I photographed Tim & Sara’s wedding at the end of July…and it was soooooo hot! I checked the weather the night before & it was calling for storms. The morning had so gray skies, but they quickly gave way to lots of sun. I met up with Sara as she got her hair & makeup done & then met her at the church as she got into her dress.
We then headed over to the Millikin Homestead and waited for Tim & the groomsmen to arrive. It was so hot, so the girls tried to stay cool!
The guys pulled up & it was time for Tim & Sara’s first look. I am a big believer in first looks…& I really love them when we are outdoors at a beautiful location! I loved watching Tim’s nervous face as he waited for Sara to walk up behind up. She tapped him lightly on his shoulder and he turned around & then my heart burst into a million pieces! I loved watching them just adore each other!
admit it. you just oohed and ahhed over their cuteness.
We then took some photos around the homestead before heading back to the ceremony…they even climbed a tree. Not so easy to do in a wedding dress!
They had a beautiful, intimate ceremony…
and when the cermony was over, we headed to the Decatur Country Club for a few photos. We were all dripping with sweat, but it was so worth it!
As we were taking these photos, we looked up & the sky turned black…and a storm was quickly heading our way. We sprinted to the cars & headed to the Beach House for the reception. During the reception, it poured and poured, and poured some more. Then…it stopped & the sky was this amazing shade of blue. I asked them if they wanted to sneak out for a few more photos. I saw a bunch of sea gulls and said “How do you feel about chasing a bunch of birds?” They laughed and were game for the plan…and it was amazing to watch the birds fly in different directions as they ran after them!
Tim & Sara, I am so grateful to be a part of your day!! Sara answered a few questions for me to help other brides know where to go locally for ideas!
Hair – The Main Place Hair Salon – Decatur, IL
Makeup – Merle Norman – Decatur, IL
Florist – Svendsen Florist – Decatur, IL
Church – St. Paul’s Lutheran Church – Decatur, IL
Reception – The Beach House – Decatur, IL
Cake – The Cake House – Decatur, IL
Dress – Michelle’s Bridal Shop – Urbana, IL
Tuxes – Men’s Wearhouse
DJ – We used an iPod
What was the most memorable moment of your wedding day? The most memorable moment for me was seeing Tim for the first time at our first look. It was nice to have a moment alone together before the craziness of the day really started and it gave us a chance to get rid of some of our nerves before the ceremony.
Funniest memory from your wedding day? The funniest memory from the day was the bridal party racing to the reception location before it started pouring down rain. My sister and I got a little lost on the way and made a few illegal turns, but we made it just as the rain started coming down.
What was your favorite detail from your wedding day? My favorite detail was my wedding dress. I felt beautiful in it all day and had a hard time taking it off when I got home that night. I wish I could wear it again!
Any advice you would give to future brides and grooms? Try to get a lot of the planning done early on so that you aren’t rushing to get things done at the last minute. Also, try not worry about the little things that don’t go as planned on your wedding day. Just enjoy the day because it goes by so fast!
Would you change anything if you did it all over again? If I could do it all over again, I would have the wedding in either May or October because it’s just too hot in July!
Where did you go on your honeymoon? For our honeymoon, we went to Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun in Mexico. We hadn’t heard much about the resort before meeting with our travel agent, but he highly recommended it, so we booked it and have no regrets. The service, food, beach, pools, people, and room were all excellent and we can’t wait to go back!
Her pictures turned out beautiful, I went to high school with her!