A few months ago, Taia Younis of Inspired Occasions, one of our absolute favorite people and an INCREDIBLE wedding planner, launched the Bridal Idol contest with 104.9 The Cat. The contest winner would receive a wedding of their dreams, and we were really proud to have been a part of it. There were hundreds of entries, and after weeks of listener votes and eliminations, Erin and Matt emerged as the winners. Here was their story, as told by Erin:
“My fiancé Matt and I have been together since July of last year. We met on accident through a mutual friend and later found out that we had a lot of mutual friends and had seen each other before, but never actually met. He invited me out for drinks for his birthday and I accepted but was planning on blowing him off. At the last minute I decided to go anyway for lack of anything better to do. We have been inseparable ever since! We are trying to plan a wedding for February of next year but do not think we will ever be able to afford to do so. I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis last June and I’m in debt up to my knees with medical bills. I already work 50 or more hours a week and still can barely afford to get by with just regular bills, let alone my medical expenses. I am physically too tired to work any more than I do. I come home exhausted every day, and we barely get to spend any time together as I just want to sleep when I get home. We want to get married as soon as we can because I’m scared I may get more sick and miss out on having the wedding we both deserve. MS is so unpredictable that anything can happen. I just want to be able to walk down the aisle on my own on that day and not have to be pushed in a wheelchair. My biggest fear is that I will not be able to walk down the aisle on my own. I want to be able to enjoy the first day of the rest of our lives together while I am healthy enough to do so. I would love more than anything in the world to have a stress free wedding where we could forget about everything else for a day and just focus on starting our lives together.”
Erin and Matt were married this past saturday at the Old Daley Inn on Crooked Lake . This amazing venue was recently purchased and renovated by the Old Daley Inn, and they’ve done an AMAZING job. It really is a gorgeous venue, and with the help of the Inspired Occasions staff, amazing arrangements from Ambiance Florals and Events, and lighting and decor by Total Events, the already incredible space was turned into a dazzling room of pink, silver, and plenty of shimmering crystal accents. It really was breathtaking, but we’ll get to show you all that in the next blog post
For now, we’re going to focus on the prep and the ceremony, plus some killer shots of this über-cute couple (yeah, ok, that was my German coming through, my apologies!)
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Her gorgeous Maggie Sottero dress donated by Bridal Gallery by Yvonne:
Erin’s makeup being done by the amazing Joanna from Lipstick n’ Lashes:
The gorgeous pink bouquet from Ambiance Florals and Events:
Joanna working on Bridesmaid Jessica’s hair. LOVE the soft light coming in on this one:
Off to go join the boys:
Matt looking sharp in his tux from Choppa & Sons:
Such a gorgeous bride!
Ambiance totally rocked these bouquets!
The ladies:
And the guys. LOVE this bar!:
The guys looking chill before the ceremony.
On to the beautiful outdoor ceremony! It could NOT have been a nicer day.
You’ll hear me say this a lot today, but the light was A-MA-ZING!
A little glance over her shoulder and a smile for her Maid of Honor:
The vows:
Matt’s laugh and smile are contagious, I swear!
Husband and wife:
Hanging by the lake:
Gotta get the classic portrait:
Just then, the sun came out from behind the clouds. Playtime for us with the butter light!
So sweet and intimate:
LOVE!
Yeah, the light just doesn’t get better than this….until sunset (coming next blog post!)
Back into the bar while we wait for the room reveal.
Yeah, that’s right, we just had to put her on the bar.
Check back tomorrow evening to see all the killer reception details, a truly amazing sunset, some fun on the dance floor, and our signature After Dark Session! See you back here then!
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by Scott
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