Illinois Weddings

Anytime a wedding begins with a pair of sparkly Badgley Mischkas, I know we’re in for something GOOD.  Just take this ballroom affair from Lauren Wakefield, for example. It’s oozing with elegance from beginning to end – not to mention beautiful blooms by McKinley Park Events – and you pin to your heart’s content right over here.

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From the Bride… Steve and I were so excited to celebrate with our family and friends, we really wanted to create a warm, welcoming and fun weekend for the people we love the most. We also wanted a timeless look and feel, which is why we chose a historic hotel – The Pere Marquette – as our setting. It had everything we were looking for, tons of charm and also convenience for our guests.

Friday evening, after everyone got into town, Steve’s parents hosted a beautiful rehearsal party at the Peoria Zoo. Guests were greeted with live steel drum music, cocktails and appetizers on the Giraffe Overlook Deck, before we went into the Zambezi Lodge for dinner, toasts, and a slideshow created by our siblings. It was a wonderful start to a wonderful weekend.

Saturday the girls gathered in the Presidential Suite, at the hotel, for hair, make-up, brunch and mimosas; and the guys gathered in another suite for brunch, bloody marys, and Tecmo Bowl. Steve and I decided to meet before the ceremony for our “first look” and photos. A little nontraditional, but we didn’t want to miss a minute of the party!

Saturday’s events at The Pere Marquette were hosted by my parents… The ceremony began at 5pm in the Cotillion Ballroom – a beautiful ballroom with a hand painted mural and intricate woodwork. Our wedding coordinator decorated the space with gold chivari chairs, white flowers and baby’s breath. A string quartet played as the guests and our parents were seated and as our bridal party came down the aisle. After the ceremony, guests were escorted out and were greeted by butlered trays of our featured drink – a “Flirtini”. Singer/songwriter musician, David McDonald, played as the guests mingled around the Cheminee Ballroom and were served appetizers, a sushi bar and cocktails, of course.

From cocktail hour, guests were then escorted into the Marquette Ballroom for dinner. Throughout dinner, guests listened to live piano music and emceeing provided by our band, The Mix, as my father, my two sisters, and Steve’s three brothers, as well as one of his best friends, gave toasts. Our wedding cake was a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. The room was decorated with gold and ivory damask table linens, gold chargers, roses/hydrangeas/baby’s breath and succulents.

After dinner and the speeches concluded, guests were them ushered into the final ballroom (a return, next door, to the Cotillion Ballroom, which was converted into a lounge/dance space during cocktails). The room had soft uplighting, a white dance floor, and white sofas and lounge furniture around the perimeter of the floor. Our amazing band kept the entire room on their feet, even causing the crowd to chant “one more song!” at the end of the night. It was an amazing and memorable weekend for Steve and I, as well as for our families.

We absolutely cannot thank Beth Maxwell and the McKinley Park Events team, Lauren Wakefield, The Mix Band, David McDonald, The River City String Quartet, Nikki Pulfur at Pomp & Polish, Loft Bridal, Jason Groh at Lexoria, Cracked Pepper Catering, Steely Pan, Phil Hoskins, The Peoria Zoo, and of course, Chris Welch and his team at The Hotel Pere Marquette Marriott enough!

We left for our honeymoon two days later for a ten night stay in the Greek Islands, and we still couldn’t stop talking about the wedding eleven days later! It was an amazing way to begin our lives together – we’re so lucky!

Ceremony Music: The River City String Quartet | Bridal Gown: Jenny Yoo | Bridal Veil: Erin Lindsay Designs | Cocktail Hour Music: David McDonald: Hope Stanley | Dinner And Reception Music: The Mix | Hair & Make-Up: Loft Bridal | Photography: Lauren Wakefield: Lauren Wakefield Photography | Rehearsal Dinner Caterer: Cracked Pepper Catering | Rehearsal Dinner Event Branding: Sara E. Designs | Rehearsal Dinner Music: Steely Pan | Save The Dates/Rehearsal Dinner Invitations: Phil Hoskins | The Rehearsal Dinner: The Peoria Zoo | The Wedding Ceremony And Reception: The Hotel Pere Marquette | Videography: Jason Groh: Lexoria Wedding Films | Wedding Coordination/Floral & Décor Design: Beth Maxwell: McKinley Park Events | Wedding Stationary/Event Branding: Nikki Pulfur: Pomp & Polish

