Afton Vangsness

Dec 3, 2021

Alexa + Pat: Chic Illinois Summer Wedding

On a hot summer day, at an affair filled with green scenery and all-white everything, Alexa + Pat got married surrounded by their large group of family and friends who kept the party going all night long!

All photos courtesy of Alexandra Lee Photography

The entire wedding day took place at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort, starting with the ladies getting ready in their suite. Rare Bird Beauties and Carla Duca Makeup Artistry were there to get everyone glam!

Bridal party getting ready at Illinois hotel

The bride looked absolutely perfect in her Made With Love Bridal gown! It was a family affair as her mom helped her get into her dress and she had a tearful first look with her dad.

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The hotel property had plenty of green space and sunshine for wedding photography, which was perfect for Alexa and Pat's first look.

They were then joined by their wedding party wearing dresses from Show Me Your Mumu and tuxedos from The Black Tux. This group was SO MUCH FUN. You could feel how much they loved Alexa and Pat, and they absolutely kept everything a party all day long.

Wedding party in grey dresses and tuxedos

We of course can't forget about the most adorable wedding party member - the couple's son! He was all smiles seeing his parents get married!

The wedding ceremony took place overlooking the water, with an infinity arch covered in greenery and white floral, as well as pillar candles and greenery down the aisle. The floral was from Petals n Bloom who absolutely perfected the wedding vision! We had white garden chairs and bistro lighting as well. The sun sure was shining for that ceremony!

The ceremony was officiated by The Wedding Rev and was filled with lots of laughter, tears, and a kiss and cheers as they became husband and wife!

Cocktail hour followed on the patio, and the guests were ready for some drinks on this hot summer day! The reception took place in a large, permanent white tent structure. It was perfect for feeling like an outdoor wedding, but getting the air conditioning of an indoor one!

The bride wanted everything white, sleek, clean, and modern. We had white linens, ghost chiavari chairs with white cushions, white candles, and varying floral arrangements all with white floral. The menus from Minted were black to give a bit of contrast on the tablescapes.

Alexa and Pat were ready to get the party started, and they did right away with their grand entrance! The first one on the dance floor was their son. When I say the love of a good party runs in their family, I'm not kidding!

They cut their minimalist wedding cake from Lovin Oven Cakery before we got started with toasts.

As golden hour hit, the bride and groom set off for some photos just the two of them.

The sun continued to set as dinner went on, and the reception space was lit with cafe lighting and candles. The bride and groom shared their first dance on the custom white vinyl dance floor from A Posh Production.

Chicago wedding planning by Afton Events

The DJ Firm kept everyone on the dance floor for the rest of the night! The bride got the microphone for some serious Celine Dion karaoke with her girls to top it off. At the end of the night, the entire wedding party jumped into the hotel pool for a truly epic wedding exit. Unfortunately, photography and videography had left at that point, so all we have is amazing memories (and some shotty iPhone videos) to show for it!