for our guest to enjoy! As a result of the rainy day we were unable to use Matt’s ’69 Camaro as our getaway car, so our wonderful photographer let us do a “dress session” upon returning from our honeymoon — a piece of advice for brides-to-be: do the after session. The photos after the wedding were so much fun! Plus who wouldn’t want to put their dress back on?
Wedding Photography: Pam Cooley Photography / Wedding Venue: Mackinaw Valley Vineyard in Mackinaw, Illinois / Floral + Event Design: Beth Maxwell of McKinley Park Events / Event Planning: Lisa Ragan of Happily Ever After Weddings / Wedding Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas / Wedding Cake: That’s a Cake? / Photo Booth: Scott Schilling Photography / Wedding Dress: Watters