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Bridesmaid

Jenny Yoo

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Any bride who uses her beautiful Vera Wang dress as inspiration for her wedding day is a-okay in my book! In fact, this entire wedding by Jeffrey and Julia Woods ~ Photographers deserves much more than just an easy “A”.  McKinley Park Events has solidified that my favorite color is navy blue and how about the mouth watering cake by Wedding Cake Connection!? {Bra-vo!} Follow your heart to the full gallery for more!

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the Bride… Ted and I are high school sweethearts, and it was important to us to get married in our hometown. We both envisioned a traditional, luxurious wedding with a focus on family, friends and lots of dancing! Choosing our reception location, The Country Club of Peoria, was an easy choice given that Ted had proposed there. After a year and a half of planning, June 16, 2012 finally arrived and, despite the high heat and humidity, was everything we’d hoped for and more. Both my dress and our invitations provided inspiration for the entire wedding. “Diana” by Vera Wang was my dream dress from the start, and I wanted to carry the gown’s dreaminess and romance through the rest of the wedding. The invitations, made by Arabella Papers and designed by the ladies at The Bronze Frog in Peoria, were glamorous, elegant and introduced our navy blue color scheme.

While we kept our ceremony décor simple, letting the church’s beauty speak for itself, we wanted the reception to really “wow” our guests. With the help of my mom and our oh-so-talented wedding planner, Beth Maxwell, we did just that! The tables in the ballroom were draped in navy blue linens and topped by an ivory cloth trimmed with silver cord. On the corners of each table hung navy ruffles, inspired by the soft ruffles of my dress. We used different chair embellishments at each table, giving the room a textured look. The cake, too, was inspired by the dress. A variety of flowers in shades of cream and blush were used to create lush floral arrangements. My mom, aunt, godmother, grandfather and I made a few of our floral arrangements, while Beth and her team created the rest of the gorgeous centerpieces. The candelabras with dangling crystals – inspired by the crystal-adorned sash I wore for the reception – gave the room just a hint of sparkle and glamour, and the silver mercury glass votives added a soft glow of candlelight. One of my favorite elements of the wedding was the flower arrangement running the length of the head table and draping down its sides. Spot lighting at each table made the centerpieces really stand out, and our escort cards, table numbers and menus incorporated more navy blue into the table setup. For the bar and the outdoor cocktail area overlooking the scenic Illinois River, we wanted a sleeker look. We used silver paillette-covered tablecloths and added glass candlesticks. Blue uplighting gave the bar a modern feel, while white carnival lights strung outside dressed up the patio. Our DJ kept the dance floor packed all night long, and our guests loved the midnight snack of sliders and root beer floats.

We had such a wonderful time celebrating with our friends and family and dancing the night away. Jeffrey and Julia Woods captured each moment and detail of the day to perfection. We can’t thank our vendors, family and friends enough for making our wedding so spectacular!

Wedding Photography + Cinematography: Jeffrey and Julia Woods ~ Photographers / Ceremony: Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Peoria City, Illinois / Reception: Country Club of Peoria in Peoria Heights, Illinois / Wedding Planning: Beth Maxwell of McKinley Park Events / Floral Design: McKinley Park Events / Wedding Cake: Barb Evans of Wedding Cake Connection / Wedding Stationery + Paper Products: Arabella Papers via The Bronze Frog / DJ + Lighting Design: Extreme DJs & Lighting / Wedding Dress + Veil: Vera Wang “Diana” / Bride’s Sash: Vera Wang / Bride’s Shoes: Banana Republic / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale / Hair: Bernadette Stephens of Self Centered Salon (309-673-9900) + Danielle Hayes of Bellezza Hair Design / Makeup: B.Loved Stylists

There’s really nothing like returning to your hometown to marry the love of your life. And that’s exactly what these adorable high school sweethearts did. They found a pretty little vineyard and surrounded themselves with family and friends, and lucky for us, Olivia Leigh Photographie was there to capture all the lovely little details. Click here to see even more.

