Kathy and Shane, Villa Olivia Bartlett, IL Wedding [Schaumburg City Hall, Cadillac Ranch Bartlett]-

I met Kathy though one of my former Brides whose wedding I shot my first year in bushiness! I didn’t actually meet Shane till the first look, but he’s such a sweet easygoing guy it was smooth sailing all day despite the chilly weather.

Everyone got ready at the Hyatt Place Hoffman Estates.

Kathy you’re beautiful.

Fist look, so happy 🙂

These ladies were smart! Heels don’t really hold up on wet grass.

Our first photo stop was Schaumburg City Hall.

Cute!

Love her laugh!

Handsome groom, got his tux from the Men’s Wearhouse.

I love a Bride with a fun personality!

So sweet.

Next stop for photos Cadillac Ranch Bartlett.

This bar reminded me of an old time tavern.

Yeah, we had the place to ourselves…my couples are awesome like that.

Both the ceremony and the reception took place at Villa Olivia Bartlett, IL

Their grounds are beautiful! Love the next four photos, a lot!

Ceremony time.

First dances.

This boy tore up the dance floor.

From Kathy…

‘- David’s Bridal for dress & shoes (I did not spend a lot of money on my dress and was extremely happy with it. The dress was not one of the items I put on high cost list).

– Men’s Warehouse for Tux’s (It worked out perfect because the Groomsmen got fitted in FL but picked them up in IL where the wedding was)

Hyatt Place Hoffman Estates, Schaumburg City Hall, Cadillac Ranch Bartlett, Villa Olivia, Fall fun bridal party photos, bride purple flowers shoes (38)

– Villa Olivia was an all inclusive (ceremony, reception, dinner, drinks & cake) which made it convenient and affordable. It was terrific. The only thing that I did not like was the lighting in the room once the dancing started, it’s a little dark.

Flowers were another thing I did not have marked as a high ticket item as it was not that big of a deal for me. My flowers were not real, I purchased all the supplies at Michaels (using those 40% off coupons and waiting until they were on sale for 50% off). My Matron of Honor’s sister in law put them together and they looked amazing. I was so happy!

You of course were the photographer and so far we are very pleased, I did set aside a higher budget for the pics because everything goes so fast that is a way to keep our memories.

I made my centerpieces and loved it! It was very inexpensive and I got to spend time with Shane & my friends being creative. It really was an amazing day. But my favorite part was the first dance with husband and the first dance with my Dad. Those two men are the most special part of my life and it was surreal.

The day and night goes so quickly I wish I would have took 10 minutes alone with my husband and I would have tried to get to more tables to chat with people if possible.

Advice for Brides-to-be… Try to slow down and take it all in. Do not stress because things will go wrong but remember it’s not about the wedding day but about the man you chose to spend your life with. Try to keep the guest list as small as you can, the more people the quicker it goes. Make sure you enjoy your day (mine was amazing), remember your guests are there because they love you and the day is about you and your husband. Make you sure you include your husband to be in the process of planning and decision making and do not second guess yourselves, your gut is rarely wrong.’

One of my favorite photos, ^ this one…so ‘cheeky’ I love it 🙂

Please leave a comment below or on Facebook, thank you.

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