Elite Bride, Lexi, tells us about her wedding to Jake, with a theme inspired by his proposal! A Big Thanks to Lexi for sharing these beautiful wedding day photos, shot by Lauren Anderson Photography.
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How did he propose?
My husband Jake planned the whole day for us to celebrate our 4 year anniversary. He took me to breakfast and to a painting class, surprised me with a manicure and pedicure, bought me a new dress, shoes, and jewelry, and then we went to our favorite restaurant for dinner. He had roses for me waiting on the table at the restaurant. After dinner we went for a walk along a scenic drive in our hometown, and then we went to our favorite park to watch the stars. He proposed there under the stars!
What is the most memorable moment from your wedding day?
Everything was perfect, but one of our favorite moments was towards the end of the night. We finally got a moment to ourselves, so we grabbed a few pieces of wedding cake and went out to sit on the balcony together. It was a moment to finally take everything in, take a moment together, and enjoy our cake!
Where was your ceremony held? Where was your reception held?
The ceremony was held at St. Philomena Church in Peoria, IL, and the reception was at The Gateway Building in Peoria, IL.
Now that you have planned a wedding, what advice would you give brides?
Don’t sweat the small details too much. Everything will come together no matter what, and the day goes by in an absolute blur! Also, make a mental note beforehand of things you definitely want to do at the reception and make sure you do them, even with everyone pulling you in a million directions. Our only regret is that we never got a picture just the two of us at our open air photo booth, so I wish we had taken more time to enjoy the things we had at our reception.
What was the hardest part of planning a wedding and how did you work through it?
The hardest part was coordinating what my family and the groom’s family were both doing and who wanted to do what. Some things got lost in translation, so it caused a bit of tension. We worked through it by finally talking about what we all expected and making a better plan moving forward.
What was your favorite design element from your big day/what was your wedding’s theme?
Our wedding theme was “under the stars” because that is how my husband proposed! Our colors were navy, silver, and gold. My favorite design element was probably the moon photo backdrop that my uncle made, or the huge twinkling backdrop behind the head table. Both elements really helped pull in the starry theme! We also had star lights projected on the ceiling.
If you could give a shout out to a wedding vendor that went above and beyond, who would it be and why?
Honestly, I felt like all of our wedding vendors went above and beyond. Our photographers were amazing (husband and wife team Ryan and Lauren Anderson). Our cake baker had tons of options, so we were able to have an amazing cake and 5 different flavors! Our hair and makeup stylists came on site to do everyone’s hair and makeup, and it was so much more fun than having everyone go in. Our florist and coordinator made our vision for the bouquets and decor come to life, and our caterers served amazing food and worked with us to provide everything we wanted. Everyone was wonderful to work with, and everything was perfect! I cannot possibly pick just one.
What is a funny story from your wedding planning process or wedding day?
After we finished all the pictures with our bridal party, Jake and I had our pictures of just the two of us. As we were taking them, some people dressed like zombies approached us and asked if they could take a picture with us! Our photographer hesitated at first, but then we embraced the idea and “acted scared” for the zombie attack! It is a memorable picture to be sure.
Vendors:
Bridesmaids dresses: Elite Bridal
Florist: Georgette’s Flowers
Photographer: Lauren Anderson Photography
Videographer: Victor LaBarbera
Cake Artist: Cake Crumbs Limited
Caterer: Childers Catering
Hair/makeup: Corpo Bello Salon
Facebook: Lexi Hanna
Elite Bridal 