Romantic Terrace Wedding in Scenic Grafton, IL

Q1: Tell us about your wedding!

“The most important dream we had for our  wedding day was for there to be deep  joy and celebration in every aspect. Our color palette came from the bridesmaids dresses.

“Marcus and I are both Christians, so the ceremony, performed by our pastor, included a sermon and  Marcus and I taking The Lords Supper.

“I wanted my bridesmaids to feel comfortable in the July heat and look beautiful at the same time. This lead to a unique floral print dress found at David’s Bridal.”

Q2: Let’s talk wedding decor

“The decorations for the ceremony and reception were very simple. The venue overlooked the Mississippi River and was surrounded by lush green foliage. We used ivory table cloths and napkins, accented by gold chargers under each plate.”

Q3: What were the florals like in your wedding?

“The floral arrangements were created by Katie Hackmann of Rouge Events and Design. We didn’t want to distract from the beautiful foliage that naturally surrounded the ceremony and reception site, so we simply added florals.

“The tables were decorated with one of three centerpiece arrangements and the large floral arrangements hung on the arbor were also used at the head table.

“The bouquets and boutonnières were made of mostly white flowers along with blush flowers, anenome’s which subtly tied in the blue from the wedding party, and hints of greenery.”

Q4: Did you personalize the day in any way?

“We personalized our wedding in a few different ways. The first is through music. Music is very important to both of us, so to incorporate it into the ceremony made it even more meaningful. There was a specific song I wanted to walk down the aisle to as well as a song that Marcus and I both wanted to walk down the aisle to after we said “I do”.

“Another personalization we added came from our value of having fun and not taking ourselves too seriously. We included a little competition into our reception in a game called Cupcake Smash. This was actually suggested to us by our DJ, Shawn Titchenal of Millennium Productions, and we thought it sounded like so much fun.

“Marcus and I both had a jar, that people put cash in throughout the night. Whoever had more money in their jar by the end of the night got a cupcake to the face. Marcus lost, but I have such bad aim that I barely hit his face anyway.”

Q5: Let’s talk fashion

“I found my wedding dress at Frew’s Bridal in Alton Illinois. Going into the appointment I thought I would choose a sweet, flowy, A-line dress. At the insightful recommendation of my consultant, I  tried on a mermaid style dress that took my breath away. It was not the dress I thought I would like, but when I saw myself in it, I knew it was the one.

“I picked the bridesmaids dresses for them. Two of my bridesmaids lived out of state so I decided to go the David’s Bridal route rather than shop at a boutique. I also knew that being in a wedding was expensive and bridesmaids dresses are not usually worn more than once.

“My goal was to pick a dress that would flatter all shapes, be comfortable in an outdoor ceremony, and have potential to be worn more than once. I found their dresses shopping on a whim with one of my bridesmaids. After seeing her in  it and how confident she felt, I knew I found the one. The dresses were a quartz and navy floral print with a high-low hem and comfortable straps that could be worn with any bra. It checked all the boxes.

“Marcus knew from the beginning of the wedding planning process that he wanted to wear a blue suit. The men ordered their tuxes from Mens Wearhouse in order to match the bridesmaids as closely as possible. They wore blue suits with a quartz colored tie.

Q6: How did you meet?

“Marcus and I met in college. He was in his Junior year and I was in my last semester of Senior year. Marcus and I had met previously and had many friends in common so we saw each other often.

“One day it all clicked and we started to develop feelings for one another. From there, our relationship moved quickly. We started dating in October and were engaged three short months after that.

“Marcus enlisted the help of a friend and my sister to pull off an elaborate scavenger hunt around the town we met, dated, and both lived in. Each clue took me to a different spot that held dear memories from our relationship so far.”

Q7: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

“The most anticipated moment was the first look. Many people had told me that once you see each other for the first time on your wedding day, all the stress melts away. I found that to be true. Our wedding day was was not stressful, everything went smoothy, but I still had moments of nervousness and speedy heart beats. Once we saw each other, my heart calmed and I could fully enjoy the day.”

Q8: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day?

“Wedding planning is hard, so my advice is to not do it alone. I cannot take full credit for planning my wedding. My mom did most of the leg work in planning, making sure we got things done on time, and reaching out to vendors.

“I am the youngest of three girls so she already had a bit of experience. There’s no possible way I could have planned the wedding on my own.

“Even if you hire a wedding planner you will still need someone to help you through the difficulties of being engaged. For me that was my sister and matron of honor. Find your people, let them help you, you can’t do it all alone.”