Crystal Palace Banquets Mt. Prospect, IL | Saint Odisho Church in Chicago wedding photos | Lilian & Steve
I was so incredibly honored to photograph this wedding. Lilian has a twin and an older sister and I’ve photographed their weddings as well. Another cool thing is, that all the bridesmaids for this weddings were the same ladies from Laura’s wedding!! What an amazing day, thank you for allowing me to be part of it.
Flowers: Garvin Gardens
Dress Purchased From: Chicago Glamour Closet | Dress Designer: Blue by Enzoani, Glenwood
Makeup:Mel Larson | Hairstylist: Emily Lauf @HairByEmilyLauf
Photo by Carol
Photo by Carol
Photo by Carol
Photo by Carol
Photos at the gorgeous Loyola Campus
The way they laugh together is the sweetest thing to witness.
Flowers: Garvin Gardens
Photo by Derrick
Reception & Caterer:Crystal Palace Banquets | Cake: The Baking Institute
Photo by Derrick
Photo Booth: Laugh Booth
From the Bride..
‘Church: Saint Odisho Church is my family church where I was baptized. I am the only of my siblings to marry at our church which was really exciting for my parents. The ceremony was in English & Assyrian providing our friends and the grooms family with a new cultural experience.
Reception & Caterer: Crystal Palace Banquets My favorite part of what Crystal Palace had to offer was the delicious and generous portions of food! Anita, the event planner and venue manager is very organized and accommodating. She was very knowledgeable and made the process very easy.
Flowers: Garvin Gardens Peggy is so personable and accommodating. She came to my parents house (and other locations) to make sure that the bridal party and family members had their flowers. Her big heart and passion for her craft were obvious in her elegant and beautiful creations. My favorite part of my experience with Peggy was that she felt like a family member at the end of the experience!
Emergency Alterations: Julia Needlman, after using a friend of a friend of a friend alteration service, my dress and bustle were ruined, I contacted Julia Needlman and she was able to accommodate me just a few days before my wedding. The train and bustle were fixed and she was reasonable with her prices.
Photo Booth: Laugh Booth, was amazing in their prompt communication. The package included a photo album and a usb drive with all the photos that were taken during the evening.
Favorite Wedding Related Purchase
I surprised my husband with a watch. Minutes before the ceremony was to start, Steve’s niece and nephew presented Steve with the watch by saying, “Lilian will love you until the end of time.” I was really excited to be able to surprise him and was eagerly waiting to hear about his reaction.
Our favorite wedding memory was when we high-fived at the end of the wedding ceremony because we weren’t allowed to kiss in my church. Seconds later, Steve stole a kiss causing an uproar with my family members as they shouted in Assyrian in a jovial way.
Funny Moments
I created a way to self-regulate and deescalate during stressful situations with the code word, “Bunny!” I picked bunny because of the disaster dress alterations made my dress look like I had a bunny ears as butt when bustled. I shared the word with my bridal party so that whenever we were feeling stressed we would say Bunny instead of being reactive and would laugh.
When we took pictures at Loyola, there were so many bunnies which made the code word a nice reminder of the important and special moments of the day.
Something I would have done differently
With 300 guests, we should have eaten before reception so that we could have spent time greeting guests during dinner that way we could have had more time to dance and celebrate with guests.
Advice for couples
The day goes by so fast. Manage your time to say hello to guests and to take pictures with them too!’
