Julie and Patrick | Wedding @ Tuscan Hills Winery, Effingham IL

There is NOTHING I love more than the combination of perfection that we had last Saturday. While I love traveling out of the country for weddings and shooting at new locations in central IL there is just something about Tuscan Hills Winery in the summer when the sun is going down, its solid magic. Add to that the most lovable couple on the planet: Julie and Patrick and you have a wedding that keeps me singing happy songs all night long.

We started the morning with hair and makeup at SacredHeart Church where Loren Dreas, makeup ninja by day polished up our bridal party to look their best and multiple hair stylists including our friend Jackie Having also helped to beautify our group. We were thankful for a short commute upstairs to get things ready in the church so that we could take wedding photos before the ceremony following Julie and Patrick’s first look. Julie thankfully worked with her previously married friends, as well as myself, to really nail out the worlds best schedule which allowed for great flexibility, plenty of photo time and lots of time to mingle with their family and friends. First looks absolutely allow for more time in the schedule, we LOVE the ability to just leave after the ceremony knowing all the formal stuff is done 🙂 Julie looked absolutely beautiful in her dress and super long veil and her flowers from Burklands completed the entire look, we were ready to go for the first look! We kidnaped Patrick (quite literally, it was an interesting drive-by)  and packed up Julie in separate cars and headed over to Bliss Park for a quick, private first look together where they got to enjoy the moment all to themselves. We snapped a few happy photos and headed back to the church for all the formal pictures. We finished those with flying colors and headed outside to shoot a few more before the ceremony. The bridal party went back into hiding before the ceremony and even though Patrick already knew what Julie looked like the moment all the guests stood up and the music got louder, he basically saw her all over again as she walked down that aisle. Two beautiful moments in one day, you can’t beat it. The ceremony went smoothly thanks to the awesome Father Michael and the couple exchanged vows and rings and away we went on the party bus to our first stop of the day: outdoor photos. One of the favorite spots in the Effingham area is the beautiful garden area owned by the Althoffs, even Doug and I had our wedding photos taken there over ten years ago. Today was special though as we had one of the Althoff family members in the bridal party so the location had some special significance. We braved the mid afternoon sun and shot the family and bridal party shots there before doing the bar scene with the bridal party so they could hang with their friends. After making a solid purchase at Wessels (50% off fireworks special) we headed to Tuscan Hills Winery for the reception.

Ya’ll, no one does a reception like Tuscan Hills and the Keller Convention Center. They had a killer spread for the cocktail hour which allowed the couple to meet and mingle with their many guests (something not all our couples have time for on their wedding day) and we loved that Julie and Patrick got so much time not only for photos but for their family and friends too. Keller Convention Center did an OUTSTANDING job not only decorating for the event but also serving the plated meal which was amazing as always. The couple treated their guests to a slew of outdoor games and activities as well as a cigar bar and late night hot dog bar. The brides family made the amazing desserts served and we have never been more entertained by a father of the bride speech, what a memorable event! Their reception was packed full with love and happiness and Patrick and Julie even entertained me grabbing them for a few sunset style shots in the vineyard before getting into the fun of the night: Felix and Fingers Dueling Pianos. Holy talent Batman, these guys are amazing. Not only do they put on a killer show, they are very easy to work with from a vendor perspective and had great personalities. We knew that they would keep the party hopping and I think the only thing amiss in the tent is that the dance floor didn’t take up the entire winery yard. We utilized the bargain fireworks for a couple of night shots, after finding some like minded irresponsible people to aide in our fire and we went home on a wedding high knowing it was just one killer night from start to finish. We were blessed with this amazing, natural in love couple that was a dream in front of the camera not to mention the insanely nice weather that you normally don’t get in July. We really love Julie and Patrick for just allowing us and trusting us to do our thing and just trust that the photos would be worth it in the end. A small investment of time (and it is very small compared to the entire day) can produce some of the most amazing and memorable results that we hope this couple will be able to keep, cherish, and frame for the rest of their lives. Thanks Julie and Patrick for an amazing day, we wish you all the best in your marriage!

-The Keys

* Special thanks to Josh for assisting us with this wedding for videography, we can’t wait to share all the goodness that he and Doug filmed for Julie and Patrick’s special day!