Laura & Nate Urbana Country Club Wedding
Vendor Team:
Full Service Wedding Planner - 618 EVENTS, Maggie
Tent & Flooring- Joliet Tent
Lighting- A Posh Production
Rentals- Create A Scene, Peoria Rentals
Lace Linens- BBJ Linens
Venue & Catering- Urbana Country Club
Photographer- Justine Bursoni Photography
Florals- A. Hunt Design
Calligraphy- Apricity Ink
Band- Chicago Catz
Cake- Cake Artist Studio
DJ- Mike Ingram
Makeup- Thrive Salon and Spa
Laura and Nate’s wedding day- err, week- was a total dream come true. It started Tuesday with the tent and flooring being installed. Laura didn’t like the look of the “traditional” tent flooring (plastic puzzle pieces) so she opted for an elevated option covered with cream carpet. Joliet Tent absolutely nailed this! They worked so hard to install it by laying lots and lots of boards then cutting the carpet so it fit perfectly. The flooring was literally elevated off the floor but it also elevated the tent from a backyard BBQ to an elegant outdoor reception.
Wednesday, A. Hunt Design came to install her chains from which the hanging floral arrangements would be hung. The tables and chairs were not yet delivered- intentional so that the tables and chairs weren’t in the way- but this meant I had to have a well thought out floor plan so we knew where to hang the chains. Laura wanted 6 of the tables to have hanging circular flower arrangements over top. The other tables would have beautiful garden arrangements or bud vases with brightly colored florals. No plain jane for this wedding!
Thursday all the twinkle lights were installed and WOW that was a job. A Posh Production was wonderful to work with both prior to and during. They hung a strand of Christmas lights (NOT cafe lights) every 2 feet throughout the entire length of the tent. This tent was a wopper! 120 feet long. The light installation took ALL DAY and into the night.
Friday was a big day with Create A Scene and Peoria Rentals coming to set up all the tables, chairs, and rental items. They had a large team to help set up everything and again, this took ALL DAY.
One obstacle for everyone was the heat. Who would have thought that mid-September would be over 90 degrees each day?? And with a clear-top tent, it became a greenhouse. Luckily, the evenings cooled off so the wedding reception in the tent wasn’t too hot. The guests could be comfortable but WOW I think we all lost weight during set up with how much we all sweat. Another obstacle was the light installation. We had planned to close the tent sidewalls on Saturday morning and run the giant AC to keep the tent cool. However the string lights were tied to the beams that the sidewalls would slide along to close. Woops. I ran to the store to purchase shower curtains that we hung to keep the cool air inside. Tip- no amount of AC can keep a clear-top tent cool if it’s in full sun.
Saturday was even more set up with items that couldn’t be pre-set. Fresh florals, glassware and china, paper items such as place cards and menus (we didn’t want them to crinkle in the humidity).
The girls and gents all stayed and the guys got ready at UCC. The brand new resort at UCC is stunning with every detail thought out. There are several rooms upstairs at the resort where guests can stay. Laura and her maids and family were the first to stay at the brand new resort.
Hair and makeup was done at Laura’s mom’s house in Champaign. The girls then took a white limo over to the UCC for pictures. Nate and his men could enjoy their morning in the basement of the resort hanging out and playing with the golf simulator, eating lunch, toasting to the upcoming afternoon.
All the pictures were done before the ceremony started. This way Laura and Nate could take a few photos after the ceremony but for the most part they could enjoy their cocktail hour.
The ceremony started right on time and their officiant was someone they hired from the Chicago area. This officiant had so much energy and gracefully made the ceremony very personal to Laura and Nate. There were live musicians to play the processional and recessional songs. Additionally, Laura didn’t want guests to walk in the grass so we had a white aisle installed using white dance floor tiles. The ceremony took place on the golf course at UCC in a spot they typically don’t allow weddings to happen. This was a stunning location with greens and trees in the background!
Cocktail hour was around the pool deck at the new resort. The new resort has a giant bar right inside the pool deck doors so we had high tops scattered so guests could enjoy the live music on the pool deck and a drink. I know everyone loved seeing the new resort and the weather was too perfect. They could also take a photo with the polaroid camera for Laura and Nate’s guestbook.
Guests were then directed to walk into the tent for the reception to begin. The sun was setting around this time and that’s exactly what Laura had wanted. The lights were glowing and the band was playing to welcome everyone to the tent. It was a magnificent reveal. Luckily, right after the ceremony, Laura and Nate were driven in a golf cart to see the tent all set up since they hadn’t yet seen it with the flowers and everything. This way they could also see it before the guests were inside.
The guests took their seat and were immediately served a warm flatbread for an appetizer. Laura and Nate didn’t want the entire bridal party introduced so the reception kicked off with the new Mr. and Mrs. introduced. Cake cutting, first dances, toasts, dinner…it was all so magical inside the tent under sparkling lights with a live band playing the songs. There was a slight breeze to help keep everything cool and the tent sidewalls were wide open tied back with greens.
Definitely the best part of the night was the live band, The Chicago Catz. I mean, one band member even wore his sunglasses the entire time. That just screams cool! That dance floor was packed the entire night- they were a total hit and I LOVED working with them while planning too.
After the band concluded, the wedding guests moved to the Urbana Country Club pool deck for an after party including a DJ to play club music, french fry bar, and floating pool lights. The party never ended!