Chad + Chelsea | Elegant Black and Green Garden Wedding – Carbondale, IL

Where do I begin? I actually sit here unsure of how to write up this blog post. There are people in your life that whenever they’re around, you just feel so much love, joy and happiness. Well that’s how I feel about Chelsea and her family. We go back… like way back LOL. I won’t go into all the nitty gritty details but basically, Chelsea is family. The Bradley’s are family and last year when Chelsea posted on Facebook that Chad had proposed and she was engaged I secretly hoped that she would contact me about shooting her wedding. Like seriously, I told everyone about it LOL. I was shocked when she actually DID contact me and she wanted me to finally meet Chad. I can remember meeting Chad for the very first time. He was so sweet and he had so many ideas about their wedding day, which trust me, a guy just isn’t usually into wedding details. But Chad is an only child and he grew up with an amazing family like Chelsea and marriage is a very sacred thing. He wanted their wedding day to be perfect. As I drove home after our consult, I remember thinking how excited I was for Chelsea. She’s such an amazing person and I was glad to see that she had found an amazing guy to treat her well.

Fast forward to the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend. Chad and Chelsea chose to get married at a venue in Carbondale, IL called The Wedding Gardens. When you pull up to this place, if you can even find it (the sign is so tiny), it’s not much to look at. But when you walk through the gate… it’s magical! It’s so quiet and beautiful. There are water features everywhere and the landscaping was out of this world. It’s really quite the place to get married. I had never heard of it before but I’m glad I know about it now. There’s a room for the bride and her bridesmaids to get ready as well as a “man cave” for the groom and groomsmen to get ready in. The ceremony and reception both take place there and the ballroom is amazing as well. Floor to ceiling windows on 2 sides letting in tons of natural light, a huge chandelier, and lighting that can be set to any color you choose. Chad and Chelsea’s wedding colors were black and green so green was light up everywhere. It was simply magical.

I had such an amazing day with Chad and Chelsea and their families. I love all weddings that I shoot but this wedding meant a lot more to me because I was watching family get married. I’m so happy for them and I wish them all the very best that life has to come. Enjoy looking through my MANY favorites from their big day.