Love not idle at Idlewild

Ashley didn’t have to wait long to decide Rick was the one. She was working at Idlewild Country Club in Flossmoor when Rick strolled into the dining room one day. “I remember the first time I saw him,” Ashley recalls. “As he walked through the door I thought to myself, ‘This is the man I’m going to marry.’”

Although their meeting truly was love at first sight, a 30-year age difference between Ashley and Rick made for a challenging road ahead. Ashley was 20 and Rick was 50 when the couple met.

“It was tough to have our friends come together and take us seriously,” Ashley says. “However, once they saw our interaction and love for each other, we were soon the couple everyone strived to emulate.”

Ashley and Rick’s daughter, Elise, was born in 2002. In January, the youngster helped out with her dad’s proposal to her mom. It was Ashley’s birthday, and she was just waking up to start getting Elise off to school. Rick asked Ashley to come over to the computer and look at something.

“When I approached the screen I saw that he was looking at rings,” Ashley says.

Rick then asked for her opinion on a ring that was completely different than what they had discussed in the past.

“Not wanting to hurt his feelings, I said, ‘Oh, it’s really nice, why?’” Ashley says. “With that, my daughter swung open the door and said, ‘because he wants you to be his wife!’  I couldn’t believe it. It had been something I wanted for years and it was a great birthday present.”

Ashley and Rick’s wedding day kicked off with a little good luck rain, followed by a beautiful blue sky appearing just in time for the ceremony.

The couple couldn’t think of a better spot to exchange vows than the 1st hole on the golf course at Idlewild Country Club, located right near the clubhouse where they met.

Ashley wore a striking strapless gown boasting a sweetheart back and lace and crystal detail throughout the bodice and cathedral length train. Although she already had another gown chosen well in advance of the wedding, Ashley changed her mind when she saw this dress in a shop window just days before the big event.
“I felt like a princess,” Ashley says. “That’s what I had been waiting for since I was a little girl. It [the gown] brought back those dress up days when I was 2 and 3.”

The bride carried a simple bouquet featuring a combo of ivory roses, hydrangeas and peonies with eye-catching crystal studded accents. Bridesmaids were elegantly dressed in black silk chiffon dresses with beaded collars. Ashley and Rick’s daughter, Elise, was the flower girl.

For the cocktail hour, guests enjoyed a hearty array of heavy appetizers such as rack of lamb, crab legs, crab cakes and beef tenderloin. Reception tables were topped with tri-fold black satin napkins and centerpieces of high and low glass cylinders. Water, floating flowers and a seamless suspension of crystals gave the centerpieces an exquisite look. Black Chiavari chairs helped to complete the chic setting, along with romantic amber lighting throughout the room.

““We enjoy attending and preparing for formal events and we wanted that to show as our style to all of our guests,” Ashley says. “We chose to have a formal black tie wedding across the board.”

Dinner featured a selection of stuffed chicken breasts with asparagus and sun dried tomato risotto. The newlyweds’ wedding cake with strawberry filling served as the perfect dessert. Both the bakery and the name of the cake made the decadent treat an easy choice for the couple.

“The name of the cake was ‘Ashley,’ so I was partial to that, “ the bride says. “And the baker— I grew up I Hinsdale and had been going to Toni’s for a very long time. She’s very well known.”

Guests received personalized wine stoppers as favors, which Ashley says represented the pair’s love of socializing with friends. Because the guest list included a mixed crowd of live music fans, Ashley and Rick chose to hire a band.

“The lead singer, Lori, had vocals that were out of this world and the two male vocalists were amazing as well,” Ashley says. “They kept the crowd dancing until 2 a.m.”

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OTHER INFO:

Something old: Pearl necklace

Something new: Earrings

Something borrowed: A tennis bracelet belonging to Ashley’s grandmother, who passed away two weeks before

Something Blue: Undergarments