Gina & John's Wedding | The Highland Loft | Elgin, IL
Wedding blog Wednesday!!! Gina & John booked me at the last minute. They felt uncomfortable about the photographer they had booked, and had yet to meet – 3 weeks before their wedding! We jumped on a quick video chat, and I think even after just 15 minutes, they looked relieved. I came with a plan, a list, ideas, and they had their own too. The thing that meant the most to them were two things – they had friends and family coming from all over who had not seen each other in 20+ years, and they were having 60 honorary bridesmaids. Yes. SIXTY.
"We don't care a lot about detail shots of rings, the dress, etc. We want to capture the happiness of everyone seeing each other again, and the fun we intend to have at our reception." OK, that it something I can definitely do, so there's our plan! I felt a bit concerned about it, as it's completely out of the norm for me to NOT capture extensive details or formals, but I rolled with the punches.
The day of the wedding, I came to realize they were truly building their own Brady Bunch. He has 2 girls, 1 boy, and she has 2 boys, 1 girl. It's amazing to me how well their family was coming together, and how happy they all were together. All 6 of their kids were bridesmaids and groomsmen, which made this extra special.
After a few quick "I do's" they were ready to bring on the 60 bridesmaids. Although they did not stand up in the wedding, they were each given a sash to show just how special each of them were to the couple, then we gathered them all for one giant picture (pretty sure my biggest group of people to date!)
Next came the reception and this was probably the most excited I have ever seen any couple. Gina and John both laughed the entire time from their entrances to speeches, through to the dancing – including a stint of rapping a song together out on the dance floor.
Congratulations, Gina & John.... we were introduced at the last minute to help you salvage your day, and we are so glad we could help you. Your wedding wasn't our typical wedding day routine, and that's ok – we had a ball seeing how happy you all were and that we were able to document it exactly the way you envisioned!
Venue: The Highland Loft | Elgin, IL
Hair: Hair By Talia Stazia
Makeup: Indre Makeup Studio
Bridal Attire: Bridal Boys, David's Bridal, Men's Wearhouse
Flowers: Dagny Lane Floral
Catering & Event Coordination: Your Day Your Way
Photography: Parker Photography IL
