White and Metallic Wedding

From the wedding planner, Lisa:

I absolutely love Kayleigh and Brett. Not only are they two of the sweetest people you will ever meet, but Kayleigh is truly an inspiration. She has overcome physical battles that many of us never have to imagine dealing with. It was so incredible to watch her push her limits each day (she is an avid health/fitness blogger!) and to see her so happy and carefree on her special day. The wedding was soft, elegant, romantic and so much FUN. There were so many wonderful personal touches that made this wedding memorable and unique. During the ceremony, the officiant had the couple place their vows in a “treasure box” with a bottle of wine. On their 10 year wedding anniversary (or if they ever feel like giving up on their marriage), Kayleigh and Brett will open the box, share a glass of wine, and remember their vows. Another sweet moment was during the reception when the couple said thank-you to all of their guests before cutting the cake. When it was Kayleigh’s turn, she read Brett a journal entry she wrote back when they first started dating, which promised that she would sing to Brett on their wedding day (if they in fact ever got married). Kayleigh then sang “The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson in front of her new husband and all of their loved ones – sooo amazing! Another highlight was watching the DJ get the entire crowd to do an epic sing/dance off on the dance floor! Everyone had a blast and I am so grateful that my clients were able to fully enjoy every minute! 

From the Bride:

Brett and I met when we were in college. We spent 3 of our 5 years of dating living in different cities, six months of which Brett was living in South Korea. After being together through so many of life’s changes, we decided that if we were going to continue dating, we needed to make sure this was the person we were eventually going to marry and so we started pre-engagement counseling. What we thought would be a 6-month opportunity for continued growth turned into nearly a year and a half of truly thought provoking and attention grabbing conversations that lead us down the path of engagement. We discussed REAL issues and real problems. We talked about what our future would look like, how our children would be raised, how we would stock the pantry (…really) and what our financial expectations were. We didn’t just say how great we were together, we were probed to find all the ISSUES there were so that we could resolve it before marriage. We learned how the other person stated their problems or communicated their failures. We learned to take each other AS WE ARE not as we hoped we would be.

During our counseling, I was diagnosed with a chronic illness, Ankylosing Spondylits, and together we walked the journey of how this would change OUR lives, now that we were indeed talking about marriage. The phrase “in sickness and in health” was going to hit us a whole lot harder than the average couple. To be completely honest, Iwas pretty sure this diagnosis would be the point where Brett would say he wasn’t ready for marriage. After all, this is not an easy illness to manage with. It causes issues day to day and it constantly affects what we are able to do, see,where we can travel, what I can eat, how often I can exercise and how I live. We now had to create schedules and
stick with them. I had to fight against chronic pain to enjoy something that should just be fun. It’s one thing when life changes for the person who is going through it, but to ask someone to diligently walk side by side with you is extremely difficult, if not impossible. However, he said the exact opposite. In fact, this illness has allowed him to care for me and love me in a completely new way. He loved the idea of providing for me for the rest of our lives and to support me in that way, despite the challenges we now know we will face.

He doesn’t judge me for my illness. He doesn’t question if I’m in pain. He doesn’t ask me to push harder than I know I can. Instead, he became my number one support system. We didn’t get married looking at how it was going to best suit our own needs. Instead, we were getting married, determined to make the other person’s life better each day. 

With the help of friends, family and unbelievable vendors, our engagement was easy, light and full of fun! We loved every second of the planning and it made the day-of a breeze. Each detail was more picturesque than I could have imagined and not a single thing seemed flawed. Instead, I was blown away by the details, overwhelmed by the love and so touched by the truly once-in-a-lifetime moments that made our wedding day perfect.

Vendors:

Wedding coordinator: Lisa Leyda Petersen, Happily Wedding
Florals: White lilac
Photography: Kevin le vu Photography
Calligraphy: KA Kalligraphy
DJ: Invisible touch events
Hair + makeup: Brie Does Makeup
Gown: Enzoani
Transportation: Lake Forest Limousines