Sophie and Connor | Wedding @ St. Anthony of Padua, Effingham IL

I find myself as the weddings dwindle in numbers for us getting pretty sappy about weddings. It doesn’t help that this particular wedding was close to our hearts. I’ve known Sophie and the entire Hoffman family since I was “adopted” into the West and Tucker families when I was 7 years old. I distinct fully remember my first Thanksgiving with the clan walking in to this gigantic family and thinking “oh my gosh, what did my mother get us into.” The Hoffman’s were always a part of that group and it took me a long time to realize they weren’t actually my cousins (can you blame me? there are a LOT of West cousins..) Despite us not “officially” being in the same family, I’ve seen the Hoffman’s at just about every holiday since I was a kid so it makes sense that this wedding was pretty special. Working with Connor and Sophie has been a joy- they were absolutely laid back and trusting of our vision and plans for photos and you won’t find a more genuine, in love couple than these two. This weekend was also very special to us as it was the same weekend 11 years ago that we got married in the exact same church.

We started the morning at Sophie and Connor’s home where the mood was laid back and upbeat about the weather moving from the area and producing a 75 degree perfect day for the wedding. Sophie was gifted with surprises by her bridesmaids as the crew from Branches created beautiful bridal party looks. Carrie Kowalski, a trooper in her own right not only created the brides bridal do she also did so with a baby on the way at any time now and still looked stunning at the couples wedding celebration. Sophie chose a beautiful gown and it didn’t shock anyone when her dad Darrell immediately teared up when he saw her for the first time. It was the sweetest moment. We headed over to the Kabbes home where Sophie and Connor had a beautiful and private first look at the house and were just so excited to spend the day together. We made use of Doug and Cheryl’s beautiful home and captured as many photos as we could before it was time to head to the ceremony. I can’t say enough about Kay and the Burklands Team for turning the house into a floral wonderland and making the reception look straight out of a fairytale. We headed to St. Anthony where Father Mark, a welcome addition to St. Anthony made everyone feel welcome during the ceremony as he offered sage advice to the couple and officiated over a wonderful ceremony. We appreciate his attitude towards vendors as well, always very welcoming and friendly. The couple exchanged vows and rings and then headed back to the house so that they could greet guests as they arrived at the home – a touching commitment to how much they cared for their guests. During cocktail hour, guests were treated to an amazing spread by Firefly Grill where Niall and his team put on an impressive display of oysters and crab for guests to enjoy. The weather cooperated well and guests were able to enjoy the grounds and splendor completed and organized by Palace Events. The couple made their grand introductions and then were treated to an amazing meal by the Keller Convention Center staff. The grooms sisters, Christa and Courtney gave a touching tribute to their brother and his new wife and Darrell the father of the bride gave an emotional and touching speech about mentors paying tribute also to those who had come before. The couple also heard speeches from their best man and maid of honor before enjoying a first dance serenaded by the band Hey Jimmy. The party kept moving as Hey Jimmy pulled out greatest hits, one after another and as the sun went down, guests enjoyed every second of the reception including a dessert and popcorn buffet and a late night grill snack provided by Keller Convention Center. Everything from the decor to the reception execution was awesome and Doug and Cheryl’s home was a perfect setting for the wedding. The dance floor was packed most of the night but more so when the party paid tribute to all the IU grads at the reception with a rousing rendition of the IU fight song. It was a fantastic day and we thank Connor and Sophie for bringing us along for the ride. We couldn’t imagine a better way to commemorate our last St. Anthony wedding of our careers especially given the weekend timing. We can’t wait to share the wedding trailer with you (surprise Sophie and Connor, we did a little covert filming yesterday) so that you can relive all of the memories, speeches, and more.

Cheers to you both on a happy marriage,

-The Keys