Matchmaking Sisters Right On Track

Lindsie and Jack met while attending the University of Iowa.

Lindsie’s sister, Stacie, and Jack’s sister, Angela, were in the same sorority. Thinking the pair might hit it off, Angela decided to make introductions.

As it turns out, she was right on track.

“I thought he was very handsome,” Lindsie, an elementary school teacher, says of her initial reaction to Jack, a registered nurse. “He was very nice. We didn’t get together until a few months later, but once we met up again we just went off and running.”

Jack and Lindsie dated for about five years before becoming engaged. During that time, Jack stayed behind at the University of Iowa while Lindsie left to pursue a master’s degree. After graduation, the couple wanted to move somewhere warm, and California was an easy choice.

One afternoon, Lindsie and Jack enjoyed on a picnic at Laguna Beach to enjoy the last days of summer before Lindsie had to work. As Lindsie was taking photos of the sunset, Jack insisted she sit down on the blanket.

“He proposed there and I cried,” Lindsie says. “It was one of the sweetest moments I have ever had and something I will always remember.”

Although Lindsie and Jack love California, they couldn’t think of a better place to say ‘I do’ than Lindsie’s hometown.

The couple decided to bring the Golden State to the Chicago area, all the way down to the romantic beach picnic where Jack proposed. The bride and groom exchanged vows on a brick patio at Meson Sabika in Naperville. Rustic lanterns helped add to the destination wedding feel.

Wanting a clean, timeless look for the day, Lindsie wore a strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline and side ruching.

“I just wanted a simple and elegant wedding dress so you could look at my photos and not know what year I got married,” Lindsie says. “It even had a little broach on it, but I took the broach off.”

In true California style, Lindsie also wore sandals and leaf earrings that brought a natural flair to her look. For her bouquet, the bride carried green roses, along with hydrangeas, green berries and thin green leaves.

The green theme continued with other West Coast elements incorporated into the décor, such as fresh palms and bamboo. During the reception, guests enjoyed an intimate setting and feasted on cold and hot tapas that included robust garlic potato salad with mayonnaise and fresh parsley, oven baked goat cheese with tomato basil sauce and garlic bread, stuffed mushrooms and beef tenderloin brochettes.

To help recapture the day they were engaged, when Jack and Lindsie ate cupcakes during their picnic, the newlyweds treated guests to the tasty treats. Flavors included red velvet, carrot cake and chocolate.

“They [guests] loved them,” Lindsie says of the cupcakes. “Everybody was eating a ton of them.”

But the biggest hit at the wedding wasn’t just the cupcakes. It also was the dueling pianos that provided nonstop entertainment. Prior to the wedding, the couple sent guests postcards they could mail back with their song requests. Guests also could make song requests during the wedding.

“We picnicked with our friends [and families] on our wedding day,” Lindsie says. “Meson Sabika was the perfect site for our wedding to bring that elegant picnic back to Naperville.”

Find venues that will help you and your fiance’s vision come alive.

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box when talking to venues.

Have a wedding planner the day of your wedding.

Smile, laugh and enjoy the day with your husband.