Kalli + Todd

Mainstreet Abbey – Columbia, Illinois

The scent of perfume and hairspray were in the air as I walked in to the bridal suite where Kalli, her bridesmaids, flower girls and the moms were getting ready. Kalli was in the middle of getting her hair done and when I peaked around the corner to greet her she was smiling from ear to ear. It was finally her wedding day! For a bride, after all the planning it’s a surreal feeling to be sitting in a room surrounded by all of your best gals and your mom getting ready for your wedding day. Once it was time to get portraits of Kalli getting ready, I walked in to the bridal suite and saw Kalli standing there in her gown with her mom at her side. She was glowing and that same smile I saw when I first walked in that morning was even bigger than it was before. Sometimes, wedding days feel like prom or homecoming with getting hair and makeup done. But putting on the wedding dress is HUGE. Everything becomes real and that’s usually when wedding days start to get busy with portraits.

Kalli and Todd chose to do a First Look and it was the absolute sweetest. You could instantly see how more relaxed they were after getting to see each other. The nerves calmed down and everything seemed to flow from there. Writing their own vows for the ceremony was something that Kalli and Todd discussed doing but they realized that they wanted them to be personal. So they decided to do private vows right after their first look. After a few more portraits, their cute corgi, Luna, showed up and she stole the show! She was so excited to see mom and dad and do some portraits. Her little ears are just my absolute favorite!!! You’ll see below when scrolling through my favorites just how adorable she is.

All of the wedding party and family portraits were taken before the ceremony so that Kalli and Todd could get right to the cocktail hour. At the Mainstreet Abbey, there is a room flip from ceremony to reception so that means all guests need to exit so that can happen. They have a wonderful pavilion right outside with string lights, cocktail tables and a bar setup. What’s nice is that in the colder months the pavilion has walls and can be heated! The temperatures were pretty cold that day and the wind was pretty rough so having that heated pavilion was great!

When it came time for the reception room reveal, Kalli and Todd walked in and their jaws dropped to the floor! They walked around looking at all the little details come together. When you spend months and months planning your wedding day it all becomes so surreal to see everything come together. Little decisions here and there all add up for one amazing day. It’s the biggest party you’ll ever though and it’s one of the few days in your life where everyone you love is in the same room together! The reception was definitely a night to remember. The food was amazing and the music had the dance floor packed. There was also light up cowboy hats, glow sticks and tambourines. And if that wasn’t enough for the guests to have fun, there was also a photo booth and telephone guest book. When I left that evening, the party was hopping and everyone was having a blast.

If you have read these blog posts in the past you know that I always have favorite moments from each wedding day. There were numerous moments with Kalli and Todd but one that sticks out to me the most is Kalli’s father/daughter dance. I lost my father last year in May and Kalli knew that. After she and her father finished dancing, Kalli gave her father a big hug and then she ran over to me and gave me a big hug, too. She knows that these father/daughter moments must be hard for me now, and they are, and the fact that she came over to do that on her own wedding day just speaks volumes to how caring and wonderful she is. Everyone, all day, kept saying how amazing both Kalli and Todd are. How thoughtful they are and how they care for people. They are both teachers so it makes perfect sense that they would both be like this. It really meant a lot to me that she did that. It’s the little things like that that make me love this job even more. It was definitely a day to remember and I’m truly honored that Kalli and Todd asked me to be a part of it. Getting to know these two through this journey is something that I don’t take for granted. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it but being a wedding photographer is so much more than taking pretty pictures. The connections and friendships I’ve gained over the years doing this has been the absolute best.

Here’s a look at Kalli and Todd’s beautiful day. Enjoy!