Courtney and Jack first met in college, and the older I get, the more impressed I become with couples who not only make it through these formative years together, but also end up deciding to spend the rest of their lives together after that. I learned during the toasts from two of their best friends that these two quickly caught one another’s eye on campus, and one of the coolest things about hearing that was realizing that the looks they shared in their early years likely were pretty similar to the looks I saw them still exchanging throughout their wedding day.
After spending their mornings getting ready separately, Courtney and Jack first saw each other on the veranda of the golf club. This moment can sometimes feel like the one when the wedding day *truly begins – the anxieties and nerves fall away, and what remains is two people, taking big sighs of relief through tears as they giddily talk about how excited they are about what lies ahead. This is exactly what happened with Courtney and Jack, as they each wiped their own tears and then each others’ amid laughs and embraces. Being around these two on their own is great in it’s own right – Jack is sincere and funny with a wonderfully dry sense of humor, and Courtney is kind and thoughtful and brings this sort of light to all of her interactions. But once they’re together, their differing traits compliment each other’s in a way I rarely see – it’s as if their qualities have each found their perfect balancing mate, and it makes being around the two of them feel like home to everyone around them.
Once their reception began, I watched as they cracked up and cried throughout the speeches of their friends and Jack’s brother and Courtney’s dad – I loved the way in which they looked at their loved ones as they spoke, because the love between them all felt so visibly evident.
Courtney turned to me at one point in the evening, clearly concerned, as she asked how on earth there would be enough time for them to make it to each table to greet their guests, and do their first dance, and join everyone on the dance floor. I laughed and told her unfortunately there often isn’t and that it would be alright, and I could tell it broke her heart to not be able to greet each person one by one with a giant hug and a moment to tell them how grateful she and Jack were for them. These two are surrounded by so much love, and the love they give all of these people in return is equally incredible.
They spent their first dance out on the green, with all of their guests overlooking from the veranda. Courtney and Jack surprised everyone with a fireworks show at this time, and I watched as the sky, as well as the two of them, lit up. Both of their gazes went in three different directions – toward their loved ones behind them, and up at the fireworks above them, and as always, back at each other. They grinned and danced and laughed and embraced one another as they looked up at the show, and I imagined they’d be joyously doing variations of this kind of moment for the rest of their lives.
Ceremony + Reception Venue: Bolingbrook Golf Club
Makeup + Hair: Lisa Thomas Salon
Dress: Bri’Zan Couture
Decor: Satin Chair Naperville
Videography: Avant-Garde Videography
Officiant: Barry Kolanowski
Harpist: Jennifer Keller Music
Ceremony + Personal Flowers: Phillip’s Flowers
Reception Flowers: Growing Grounds
Limo: Midwest Coach Limousine
Fireworks: Five Alarm Fireworks
Wedding Cake: Tim Beutel
DJ, Photobooth, Uplighting: Sounds Abound, Tony Ho