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From Olivia Leigh Photographie… Abby and Michael are high school sweethearts who live in Chicago but returned to their home of Peoria, Illinois, for their wedding celebration. Abby and Michael’s wedding had a sweet vintage touch to the details and a true friends-and-family feel to the celebration, with many people pitching in to make their day as delightful as possible — lots of emotion during toasts. They were married at a church in Peoria and held their reception at Kickapoo Creek Winery — that’s right, a winery in Illinois! Abby wore a beautiful gown with a birdcage veil and super-chic Vivienne Westwood jelly flats, and the maids wore convertible, wine-colored dresses from Etsy and carried huge baby’s breath bouquets. After the ceremony we stopped at Michael’s dad’s ice cream parlor for a sweet scoop, Grand View Drive (which Teddy Roosevelt called “the most beautiful drive in America”) and then hopped off along the side of the road to take pictures in the cornfields — what ended up being my favorite photos and a perfect set of images to showcase the beauty of Illinois outside of the expected Chicago environs.

Wedding Photography: Olivia Leigh Photographie / Ceremony: St. Bernard’s Church in Peoria, Illinois / Reception: Kickapoo Creek Winery in Edwards, Illinois / Event Planning + Floral Design: Carol Wake (A Friend of the Bride & Groom) / Wedding Invitations: Etsy / Wedding Dress: Unknown Designer via Weddings 826 / Bride’s Shoes: Vivienne Westwood / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Etsy

This Illinois garden wedding by Pam Cooley Photography is GORGeous with a big, fat capitol G-O-R-G!  I love the new take on a the mismatched bridesmaid attire.  Each lovely lady was draped in beautiful pastel hues that perfectly coordinate with the fun striped straws, the colorful “just married” sign and compliment their beauteous bouquets.  The entire affair was created with loving care by the bride and groom and they filled their perfect day with absolutely fabulous touches.  You can see them all in the full gallery!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…Will and I agree that our wedding day was truly perfect. It was exactly what I had envisioned and worked towards. We chose the Pettengill-Morron House as our venue because we both love and appreciate history and architecture. I truly enjoyed all of the planning and DIY projects I took on and to see them enjoyed by our guests was very satisfying. I am so thankful that Will was very involved and offered his expertise, ideas, and support.

My favorite moment of the wedding was, in essence, all of the little moments strung together: getting ready with my bridesmaids, tapping Will on the shoulder and him turning around for our “first look”, holding my dad’s arm tight and feeling his constant support as we walked out of the house, praying with our parents and pastor, watching our guests enjoying the night, and driving away under a sea of sparklers and shouts of well wishes. Will and I feel very blessed to have friends and family that have loved and supported us all along the way.

Will and I chose to see each other before the ceremony, and honestly, I wouldn’t have been able to wait a second longer! Walking out of the house, with his back to me, waiting for him to turn around and see me, was oh so fun. We soaked in the moment, laughing, and enjoying our time together. Spending time with Will before the ceremony gave me a deep peace and joy that lasted throughout the entire night.

From the Groom… When I saw Lindsay and how beautiful she was, I knew that nothing else mattered..all of the little details, all of the big details, seemed to fade in comparison, and suddenly seemed unimportant. I knew all was perfect.

Wedding Photography: Pam Cooley Photography / Wedding Cinematography: Black Olive Photographics / Floral Design: Garden Gate Floral / Event Design + Planning: The Bride / Location: Pettingill Historical Home / Wedding Invitations: The Bride + Groom / Bride’s Shoes: Pour la Victorie / Wedding Dress: Country Bride

Despite the fact that you see one outdoor wedding after another on SMP (and around the web, frankly), we are always, always, always on the search for really beautiful indoor, ballroom style weddings. I had a ballroom wedding myself so I know just how tricky they can be when it comes to design. The yucky carpets, the banquet chairs…you know what I’m talkin’ about. Well this ballroom wedding is anything but yucky. It’s flat out GORGEOUS and the bride did an incredible job infusing her day with a little bit of princess, a little bit of Marie Antoinette…and a LOT of style. Photographed by the powerhouse duo, Jeffrey and Julia Woods (who we love, big time), this is definitely a keeper. And if you are dying to see more, click right here!

click here to see the full wedding gallery!

