I first met Christine at her hotel - the Hilton Garden Inn in Des Plaines, IL. I made sure to get candids of her getting ready plus some shots with her and the girls. I was also able to meet her mother and father, both of which were very kind and welcoming. After a quick session at the hotel, I headed off to the church to meet the guys.
Ronnie seemed to be rushing around a lot when I got to the church. I'd never before seen a groom run around so much, and couldn't exactly quite pinpoint what was going on. Ronnie pulled me aside and explained the situation. Because of the crazy storm we had gotten the Thursday before the wedding, all of the flooding in the area caused their original reception hall to be without power. They were given phone numbers of other places, but had a difficult time finding one because of power outages and flooding. A hall was secured, however, and the lovely couple was going to have their reception at the Crystal Palace Banquets in Park Ridge, IL.
Here was the catch: the bride had no idea any of this had happened.
We went ahead and took pictures with Ronnie and the guys, but found that there was little time left before the ceremony to take group pictures with them. We opted to take these pictures later on.
Christine arrived and looked even lovlier than when she did at the hotel (if that's even possible). Her smile seemed to have grown since I left the hotel :) The ceremony, I must admit, gave me chills. I think they did a fantastic job choosing the music. Christine walked down the aisle to a different version of "Come What May" from Moulin Rouge, sung by Ewan McGregor. The minor key arrangement of the song was the perfect touch, in my opinion :)
After the ceremony, we took family group shots. I was informed that Christine had been told about the change in plans, and that she took it rather well. In fact, she still looked just as lovely and happy as she did walking down the aisle. It seemed as though she was just happy to be married and to have Ronnie by her side (made me think a little "awwwww" to myself). After finishing the pictures, I followed the newlyweds over to the fountain located at the intersection of Higgins and River roads in Rosemont, IL. I couldn't have been more excited about a location, and have to admit that I had a little bit of help from mother nature with the sun beginning to set.
My only wish is that I could post all of the pictures from this session! Christine and Ronnie had such chemistry and personality that it made it extremely easy for me to capture fantastic images of moments that they shared.
The videographer and I took a route to the reception hall that was recommended to us - River road to Dempster (and that's it). Unfortunately, River road had since been closed (I'd driven down it in the morning without the issue), and the detours had unmarked detours. Needless to say, we ended up getting lost. I grabbed my emergency phone numbers list and immediately started calling every number on it. Nobody answered. Yikes!
Eventually though, I received a call from Janice, Christine's mom, and she helped me find the hall. She told me that I had arrived only about five minutes after Christine and Ronnie. I left my car sitting in the front of the restaurant with the intention of moving it later. Christine's friend, whose name escapes me (she was so sweet!), was kind enough to take and have my car vallet parked for me. Thank you again!!
The rest of the evening, while it wasn't what was originally planned, went smoothly and beautifully. Christine and Ronnie had fun from what I could see, as did their guests. The night ended with the couple changing clothes and having a sparkler send off.
Congratulations, Christine and Ronnie! Thank you so much for having me be a part of your day. I truly hope that the rest of your lives together continues to be as exciting as your wedding day was... though perhaps a little more relaxing ;)
