Taylor and Giancarlo | Wedding @ St. Anthony of Padua, Effingham IL

We had such an incredible day celebrating the wedding of Taylor and Giancarlo this past weekend. We had absolutely perfect weather with beautiful fluffy clouds and an amazing couple on top of that. We started the morning at Branches Salon where Taylor and her bridesmaids hung out while hair and makeup was being done all while exchanging gifts with a lot of laughter. Taylor had such beautiful hair and makeup it matched her personality so well and we were so excited to shoot in some nice weather (finally!). Taylor chose the most beautiful bridal gown, now THAT is a wedding dress! She also wore a beautiful cathedral length veil (my favorite) with some awesome flowers from Burklands and we had some beautiful spring trees to work with at the church where we started with family photos outside before using the inside of the beautiful church for our formal shots. Thankfully Taylor scheduled plenty of time for us to work our photo magic before beginning the ceremony with the awesome Father Darren at the beautiful St. Anthony Church. We absolutely love weddings that Father Darren does because he is so welcoming of vendors (such as ourselves) and always makes sure the experience is pleasant for everyone! Taylor and Giancarlo opted for a different entrance than normal and we thought it was super sweet. They saw each other for the first time privately just moments before walking down the aisle. They got just a few seconds to exchange a hug and down the aisle they want, Giancarlo walking her down all smiles as they headed down together to exchange vows. It was very sweet and different and we loved the moment. The ceremony was full of tears and smiles and the couple happily rejoiced after they exchanged rings to their new life together. We wrapped up family photos after the ceremony and then headed outside to snap a few more bridal party portraits before we headed over with the couple to Tuscan Hills Winery which served as a perfect backdrop for this glorious sunny day. We shot a few bridal portraits there before heading to the reception at the new hall “Rustic Gatherings” in Effingham. This was an adorable place complete with decor and tables from Walnut Street Weddings and we loved the theme and overall feel of the facility. Taylor and Giancarlo mingled with their family and friends in a very relaxed setting before being officially introduced into the reception. We were so graciously gifted with the most BEAUTIFUL handmade pottery dish by the groom’s mother who handmade and painted each and every wedding favor for their guests and it is now gracing our dresser to hold our wedding rings at night. We even used it for a ring shot for Taylor and Giancarlo! We enjoyed a beautiful evening, an incredible sunset, some awesome food from Witt’s Catering, a delicious assortment of homemade desserts made by the family, and even a piñata. To celebrate Cinco De Mayo the groom’s father presented the bride with her very own piñata which she and Giancarlo took a few swings at before the first dance got underway. The couple danced the night away with their family and friends to their awesome band and we think they had just a perfect day. We couldn’t be happier for this genuine and authentic couple, we loved working with them so much, we hope the images convey how relaxed and naturally in love they were. What a great day and a wonderful experience working with them and their families. We wish them the very best! Congrats Taylor and Giancarlo!

-The Keys

*While normally our blogs focus heavily on the bride/groom and bridal party we opted to include a few more family photos than normal for Taylor and Giancarlo as we know they have a wedding reception back in Texas this upcoming weekend and we wanted to make sure to include them. If you don’t see the family photo you were in at their wedding, don’t fear, the couple will get them all soon!