Kim & Dana Wedding - Urbana Private Residence
Vendor Team:
Day Of Wedding Coordinator - 618 EVENTS, Kylie
Venue: Private Residence in Urbana
Hair: Wild Roots Salon
Makeup: Kristen Place
Caterer: Bob Rowe
Photographer: Elouise Photographie
Videographer: Tori Beach
Floral: Blossom Basket
DJ: DJ Connection
Cake: Diana McPheters
Rentals: Palace Events
Restroom Rental: Illini Portable Toilets
Linens: Lottie Brogan Linens
Kim and Dana are the perfect example of true love. They are such a welcoming couple and I am so glad I had the privilege to work with them. It was an honor to watch Kim and Dana commit their lives to one another after being together for so long. This commitment had lots of hard work and dedication behind it, and I know that they have a love to last.
Kim was such a great bride to work with on all the pre wedding details. She was so organized and communicated so well what her vision was. By the way, she has incredible style. Just wait until you see the pictures of this stunning wedding. There were so many personal touches to this wedding that were unlike anything I had ever seen before. For starters, their venue was a gorgeous private home of some family friends. This home had an amazing, mid century modern vibe that perfectly encapsulated Kim and Dana’s vision. Kim and some family friends actually grew all of the florals for the bud vases that were on the tables. How cool is that! A bride who grew some of her own wedding day flowers. Amazing! Kim had some many intentional personal touches that truly made the day so intimate.
The day began with perfect weather and lots of excitement. Seriously, we could not have asked for a more perfect day in October!! Kim and her bridesmaids got ready in one wing of the home, while Dana and his groomsmen got ready in another. The kitchen was full of food for the bridal party to eat and there was lots of community happening all morning. It was perfect that everyone got to be at one site and enjoy the whole day together. Tori, our videographer and Emily, the photographer, arrived in the morning as well. Tori was able to capture drone footage of the beautiful property to start the day. I was able to spend the morning setting up the tent with all the beautiful decor Kim had chosen for her big day. I had an assistant with me which was so helpful! Private residence weddings have a lot of pieces involved, so having an extra hand is always great.
Kim got into her dress with her sister and revealed it to all of her bridesmaids. She looked absolutely stunning! Once she was all ready to go, she headed out to a secluded part of the property to have her first look with Dana. This was such a sweet moment for the two of them to share. Bride and groom portraits were to follow and then photos with all of the bridal party. The guests began arriving and then it was time for the ceremony. Something so sweet, was they had their dog run down the aisle as well. How sweet to incorporate something so special to the two of them. The ceremony was perfect and the two of them were married. As they walked back down the aisle, the guests threw lavender on them that Kim grew as well. How cool is that!
The guests moved to the back patio for cocktail hour while the bride and groom did their family photos. Guests were able to find their escort cards and drink signature drinks that the bride and groom had chosen. During cocktail hour, the bride and groom were able to go into their reception tent to privately see everything together. They shared a sweet toast together and had a nice breather moment to soak it all in. Cocktail hour concluded and the guests made their way over to the tent for the celebration to begin. The bridal party and parents were introduced and the reception was off. Kim and Dana went straight into cutting their beautiful cake after being introduced. Something that was sweet and intimate was the bride and groom giving a thank you to everyone. I always think this is a nice touch for them to give a little speech to everyone who is showing them support.
Dinner was served and it was absolutely delicious. They chose a family style meal which is always a great option. This allows guests to eat a good amount and creates a great flow for conversation. Following dinner their Matron of Honor and Best Man gave their toasts and all the first dances were to follow. Kim and Dana’s first dance encapsulated so much love and joy. It was so special for all the guests to witness the love these two share. Finally, the party really got started and open dancing began. This group loved to party and it was so fun watching them all having a great time. The atmosphere of this wedding was just amazing and it was evident that all the guests truly enjoyed themselves. There was a pool deck with a fire pit that guests could enjoy, or the tent with the dance floor.
Overall, this wedding was the perfect day and represented the couple very well. Lots of hard work and special touches went into this day. I was so glad to get to meet this couple and assist in making their wedding day a success. As Kim said to me, “It went off without a hitch”. Cheers to the happy couple. I wish them a lifetime of love as strong as I witnessed this day.