Going the distance

Mike and Stephanie met in high school, and began dating their senior year. Their first date included the film "Showtime" with Eddie Murphy and dinner at Bennigan's.

"We were so young," Stephanie recalls. "I had to get home because of my curfew."

Despite Stephanie heading west to Arizona State University and Mike going downstate Peoria to attend Bradley University, the couple's romance blossomed.

"I like to think the best part of our relationship began after college," Stephanie said. "This is when Mike and I really were able to spend the most quality time with each other because we didn't have the distance between us."

The pair had been dating for eight years when one night, Stephanie stopped by Mike's house to change clothes for her softball game. She walked in to a dinner of Portillo's set up on the dining room table, and thought it was sweet Mike had thought of getting her something to eat before the game. Before her meal, she sat down at the computer to check her email.

"There was a Word document on the screen," Stephanie says. "It was a note from Mike letting me know how much he loved me. When I spun the chair around, he was on one knee with a ring, asking me to marry him!"

Overall it was the perfect chance to get every one of the favorite people in Catherine and Tim’s lives together at one place all at the same time. The couple says that they were picky about only two things: the food and the entertainment… both of which were one of a kind and spectacular. The day couldn’t have turned out better.

Their ceremony was held at St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Naperville, where Catherine’s parents were married in 1984. The bride looked radiant in Simone Cavalli, carrying a bouquet featuring the rare orchid that was requested as the centerpiece of her floral design. The groom was just as dapper in his eggplant shade vest and black tuxedo.

The couple personalized everything at their reception, from the placecards held in corks (showing their love for good wines) to the remembrance candle in honor of the groom’s brother.

The reception dinner was focused on fresh local grown ingredients and was topped off when guests enjoyed a dessert of French-style Vanilla Sponge with Belgian White Chocolate Mousse filling and Swiss Meringue Vanilla Buttercream frosting. The outside of the cake was white with white wording. Each of the words on the cake had a special meaning to the couple. “Chicago” “Tucker”(their dog’s name), “illini”(their alma-mater.)

The Hotel Arista had contracted the largest reception in their history with Catherine and Tim, and according to the couple—‘they hit it out of the park that night.’ The Naperville location made the day amazing for the couple.

After the celebrations, the couple was off for 8 nights to Cabo san Lucas, where they began their married lives playing golf, enjoying the sun and each other.

Enjoy every moment of the planning process!

Go with the flow of things and do not become controlling or demanding