“Woah oh ohh oh! Ladies and gents this is the moment you’ve waited for.” The Greatest Showman ballad filled the room as Kelly and Chris were introduced as Mr. and Mrs. to all of their closest family and friends. As the cheering starts to die down, I look up to see trumpets belting out the Notre Dame Victory March while the crowd claps along. The party has just begun! Kelly and Chris’s Summer Notre Dame Wedding with a reception at The Homestead 1835 was so much fun from start to finish – I’m so excited to share this wedding day with all of you!

Their Summer Notre Dame Wedding Day

Kelly and Chris met through the Notre Dame Marching band in college. Chris went to Notre Dame and Kelly went to Saint Mary’s College across the street so they made sure to spend time on both campuses during their wedding day. These two thought of every detail! From a bagpiper serenading their guests as they entered the Basilica of the Sacred Heart for their ceremony to the s’mores and ice cream bar at the reception, their day was full of memorable moments.

My Favorite Moment

I love when couples do a first look – it’s such a sweet moment that the couple can share together before the ceremony. Kelly and Chris’s first look was no exception. They were at Saint Mary’s campus and Kelly stood at the top of the steps of Holy Cross Hall. When Chris turned around and saw Kelly in her wedding dress for the first time, he kept saying “You look so pretty!” I definitely started to tear up along with them as they read handwritten vows to each other.

I had another favorite part of their day – it wasn’t a moment but all of their thoughtful details! Kelly and Chris made sure every aspect of their day was well thought out and meaningful. For example, they each got their dads custom cuff-links with some childhood photos and a sweet saying on it.

They curated their guest book so that they had a photo with EVERY single guest in attendance. It was so much fun to flip through the pages and see which photos they had picked out for each guest. They also had childhood photos at each table – the table number corresponded to their age in the photo (e.g. table one had photos of Kelly and Chris when they were one year old). I loved this idea!

A Note to Kelly and Chris

It’s not often when I get to photograph a wedding for people who were my friends before they were my clients. It’s also not often that I get to know a couple as individuals before they were even dating! How special it has been to have each of you in my life and that you entrusted such an important job of photographing your wedding to me. I’m so incredibly grateful that our paths crossed again in Milwaukee. Truly all I can say is thank you for everything. I can’t wait for you to come visit MKE now that you’re in Chicago – we will definitely have to catch a Cubs game sometime together! P.S. Pearl says hi to Clarabelle.

The Vendor Team

This wedding had a ROCKSTAR team working so hard to make sure everything went smoothly! A HUGE thank you to this amazing group of people!

Ceremony Venue: Basilica of the Sacred Heart
Reception Venue: The Homestead 1835
Florals: Country Florist
Bagpiper: David Younger
Videographer: 27 Entertainment
DJ: 27 Entertainment
Catering: LaSalle Catering
Hair and Makeup: Salon Rouge
Invitations: Shutterfly
Groom + Groomsmen Attire: Generation Tux
Bridal Dress: Stella York purchased at Diana’s Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses: Azazie
Cake: Macri’s
Transportation: Royal Excursion
S’mores: The Homestead 1835
Ice Cream Bar: American Espresso Catering

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