Last month, I had the privilege of being a part of a pretty fabulous wedding. Callie and C.J. tied the knot on a beautiful summer day in the small town of Tamaroa. It was such a beautiful day for a wedding. The girls all met up at Salon 18 in Du Quoin, IL to get their hair and makeup done, while the guys stayed at Callie and C.J.’s house to get ready. Once Callie was finished with hair and makeup, we made our way to this cute little church in Tamaroa, Friendship Church of Christ, to get Callie into her gown. If you know Callie, you know that she’s been in a pageant or two… okay a few, so getting into pretty gowns is something she’s very used to. But I asked her how she felt about being in her wedding gown and she said she felt so happy! It was a different feeling than being in a pageant gown. Callie is so elegant and the gown she chose was absolutely perfect for her. The best part, she found that gown right in her hometown of Pinckneyville, IL at Belle of the Ball. After getting Callie and C.J. ready, we headed to Red Hawk Golf & Grill for portraits. It was a location that the whole bridal party knew how to get to as well as provide lots of shade. It was so warm and muggy that day and I’m glad we found lots of shade so they wouldn’t all melt! We did all the portraits before the ceremony which means that Callie and C.J. shared a first look! I love when couples decide to do that because we had LOTS of time for pictures. We took 2.5/3 hours for portraits before so that they could enjoy their time together after the wedding. After all, you want to celebrate with your family and friends right? You don’t want to be stuck doing portraits all night before dinner if you don’t have to. Don’t get me wrong, being traditional is great and needed for a lot of wedding days and reasons, but I love having lots of time for portraits (obviously) so first looks are my jam.

The night ended at the DuBois Knights of Columbus Hall in DuBois, IL. Shades of blush pink, gold and navy were everywhere with florals stuck into painted wine bottles. There was a tiny bit of glitter at the head table, and by tiny I mean a LOT and the cake table with cupcakes was so good that it was hard to wait till dessert was served! Everyone danced the night away with songs played by a live band… that’s right, a LIVE BAND! We Got It Covered Band was amazing!!! You just don’t see bands at weddings these days. Let me tell you, if it fits into your budget to have one, GET ONE. The dance floor was flooded with people and for good reason. One of the band members just so happens to be Callie’s father! So needless to say, people knew who the band was and loved every minute of it.

I’m so honored to be a part of Callie and C.J.s love story. It was so much fun capturing every detail of their big day and I can’t wait to show you my favorites. Enjoy!