With the help of my mom and our wedding coordinator Beth Maxwell, we were able to create the perfect elegant country club wedding with an outdoor feel. After falling in love with Manolo Blanhik’s “Something Blue” shoes, I knew everything about the wedding would have a touch of elegance and “blue”.

The day began early in the morning with my mom, bridesmaids, in blueberry Juicy Couture tracksuits, and myself, in a white Juicy Couture tracksuit, getting our hair and makeup done. Marissa Schmitt at Studio 110 in Chicago, Illinois and Makeup by Sabrina made my wedding “look” flawless and stunning.

Staying traditional, Nick and I decided the big reveal would be walking down the aisle. It was a moment I know we will both remember forever. My dad walked me down the aisle to the River City Quartet at Sacred Heart Church. As we left the church, man and wife, eleven doves were released as we made our way to a white Rolls Royce getaway car—with blue interior of course!

Our reception turned out absolutely beautiful. From the specially made sushi inspired from our favorite roll from Ko Fusion in Champaign, Illinois to the large outdoor tent, draped in white with crystal chandeliers hanging down the center to our amazing band and vocalist, Peter Oprisko, who kept the party going for hours. The guests were able to dance the night away, overlooking the picturesque Illinois River.

The inside of the Country Club of Peoria was draped in elegant rose-colored dupioni silk, with ruffled silk hanging at the corners. These beautiful linens were inspired from my wedding gown. The ivory chiffon ruffles hung beneath my Monique Lhuillier blue sash, similar to the ruffles from the table. To continue the theme of blue, the groom wore a blue and navy striped bowtie with his black Calvin Klein tuxedo to match the groomsmen. The bridesmaids wore beautiful navy chiffon gowns by Amsale. Barbara Evans at the Cake Connection dyed the Ron Ben-Israel inspired cake, which was trimmed in ancient architectural elements, a deeper shade of the blue in my sash.

As a special surprise to Nick, Beth helped me create “Lavin’s Pub,” a dedication to Notre Dame football and his Irish heritage. Here, wedding guests could enjoy pub food, such as sliders and potato skins. Cyd’s Sendsationals created the Notre Dame mascot in the form of a standing rice crispy treat and a red velvet cake (Nick’s favorite) adorned with the Lavin family crest.

Before leaving the reception the guests were able to collect strawberry shortcake in a jar, which were created by That’s a Cake? and inspired by Martha Stewart. After almost a full year of planning, our wedding day was exactly what we wanted it to be and more. Jeffrey and Julia Woods captured our memories of this day perfectly.”

Photography: Jeffrey and Julia Woods / Cinematography: Jeffrey and Julia Woods / Flowers, Event Design + Planning: Save the Date / Ceremony Location: Sacred Heart Church / Reception Location: Country Club of Peoria / Dress: Oscar de la Renta with Monique Lhuillier Sash / Bridesmaid Dress: Amsale / Cake: That’s a Cake? / Make-Up: Studio 101, Chicago

Good Morning 2010! Wow … it’s hard to believe we’re in a new decade. And while the technology of wedding documentation has grown by leaps and bounds, we find ourselves appreciating the older artistic styles of the past even more now than we did back then!  We’ve shown you several examples this week of the Super 8 style of cinematographry that has become popular with brides and grooms. Today, we’d like to show you a film produced by Andy Jackson of Portal Films and Jeffrey & Julia Woods Photography. It’s called their Black Label and combines the rich portraiture and journalistic photography of the Woods’ with classic vintage-styled filming from Andy Jackson.

