Dec 17, 2018

Toni & Pato's Nature Inspired Wedding | Garden's of Woodstock

Bellow Blue Photography - Wedicity Wedding Day Detailing - Garden's of Woodstock - Mayfield Flowers - Wedicity Chicago Wedding Planner

As we poured over the photos from Toni and Pato’s enchanting September wedding, it was hard to select just a few for December’s Feature Blog! The love radiating from these two can be seen in every glance, smile and embrace between them. Their nature-inspired ceremony, complete with lush greenery, cobbled pathways and rolling streams made for the picture perfect wedding day that these two, so deserved (way to knock it out of the park Bellow Blue Photography!). Two and a half months into married life, we caught up with this husband and wife duo to get their take on planning the wedding of their dreams!

Wedicity: So... you're two and a half months into married life, what advice would you give to engaged couples looking to plan their upcoming wedding day?

T+P: Let me be clear, I knew absolutely nothing about planning a wedding before we got engaged and what I tried to teach myself was so overwhelming!

My no. 1 piece of advice would be: Don't believe everything that you read, do what feels right to you and what fits with your vision. If it doesn't feel right, try not to get pressured into doing something you might regret later. We envisioned a big party for our friends and family and really made decisions that fit with that vision. If it wasn't fun or functional, we didn't do it.

We bucked some traditions, honored others and made some of our own. Find the mix that works for you and not for your family and friends. There is no wrong or right way to have a wedding and as long as you are happy, your guests will be happy and your day will be beautiful!

Wedicity: Very well said! You mentioned envisioning a big party for your friends and family – what other important details did you want to incorporate on your wedding day?

T+P: We knew that we wanted to get married outside, which can be a challenge in Chicago. We have a limited time of the year where outdoor weddings are viable and where venues are available and affordable. We looked at barns and outdoor spaces and finally found the Gardens of Woodstock. It was intimate, beautifully adorned with nature and had this humble quality that made everyone feel welcome.

The outdoor space represented the green in our color scheme and we kept everything else simple by incorporating light grey and gold accents at the reception. We wanted to give full glory to the venue itself and our florist, Mayfield Flowers, complimented our nature-inspired vision at the ceremony and reception with delicate green and white florals.

Our bridesmaids wore a light blush with gold jewelry and the groomsmen wore a light-slate gray suit with a navy tie. Pato wore a blue suit, which accented beautifully against the diamond white of my wedding dress. We wanted the day itself to be enjoyed and didn't want to over engineer any of the details, allowing ourselves to instead feel surrounded and lifted by nature and what the universe had created for us to enjoy.

Wedicity: At what point in your planning process did you decide to use a wedding planner and why?

T+P: We knew that we were going to need someone to coordinate the intimate details of the days leading up to the wedding and during the wedding itself. Hiring Tionna and her team was the best decision I made when planning my wedding.

Ninety days out we met up, created lists, reviewed vendors (She was more than happy to provide us with referrals for any vendors where they were needed), discussed timelines and walked through the ceremony space. We left with a list of “to-dos” or decisions we needed to make and the dates we needed to accomplish them by. Sixty days out we visited the venue, were able to ask questions and really begin visualizing our wedding. Thirty days out we met again, discussed every single detail, and I was able to meet her assistant Anesha who was just as incredible.

Tionna and her team were so sweet, super patient, positive and had incredible energy from the planning stage, to our rehearsal, to of course, the wedding day itself. We had so many items to set-up, vendors to coordinate and a bit of a clueless wedding party, but Wedicity still managed to execute everything flawlessly. They had ear buds, radios and were communicating with each other constantly - I felt like I was in “The Wedding Planner” (shameless J Lo reference)!

The Wedicity Team was always there when we needed them! From the moment I walked down the aisle, to ensuring we had food during the cocktail hour and reception, to providing emergency lash glue. They literally bustled my dress before Pato and I danced the night away. It was clear there wasn’t a single issue throughout the day that they couldn’t handle.

Wedicity: Wedding planning can sometimes be stressful, what was something you thought of often throughout the planning process that having a planner helped ease?

T+P: The most important thing for me on the wedding day (other than getting married outside and trying to keep the rain away!) was being able to enjoy the wedding in the moment, to be able to truly experience all the different pieces so carefully crafted together in the year and months leading up to it. You hear from so many other married couples that your day goes by in an instant, a flash of fun and cake and dancing.

I wanted so badly to be able to carefully process each minute; getting ready with my girls, our first look, my brother and his partner singing in our wedding, our choreographed multi-song first dance and all the moments thereafter. Thankfully, because of the tiresome work of Wedicity, I truly was able to let it all sink in. No matter what hiccups happened, I was always where I needed to be when I needed to be there. It was the happiest day of my life and I really got to experience it.

Wedicity: We know couples have a lot of options in the wedding planning industry, can you tell us why you ultimately decided to work with us? (We are sooo glad you did!!!!!)

T+P: Our first focus was budget and Wedicity had different packages that perfectly fit with what we were going to be able to spend, so that was a bonus right away! We had looked at many different coordinators, but kept finding companies who put limits or restrictions on the amount of communication between the coordinator and couple in the months leading up to the wedding and eventually found that Wedicity had no such limits. But ultimately, what sealed the deal for us, was simply Tionna. Her positive personality, her knowledge of the industry and command of the wedding process as a whole was incredibly comforting. I knew after we met with Tionna that even though we had a lot to do, I wasn't going to have to worry. She and her team had our back and, no matter what, everything was going to turn out great!

Wedicity: OK, now we’re blushing! You two are the sweetest and we are so grateful to have been a part of your wedding day!