Michigan-raised couple, Chelsea and Ryan mixed feminine features with masculine, rustic elements to create a wedding that was both intimate and elegant. The bride wore an Essense of Australia wedding dress that gave her the wow factor she was looking for. Cheers to you both!
From the bride: I have been an equestrian my entire life, so Ryan knew he wanted to incorporate that into our proposal. I went to ride my horse, and there he was all dressed up. He proposed right then and there at the barn. I love that he made such a special part of my life an even more special one! He even had a dress, shoes, makeup and everything so I could get ready for our dinner reservation that he had made for that night.
Wedding dress shopping was a long process for me. It took five separate appointments before I found “the one”. I knew I wanted a lace, keyhole-backed dress, but couldn’t find one with the “wow factor”– until I tried on my dress by Essense of Australia at The Crystal Bride in Geneva, IL. It was the last dress I tried on! The fit, quality, and detail of the dress was just incredible, and I received so many compliments on it on my wedding day!
Both Ryan and I are Michigan-raised and currently reside in Chicago. We knew we wanted to have our wedding back home and to keep it a small, intimate affair with only our closest friends and family. I had always envisioned a wedding with rustic-elegance. We chose to do our wedding at Indian Springs Environmental Discovery Center and received so many compliments on our venue! We both wanted an outdoor ceremony under a tree, which made for amazing pictures. The reception room was incredible, with high ceilings and windows floor to ceiling.
I really wanted a wedding that did not just reflect my personality, but the groom’s as well, which is what intrigued me to combine feminine items, with more masculine ones, for example, the flowers and candles with the antlers and stones.
We honeymooned in Montego Bay, Jamaica, and now that we are back to our normal life we are able to reflect back on our wedding and the photos by Laura Dyszynski of Ell Dy Photography and are still just in awe of how perfectly everything came together. What an amazing way to start the next chapter in our lives.
I know everybody says it, but your wedding day goes by so fast! My most cherished memory would definitely be walking down the aisle with my dad, seeing my handsome groom, Ryan, for the first time. His expression said it all and as soon as I saw his bottom lip start going, I almost lost it! I really don’t remember seeing anyone else other than Ryan while walking down the aisle.