A description of the Black Label product from Jeffrey Woods …

We feel that this new visual ~ our Black Label ~ creates greater documentation of your wedding day. It tells a different story that you just can’t get from still images alone. It allows you to see what goes on behind the scenes of those images and enhances those relationships that mean everything to you as a bride and groom. This combination of still images and Super 8 filming provides a holistic documentation merging the two mediums together to produce something vintage and chic. It goes beyond the ordinary.

This film is about 6 minutes. Please press play and then pause and allow the film to load in the background. Then press play again for a much smoother playback. While the film is loading, take a peek back in time to the original feature on Ashley & Andrew’s wedding. Their classic, elegant wedding in Peoria was the essence of beauty.

You WILL enjoy this Black Label style ~ it’s the best of both worlds!

Stunning, right?

Oh … and Happy New Year to all of you!!!!

We switched things around a bit today and started with Rachel and Nathan’s fantastically fun wedding celebration at the Peoria Country Club. But now, it’s time to get take a few steps back to earlier in the day … because seriously … their ceremony and portraits are unbelievably gorgeous!

And we have to start by thanking their awesome photographers, Jeffrey and Julia Woods for sharing these photos with us. Their artistic flair is pure and simple genius!

Isn’t Rachel just the epitome of the radiant bride???

Here’s a bit of their story ~ from Rachel …

We have both known each other since childhood … we grew apart and decided to meet up again 6 years ago. We immediately hit it off and dated for 5 years until Nathan proposed on September 13, 2008, which happened to be the wettest day in Chicago’s history! It seems that the rain followed us throughout our entire engagement — a snow storm hit the night of our engagement party and a storm came through during my (outdoor) wedding shower. But on August 22, 2009 when we married, the weather was absolutely perfect. Not a cloud in the sky.

Congratulations Rachel and Nathan from all of us here at Style Me Pretty!

And as always, a huge thank you to the tremendously talented Jeffrey & Julia Woods!!

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To see all 90+ images from Nathan & Rachel’s wedding, simply click on any one of the photos and you’ll be linked to the SMP gallery! (or ~ click right here!)

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Event planner: Save the Date~Peoria,  Floral Design: Moniers Flowers,  Lighting: Scott Fort Lighting Sound & Creations, Cake: Cyd’s Sensationals

Rachel and Nathan’s first date was at their local fair, so when it came time to plan their wedding, they decided to transform the bar at the Country Club of Peoria into a carnival! There was a cotton candy machine, stuffed animals, fish tanks and more! Such a fun theme and their guests had a ball! Elegance re-defined.

from the beautiful bride …

The reception was very elegant and classy — the walls and ceilings were draped in an ivory with a soft pink up-light. The tables were all square and in different sizes with candelabras draped in orchids. Candles were found everywhere for a very romantic and intimate environment. The Stanley Paul Orchestra out of Chicago got us all dancing and the party didn’t end until 3 am. We had been waiting for this day for 6 years and it was absolutely everything we had imagined and more….

You kind of have to see ALL the images to believe how totally spectacular this party was~

You can see more of the celebration in all its splendor (seriously!) and some pretty incredible photography from Jeff and Julia Woods over on their blog!

Next up … Nathan & Rachel’s wedding ceremony and portraits!

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And … for those of you who also love the Super 8mm-styled films that are being made by wedding cinematographers, you need to check out Jeff & Julia’s newest venture ~ their Black Label. They’ve collaborated with another great visual artist, Andy Jackson of Portal Films and merged their art into one stunning film product. You can read about it and see one of their ‘reels’ right here: Black Label.

Talk about teasers! This has to be the teaser of all wedding teaser photos!

Candy buffets, step aside. The child in me would kill to have cotton candy at a very posh, ever-so-elegant wedding! Imagine it … sipping champagne while oh-so-delicately pinching the most delicious bites of pure silken spun sugar from the freshly made confection! Mmmm… I’d totally do it! And enjoy every moment of the splurge!

If your curiosity is just too much … you can see Rachel & Nathan’s absolutely stunning wedding on Jeff & Julia Woods’ blog.  OR, you can wait a bit for us … and we will definitely share the whole shebang with you on Thursday, so do come back!!!

