Illinois technically has 4 seasons but if you ask someone from there they will most likely say it has two: extremely hot and extremely cold. Fortunately our bride (Tiffany) and groom (Doug) from this past weekends wedding, could not have been luckier. Not only was the weather the PERFECT fall weather that one would wish for, for an end of September wedding but it also did not rain. Why was this a concern you may ask? Earlier in the week the weather forecast had called for a 40% chance of rain. This is not ideal when your entire wedding ceremony and reception are outdoors. And, if the week prior to their wedding was any indication of how their special day was going to go,. . .well we may ask if someone had broken a mirror? The week prior to their wedding their truck broke down which was hauling their camper full of their belongings and wedding day essentials, their front porch broke, and Tiffany was losing her voice. However, as the day progressed we saw how all of those stresses began to fade away as their special day went flawlessly.
We began the morning as any typically wedding morning . . . at the salon. Rural Illinois is full of small towns. This means that often times we shoot in the same location, time and time again. And, while there is nothing wrong with that, it just means we are even more excited to shoot somewhere new. The salon Tiffany had chosen for her beautiful bridal up-do was Hair Experts located in the Lincoln Land Building in Effingham. We were surprised to walk in and find such a large salon, complete with beautiful decor and a boutique. The salon had large windows allowing lots of natural light to shine through, which of course makes for beautiful photos.
Drive time between salons, homes, photo locations, ceremony and reception sites can take up a large portion of your wedding day. Again, we were fortunate that our next stop, Doug & Tiffany's home, was not to far away. Within 5 minutes we arrived to start makeup and sneak in some lunch. As a bride & groom it can be hard to find time to sneak in snack or meal throughout the day which is why this was a perfect time for sandwiches and mimosas. Throughout the day we could see how much love and support there was in Doug & Tiffany's lives. They had so many special people able to help make their special day that much more beautiful. Kerri, Tiffany's sister-in-law, joined us at the house to create a flawless and gorgeous bridal makeup look for Tiffany. From there Tiffany's mother and sisters helped her get into her dress and jewelry. It was at this point in the day we had learned that Doug & Tiffany had been engaged for 7 years. She went on to tell us how she had purchased her dress 7 years ago and not only managed to make sure Doug did not sneak a peak in those 7 years but also still fit in it perfectly! I am not sure I know to many people who could fit into their wedding attire 2 years later let alone 7. You go Tiffany! Oh and we of course had to let Kami, their little girl, try on the dress first!
Once we had Tiffany in her bridal ensemble we traveled to the Pearson Building at Lake Sara in Effingham. We had plenty of beautiful backdrops for photos and a sky full of clouds. We found a beautiful large tree for a "first moment" with our bride and groom prior to the ceremony. A "first moment" is different from a "first look" in the fact that the couple does not see each other prior to the ceremony but still has a chance to have a private and intimate moment to exchange their thoughts and feelings about the day, whether that be verbally or in the form of a letter or gift. Tiffany & Doug chose to exchange letters which had them both smiling and laughing. Tiffany then broke the rules a little and allowed herself to have a sneak peak at Doug even though he was still not allowed to see her until the ceremony.
Soon after it was time for the ceremony, With everyone seated facing beautiful Lake Sara Tiffany walked down the aisle with her father towards Doug. The moment he saw her his eyes lit up and he was wearing a huge smile. I am not sure I saw that smile go away the rest of the night either. John, Tiffany's father, proceeded to give her away while moving back and forth from the officiating spot as he was also officiating their wedding. John also changed up the typical ceremony by allowing people in attendance to come up and share stories of the couple. We had never seen this before and it made for such a personalized ceremony. Instead of a sand ceremony or unity candle Tiffany & Doug had their two children, Noah & Kami, join them in painting the number 4 on a canvas. After not only 1 first kiss but about 3 or 4 our happy couple walked down the aisle.
At this time we headed into a shaded area for family and bridal party photos. Again we saw the enormous amount of love and support Tiffany & Doug were blessed with! Even the kiddos toughed it out through all the photos. Since we had such a beautiful location we were able to capture all of the family and bridal party photos at the Pearson Building location. This helped minimize the amount of drive time as well as the amount of places we would have to move a lot of people. We did manage to sneak away to the Firefly Grill for a couple photos of our bride and groom. The Firefly has the most beautiful weeping willow tree we have ever seen and makes for the perfect photo location. The lighting is absolutely beautiful there and they are always so accommodating of our brides and grooms. They have so many different backdrops to make for stunning wedding day photos. We really cannot say enough good things about the Firefly Grill.
After finishing up our bridal photos we traveled another 5 minutes back to the Pearson Building to get ready for the reception. Our bridal party was introduced with some fun dance moves and our couple made a grand entrance with a beautiful dip kiss. From there they cut their cake, which let's be honest, was a pretty awesome wedding cake design. Dinner began after a blessing from Doug's grandfather. Martin's IGA catered the meal and we heard several people ecstatic about the cheesy mash potatoes. After a delicious meal we snuck off for a few more photos on the pier.
Earlier that day we learned that Doug had been in the military. During the toasts his friend from his time in the military shared some pretty funny stories about Doug. It was great getting to see him catch up with his friend who had traveled a ways to be there. Tiffany's twin sister also shared some heartfelt stories and even conceded to allow Tiffany to not only be the pretty twin that day but also the smart twin.
Once the sun had gone down the couple began their first dance underneath twinkling lights strung up in the trees above. They had managed to fool everyone for weeks, sneaking off to take dance lessons. Towards the end of their dance their two kiddos, Noah and Kami, joined them on the dance floor. Their dance was followed up with a dance shared between the bride and her father and our groom shared a dance with Noah and Kami. After some fun with the shoe game, a game in which the couple is asked a series of questions in which they have to answer with their shoes, and a bouquet and garter toss. The couple asked all married couples to join them on the dance floor for the anniversary dance. The last couple standing was Tiffany's parents who bestowed upon them some marital advice.
We spent the rest of the evening capturing a lot of fun on the dance floor (thanks to Fully N Volved Mobile DJ Service) and speaking with some of Doug & Tiffany's loved ones. After a fun bridal party shot photo we snuck away from the party with Tiffany & Doug to take a couple photos under the stars. Although it was a little cloudy we still managed to capture some beautiful stars.
Even though their week leading up to their wedding was not ideal we are sure their wedding day could not have gone more perfectly. Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Case!! We loved celebrating and capturing your special day with you can cannot wait to show you more photos!
