A month ago, my husband and I had the absolute honor of watching our youngest child, Karissa, marry the love of her life, Alex. The entire wedding weekend went wonderfully, and Jeff and I could not be more thankful that God brought these two together.
Their wedding was in Morton at the Apostolic Christian Church, and we were honored to have around 600 friends and family in attendance. The reception was close by at the Apostolic Christian Fellowship Hall, which helped the entire day to flow very smoothly.
The weeks prior to the wedding were a blur honestly, but I did my absolute best of soaking up the time I had with just Karissa, wedding planning. We took a couple trips to Chicago, and spent lots of time pouring over designs, food, flowers, etc., at home. The wedding weekend arrived quickly – time has a way of flying. The bridesmaids enjoyed a lunch at Cyd’s in Donovan Park on Friday and then we all went to Junction City to get manicures and pedicures at Natural Nails, before pictures on Saturday. The photographer, Danae Leigh Photography, did an amazing job, and the photos were taken at Donovan Park in Peoria and Trefzgers Bakery – their brick building is gorgeous and they also made the wedding cake! Saturday evening we had the rehearsal at church and then the entire bridal party, friends, and family, enjoyed a rehearsal dinner at Two25 in Peoria. The evening was one that I will remember for a long time – filled with laughter, love, and so many sweet memories shared of Alex and Karissa. Sunday came so fast, and at 12:00 noon, I got to witness my daughter walk down the aisle to meet her groom. Jeff, my husband, was privileged to share the wedding message, and take his daughter’s vows to our new son-in-law. It was a very emotional time for both of us, and we are thankful the Lord helped Jeff through it all.
We had so many wonderful vendors that contributed to a beautiful wedding day, and I was reminded again of the wonderful community we live in. Karissa found her wedding dress at Adore Bridal in Morton, and a great friend, Chelly, did all of the alterations. The bridesmaids wore a teal dress from David’s Bridal, and we accented with blush color flowers and shoes. Alex had a gorgeous blue suit from Men’s Warehouse, and the groomsmen wore a light grey suit. For the reception Karissa was looking for a more rustic/vintage look, so we had ordered several farm tables from Spruce Rentals and some unique furniture for a fun sitting area for guests. I also rented some wood cross chairs from Morton Rentals. We worked with Floral Designs in Morton for the flowers and decorations and we cannot thank them enough. They went above and beyond – the reception was absolutely surreal! We received so many compliments. Cassie Schock did an amazing job catering the food for the reception, and the dessert bar came from Dairy Queen – an ice cream bar with ice cream cups and lots of toppings! By the door, we had a fun little setup of the wedding favors – bags of popcorn from The Great American Popcorn Company of Morton because Karissa and Alex’s love is “Poppen”! (This is their last name, so we created a fun pun with the spelling!)
I look back on the weekend with so many fond memories of watching my lovely daughter marry her groom, receiving a new son that we love dearly, all my children and grandchildren together for the weekend, each detail that so many friends and family helped pour into the day to make it so special, and a wonderful community with so many talents! At the end of it all, we are thankful to have Alex a part of our family, we are so excited to see how God “unlocks new doors” for Karissa and Alex in their life together.
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