Modern Glam Summer Wedding at Industrial Venue

Taylor and Tyler are one of those special couples that booked me for month-of coordination about 18 months before their wedding. When it comes to day-of coordination, my experience has been that either couples know well in advance of their big day that they want someone else to coordinate, or couples realize closer to their wedding date that they really don’t want the stress of dealing with the day-of details. I always tell couples that the sooner they book, the longer we get to be friends. I was especially thankful to be there for Taylor and Tyler as we navigated the craziness of COVID in the months leading up to their wedding.

I’m SO glad they were able to move forward with their plans at Venue Chisca in Peoria, IL. And I’m not kidding when I say their wedding was filled with so much JOY! You could just feel the love and excitement from Taylor and Tyler, as well as their family and friends. Their wedding design was accentuated with soft, romantic shades of blue and lush florals in a neutral color palette. Venue Chisca and Heaven on Earth did an amazing job bringing this glamorous, modern wedding to life at their industrial venue. I am OBSESSED with how Heather McCormick Photography captured the details of the day; all of her photos are so gorgeous, it was hard for me to narrow it down for this post!

GETTING READY

Taylor and her girls took advantage of the bridal suite at Venue Chisca, where they got their hair and make-up done, relaxed, and celebrated the big day! Taylor was such a joy to work with. She was so laid-back throughout the day, and I feel like she truly just enjoyed each moment (which makes my wedding coordinator heart so happy!). I also loved watching the little girls bouncing around with excitement throughout the morning. Taylor’s bridesmaids put on their chiffon dresses in the dreamiest shade of blue, and Taylor’s dress fit her like a DREAM. I loved the deep, sweetheart illusion neckline, lace off the shoulder sleeves and cutouts, and of course the sparkly details. (Can we talk about her shoes?? A girl after my own heart.) To be honest, I usually overlook some of the more specific details about the guys’ looks, but I have to mention Tyler’s sweet floral tie. The guys’ even had matching blue floral socks! Too cute.

FIRST LOOK

You might know this about me now, but I am a complete sucker for first looks with family, in this case Dad. He was so excited to see her and he was just beaming afterwards; pretty sure I recall some tears and him telling Tyler “good luck” before his first look lol. When it was time for Taylor and Tyler’s first look, I loved their sweet reactions. Even their bridal party couldn’t contain their excitement, and they ran outside to watch and cheer them on. Fun fact: I didn’t know this at the time, but I later learned that apparently Tyler brought snacks to the first look, you know, just in case. LOL

CEREMONY AND PHOTOS

Taylor and Tyler had a perfect, sunny (hot) wedding day, and it looked like they had so much fun with their bridal party taking photos before the ceremony. Champagne pics are included because I had to do some serious running in heels to make two trips back for the champagne bottles and cups before the bus took off. So worth it! I always love when couples have plenty of time to take photos and enjoy some quality time together before the ceremony. I couldn’t hear all of their vows, but based on their guests’ reactions, I think they were pretty dang good. After their I do’s, it was time to celebrate!

DETAILS

One of the great things about Venue Chisca/Heaven on Earth is that they typically have all of the tables, centerpieces, and florals set up the day before the wedding. So when couples arrive to the venue for their rehearsal, they can see exactly how their wedding day will look. As a coordinator, I usually handle setting up things like the gift/sign-in tables, dessert table, table numbers, picture frames, and other miscellaneous decor. For Taylor and Tyler’s wedding, I also set up COVID precautions including face masks, hand sanitizer, and wrist bands that guests could wear to show their level of comfort in interacting with other guests.

I also set up their ‘In Loving Memory’ table; I’m always very careful to set up these precious memories. I may not always know the relationships to the people in the photos, but I know they’re important people in their lives. This wedding was the first where one of the guests stopped and asked if I set up the table; she told me how nice it looked and that her brother was one of the people in the photos. It’s moments like those when I remember the importance of my job, even in the smaller details.

RECEPTION

Taylor, Tyler, and their bridal party all had super fun entrances into the reception. Taylor and Tyler danced their way in and did some adorable little secret hand/foot shake. I loved their first dance to ‘Crazy Girl’ and how Taylor jumped up and down at the part that says “the smartest thing I ever did, was make you all mine”. Later, one of Taylor’s bridesmaids rapped her speech, and then Taylor and Tyler had the sweetest family dances. The party didn’t stop the rest of the night - such a fun group!!

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Thank you again, Taylor and Tyler, for allowing me to be a part of your special day. I’m so grateful to have gotten to know you both, wish we lived closer for double dates! <3

Here’s what Taylor wrote in their sweet review:
Are you going back and forth deciding if you should hire a wedding coordinator or not? Well, let me tell you... Sara is worth every penny and more! I booked Sara over a year before our wedding was supposed to happen without ever meeting in person, only over the phone. With that being said, a lot of unexpected things came into play over that year in a half leading up to our wedding. But, throughout the whole process, Sara was there to offer advice, give tips, listen, talk, and organize my whole day so when they venue said our wedding was a go (about 2 weeks before the actual day) -- everything was already put in place because of Sara's hard work. She came up with a timeline for all of my vendors, she organized & displayed all of my decorations, she made the whole day completely stress free even when the shuttle was giving us a hard time. Sara told me to go inside and that she had it covered. 5 minutes later -- everything was covered and the rest is history! Thank you again for making everything so streamlined and perfect. The day wouldn't have been so great without you and all your work! <3