K-Town

It's been about 9 months since I did a wedding in Kenosha. Yesterday was the day of one of my former bride's (Hi Kelly!) friends. I love referrals because I loved working with Kelly last year. She was easily one of my favorite brides. So when her friend Monica asked me if I would be able to DOC her wedding day this year, it was a no brainer. Any friend of Kelly's is going to be nice and sweet as well, I just knew it. I was so right. Monica is one of those girls that you meet and just want to be friends with right away. Her smile is so sincere it's almost sick. She has this attitude that I can't even put into words. She's cheerful, real, classy, and immediately knew the real purpose of the day of her wedding. She was never caught up in the hoopla of it all.

Monica & Andrew were married in the same small Catholic church in Kansasville that Kelly & Pete were wed in the previous Fall. The church is just quaint and exactly out of a storybook when a country church is described. I really do love it. As I ventured downstairs to see my bride for the first time, it was all I could do not to cry right there. There are just some brides that I get this feeling with. I think it's the ones that I know are 100% in this whole wedding thing for the right reason. So, I promised her I wouldn't cry but she looked spectacular. Her dress was perfect for her and just gorgeous. The girls were all pretty in pink. And then her dad came down to see her for the first time. Oh boy. There was not a dry eye in the place. The first time a dad sees his little girl in white is always a moment to cherish, but this one....well, this one had even more meaning. Just a few weeks ago Monica's dad had a heart attack. One that very well could have killed him, but something pulled him through and he was there for his little girl's special day. I can't wait to see the pictures captured of this moment. Dad broke down and hugged Monica like I've never seen a father hug his daughter. I'm getting all emotional just thinking about it again. Oh, and then to lighten the mood a little, Dad cut his finger somehow and we had to bandage him up just minutes before walking down the aisle.

With personal reflections shared between Monica & Andrew, it made the ceremony even more special.

Oh, and did I mention Kelly is now a new Mom?!?!? And I got to see her and her 4-day old baby who she bravely brought to the ceremony. No way was she missing her friend getting married. I thought that was incredibly sweet.

The reception was held at the Italian American Club in Kenosha. It's a very unique venue and lots of great history behind the building. I'll admit....they probably need to tear down the wallpaper and the plastic vertical blinds and perhaps restore those items to it's natural more historic state, but overall it's a great place.

There was a bit of a snafu with table numbers (A groom and his guys shouldn't be allowed to place table numbers the morning of the wedding! ha, ha) and the seating chart, but it was rectified pretty quickly. The cake was almost 5 feet tall and made by a friend's step-mother. It was definitely a WOW moment! So many personal touches went into this reception. The DJ was a friend of the family, and from what I could tell, was doing a very nice job. The couple is leaving on Monday for Paris for their honeymoon (a HUGE surprise for the bride!) so the groom's cake was a stack of suitcases that we surrounded with Paris cards and a small statue of the Eiffel Tower. They also used a very cute suitcase for their card box. Innovative, meaningful and cost effective!

I know this couple had a great time last night. They were already dancing up a storm just being introduced into the reception! It was so much fun to work with Monica. It was quite an honor yesterday to have so many people coming up to me asking me if I was the Wedding Planner and when I would say "yes" they would say how much they have heard about me, how Monica would talk about me, and I even received a few hugs! That's when you head home, tired feet and all, and know that those are the reasons you keep doing weddings weekend after weekend.