When Alli was working as a server at Pub II in Bloomington/Normal years ago, Tony and his friends became regulars at the spot. In a toast at their wedding reception, Tony’s brother joked about how at first, he didn’t know why Tony wanted to go there so often after work back then – until suddenly, he did. I learned quickly from the stories of Alli and Tony’s family and friends that his pursuit of Alli was no easy process, but if what they say about nothing easy being worth doing is true, then Tony’s persistence proved its worth.

Alli and Tony both grew up in families of tight-knit siblings – Alli with her two sisters, and Tony with his two brothers. As each of their siblings spoke of Alli and Tony, the amount of love, respect, and pure adoration was evident. They talked of the kindness and goodness of these two people, and of their humor and spunk. Tears came from both sides as they spoke of them being their role models, and they may have come from behind the camera in those moments, too.

Our society speaks often about fairytales. While I’ve never been the biggest fan of these types of tales, I’ve realized upon growing older and reflecting that I was viewing them merely on the surface – princes and castles and fluttering eyes and a wistfulness that caused the feminist in me to feel frustration. But the purpose of a fairytale is to tell an ordinary story in an extraordinary way; so when you take a fairytale down to its base, you find the real stuff. The everyday love. As Alli’s younger sister, Rachael, said in her toast, “the kind of love that makes grocery shopping exciting”. It’s the kind of love that doesn’t originate within wistfulness, but rather on happening to meet someone who makes you shine even brighter than you already do.

Rachael went on to describe this as, “not pixie dust and glass slippers, but finding that one person that gets it”. So when she said that she believed that we were all in the presence of that type of fairytale with Alli and Tony, I realized I was internally nodding in agreement. I realized, eyes brimming, that I had fairytales all wrong.

Ceremony: Saint Mark Catholic Church 
Reception: Embassy Suites
Videography: OP1 Creative
Hair & Makeup: Gloss
Dessert: Denny’s Donuts and Bakery
DJ: Diamond Dan 
Lighting: Prospect Lighting
Dress: Country Lace Bridal Shop