Alexina & Garrett's Classically Elegant Wedding at Chenequa Country Club

Bride and Groom Alexina and Garrett made their wedding day as much about their friends and families as they did about the love they have for one another. In addition to family members being weaved into the ceremony, the couple called upon many of their friends, who luckily enough happened to have skills that could apply to their big day. Custom wedding invitations and paper goods, gorgeous flower arrangements, and the bridal parties' hair were all in the helping hands of people close to the bride and groom. The couple's elegant affair began at the always breathtaking Noble Victory Memorial Chapel at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy, and was followed by a reception at the Chenequa Country Club, complete with a gluten-free meal to meet the bride's dietary needs. It was sweet evening filled with dancing, doughnuts for dessert, and making new memories, which were captured beautifully by Studio 29 Photography & Design--another friend of the couple, dating back to high school. You don't want to miss this big day!

From the Bride:

Garrett and I began wedding planning by identifying three words that would describe our wedding day: classic, elegant and fun. Chenequa Country Club was a front runner for the reception venue choice from the very beginning, because I’ve been a member my whole life, and my parents also has their reception there. They had two dates open for this summer, and our first choice for the ceremony, the chapel at St. John’s Northwestern Military Academy, was only available on August 8, so the date was chosen! I then emailed our talented photographer friend Ren Davis of Studio 29 Photography & Design, who went to high school with us, and her only open date was August 8, as well! We knew it was all meant to be, and from that point forward, we wanted every aspect of the wedding to be meaningful.

Garrett and I also wanted family to play a big part in our wedding, not only because we’re so close with our families but also because they’ve shaped us into the people we are today. We had Garrett’s aunts, Brenda and Pam, and my grandmother Judi recite the prayer and readings during the ceremony. For our grand exit, we had our fathers open the church doors for our first walk as a married couple (complete with bird seed toss!) straight to our getaway car, my grandparents’ Corvette, similar to the one my parent’s used as their getaway car on their wedding day. At the reception, we sat at a sweetheart table so we could enjoy the dinner together “in private,” and we let the guests of our wedding party sit at the head table so they could fully enjoy the night with their dates. For the toasts, we drank the signed champagne bottle our family and friends gave us at our engagement party. We even gave toasts to each other at the reception instead of reading our own vows during the ceremony. Both of our toasts included our daily “Three Things I’m Grateful For” even though we didn’t know what the other person would say! If we had to choose three words to describe our wedding day now, they would be: perfect, perfect, perfect. It was the best day of our entire lives and looking back, we wouldn’t change a thing.