Today’s featured Little Black Book members are Jeffery and Julia Woods. The wedding photos of Kathleen and Tyson are simply magnificent!

If you’re just joining us, here’s part I, part II and part III. Sooooo many beautiful images!

Kathleen has joined us to tell us a little bit more about her February wedding celebration at the Peoria Country Club …

My Mom and I were so intimately involved in every detail which made it even more special when we were able to see the finished product of the weekend’s events. We had amazing help from very talented people and it was truly the staff and those behind the scenes that made it so extraordinary. My sisters and step-mom were also huge when it came to unique elements to integrate into the day.

We did a stand up cocktail buffet which began at 7:00. Food stations and themes were scattered around in about 3 different rooms with various musical pieces in each room. Everyone moved downstairs at 8:45 for the toasts and dancing. The band was so tremendously phenomenal (The Larry Eckerling Orchestra) and the floor was literally packed nonstop until 1:30 am. After the toasts they passed around grasshoppers in shot glasses as well as chocolate milkshakes. The ice bar was a huge hit with guests and added an element of uniqueness. Around 11:30 they opened a mac’ n cheese bar for a late snack which consisted of several different cheeses and a variety of toppings. It was a truly memorable and special night which is what I hope every bride experiences!

Kathleen and Tyson’s talented team of wedding vendors include: The Wedding Cake Connection, Save The Date-Peoria, Ultimate Bride, Bronze Frog (Invitations), Five Senses Spa, Enchanted Florist, Sound & Light Creations

Kathleen’s gorgeous gown was designed by Kenneth Pool. Bridesmaids wore Badgley Mischka.

A HUGE thanks to Jeffrey and Julia Woods for sharing this totally exquisite wedding with us today. You guys are simply awesome! We’re looking forward to having you as guest bloggers when you get back from Brazil! Safe travels!!

And to Kathleen and Tyson … our very heartfelt Congratulations from all of us at Style Me Pretty! Thanks for sharing your joy!

Kathleen and Tyson’s wedding images, sent to us by two of our favorite Little Black Book photographers,  Jeffrey and Julia Woods, elicit such a sense of tranquility deep inside … it’s obvious from beginning to end that the Woods have an innate instinct for capturing not just the obvious beauty surrounding a wedding, but the most subtle nuances that completely define the essence of the day as well.

From the lovely bride, Kathleen …

Tyson and I met at a mutual friend’s birthday party in Chicago. I went to the University of Wisconsin- Madison and Tyson went to the University of Illinois as did a lot of my high school friends, so we know a lot of the same people. The bizarre part was that one of our friends, Brittney, introduced Tyson to me as my “future husband” and then introduced me to Tyson as his “future wife”. It was awkward but funny and obviously, we had no idea that would actually happen!

Red was the chosen color for our wedding. We chose February because that is the month we met and we didn’t want a super lengthy engagement. We really wanted a completely romantic feel so we went with red and black. The red theme was carried throughout the 9 month engagement which was really fun. The engagement party had a red Asian theme and the showers and rehearsal dinner also went with the red idea. I thought it was fun to wear red in some way for all of the events too. There was no shortage of red…flowers, purses, bridesmaid dresses (in which all of the girls were stunning), red lighting, red drinks, red cake, red draping, red candles…even the Country Club staff wore red tuxedo shirts. It was just a blast to have fun with the color!

More of the story to come!

In the meantime, we really wish you would look back at another of Jeff and Julia Woods’ weddings featured on The Little Black Book Blog …

Ashley and Andrew also celebrated their wedding at The Peoria Country Club. This wedding feature was one of our more popular weddings on the LBBB. {Click Here} to see Ashley & Andrew’s wedding.

Kathleen and Tyson were married in February at St. Mary’s Cathedral with their reception at the Peoria Country Club. Jeff and Julia Woods have shared some of the incredible images from the day with us.

We want to rave about the photography … and rave about Kathleen’s dress … but we’re not sure where to start! Both are exquisite!

Back in a bit with more from Jeffrey & Julia Woods Photography…

Jeffrey and Julia Woods have shared Kathleen and Tyson’s elegant wedding with us today. This real wedding is a perfect example of how tangible love and emotion can be when caught in that perfect split second by the right photographers!

The photos of Kathleen {above} rank way up there on our list of all-time favorites.

And her beloved, Tyson? Well … he’s so obviously, totally smitten …  just too perfect!

This is just the beginning of the loveliest wedding. Lots more on the way!

Sometimes, words fail. That is when the memories take over.

A classically beautiful wedding from Jeffrey and Julia Woods …

Jeffrey and Julia Woods are to weddings … what love is to marriage. A team. A fusion of style, emotion and tradition … with hearts full of passion.

After looking and looking and looking at the images from this wedding, I honestly felt as if I knew Ashley and Andrew’s family. I felt as if I had seen every kiss, felt every hug and shed every tear of the day! I am a total sucker when it comes to grooms’ expressions. Usually it’s when the bride is walking toward him. I am a die-hard advocate of getting that one essential shot. This time, though, it was the photo of Ashley’s Dad & Andrew’s handshake. I can almost hear the impassioned  “I promise … I will ……”

Ashley and Andrew exchanged vows on the 5th of July at the Cathedral of St. Mary of Immaculate Conception in Peoria, Illinois.  A wedding day filled with love and laughter with a tiny bit of nervousness … as all wedding days should be. An elegant dinner reception followed at the Peoria Country Club.

The exquisite cake was provided by Barb Evans, an independent cake creator and owner of the Wedding Cake Connection.

from Ashley’s mom … “Their cake was based on a Martha Stewart design. We made some changes to the original decorating design to reflect Ashley and Andrew’s personality. Ashley’s 5 layer ivory fondant cake was customized by adding their monogram, a lace pattern that worked back to the French lace in her gown, a heart pattern reminiscent of her grandmother’s sentiment “you’re a part of my heart”, and a design that replaced small flowers with tiny grape clusters to represent Ashley and Andrew’s appreciation for fine wine. This was a beautifully serious cake with a sprinkle of personality and humor. The cake was staged on a grand piano covered in an ivory lamour table linen topped with a pearl embellished gold lace table runner. Professional lighting was used to highlight the cake’s display.”

Again, from the bride’s mother …  Lieutenant Andrew Crawford is an Air Force F-16 fighter pilot. He injected his spirited personality and Air Force background in the form of the traditional fighter pilot tuxedo shirt. It is customary for some fighter pilots to remove the back and the sleeves of their tuxedo shirts and replace that fabric with a wild and crazy print. When the dress jacket is on,  what is seen is a white collar, shirt front, and cuffs. Once the jacket is removed, the sleeves and back POP with color and the party begins! Andrew selected a material reminiscent of the combination of a vintage aloha shirt print and a 1940’s pin up girl pattern. Betty Grable meets Waikiki! It was playful, colorful, and the perfect expression of Andrew’s  personality.

Ashley’s wedding color palette was based upon the rich raspberry hue of the bridesmaids’ gowns. (Just a quick sidenote – I had no idea there was a “p” in raspberry!)

Do you see what I mean about Jeff and Julia’s photography? I feel like I was there!

Just as important to me (as a mom) is the groom’s expression when his bride walks toward him down the aisle … so is that shot of daddy’s little princess as they dance their dance.

I’m quite sure that the groom’s mom feels the same way about her dance with her charming little prince!

The Country Club of Peoria was transformed into a posh party venue, thanks to Beth Maxwell of  Save The Date and event coordination by Cloud Nine Weddings of Chicago.

And what classically beautiful wedding would be complete without the ever-scrumptious Godiva chocolates!

Our heartfelt congratulations to Ashley and Andy! Thank you for sharing your wedding day with us at Style Me Pretty.

{to see the full gallery, click here!}

Jeff and Julia … what a spell-binding story you capture … not only in the events and emotions of the day, but in the very essence of those you photograph!