Emily & Benjamin Illini Union Wedding
Pictures coming soon!
Emily and Benjamin booked my Day Of Planning Package back in late August for their wedding in November. They had most details planned out but were overwhelmed thinking about their wedding day.
Emily and Benjamin grew up in the United States but their families are originally from outside the US so they weren’t totally accustomed to American wedding traditions. It was fun to help guide them in these details.
Vendor Team:
Day Of Wedding Coordinator - 618 EVENTS, Maggie
Ceremony- St. John’s Catholic Newman Center
Reception and Catering- Illini Union
Florist- CU Flower House
Photography and Videography- The Media Aisle
DJ- Complete Weddings and Events
Dresses- David’s Bridal
Tuxes- Men’s Wearhouse
Cake- Nothing Bundt Cakes
Chair Covers- Herriott’s Rents, Tents, Events
Benjamin was living in Indy finishing his graduate degree and Emily was living here in Champaign finishing her grad degree. They are both studying music performance. Benjamin plays the piano and Emily plays the violin.
I met with Emily at the church and Union for the two month out site visits. Heath at the church is really knowledgable as he helps with lots of weddings throughout the year. He was so kind and patient as we helped to explain to Emily some American wedding traditions for the ceremony. Additionally, the church basement has lots of space for getting ready and hanging out. St. John’s is on the University of Illinois campus and it’s connected to a dining hall and student dorms. Therefore, the basement of the church is open for students to hangout or study. Benjamin and Emily used that area for the morning of their wedding. I always love when the couple can get ready on site (either at the ceremony or reception) because this relieves stress and pressure that morning.
Emily and I then went to the Illini Union for the site visit. It has been years since I had been upstairs in the ballroom. It’s so 1920’s vibes! Very beautiful. Zach met with us there to outline what the Union provides and what University Catering provides. Emily knew their decorations would be minimal but they definitely wanted to incorporate some traditional Chinese decorations. This was a great chance to find out where and how these Chinese decorations could be fastened to the walls.
Because I had the Salt and Light fundraiser the night before Emily and Benjamin’s wedding (see the Salt and Light fundraiser blog post here) I was unable to attend the rehearsal. I knew the couple was in good hands with Heath so this all worked out perfectly.
My assistant Addy and I arrived around 9am that morning to the Illini Union to complete setting up. Emily and Benjamin had access to the ballroom the day before to bring and set up some items. Addy and I finished setting up the place cards at each table, the guestbook photos, their faith elements table (more on this later), and some other misc decorations.
The day before they had hung the Chinese decorations however some of the tape had not worked and the decorations had fallen. Addy and I got creative and hung the decorations so they couldn’t fall. I wanted everything to work out perfectly for the couple!
Once we finished setting up at the Union we headed down the street to the church to ensure everything was going smoothly over there. Emily didn’t hire hair and makeup artists to help with the girls’ hair and makeup so instead she asked everyone to come at 11am with their hair and makeup complete. They all shared lunch together at 11am before Emily got into her dress.
Emily and Benjamin didn’t want to have a first look so we helped to make sure Benjamin stayed outside the area Emily was before the ceremony started. Emily did share a first look with her dad which was very sweet.
Once the ceremony started, Heath helped to line up the family and bridal party so Addy and I cleaned up downstairs. The church asked that all trash and personal items be removed immediately following the ceremony. The bridal party could remove their personal items but Addy and I loaded up the leftover food, bouquet vases, and some other items that would go to the reception. We also needed to wipe down and sanitize where the bridal party had eaten.
The ceremony concluded, the bridal party and couple left to take photos, Addy and I arrived to the Union to ensure everything was going ok there with the DJ and caterer. The flowers and cakes had been delivered earlier that morning already.
Since Emily and Benjamin are studying music performance they wanted to surprise their guests with a performance. Addy went downstairs at the Union to scope out an available piano. Benjamin and Emily went straight from photos to the piano while the DJ and myself directed all 100 guests downstairs for the surprise. Sometimes it takes a while for wedding crowds to move however this crowd was on it! We didn’t have a ton of time before dinner was to start so we needed to move efficiently. The couple played 3 songs and it was magical! Benjamin and Emily are EXTREMELY talented! The guests were in awe of the newlyweds.
After the standing ovation we all headed back upstairs for dinner. It was a plated meal and Emily had marked on each guests’ place card which meal they had chosen. University Catering handled dinner service like a pro. After dinner, some shared toasts but the most notable was when Benjamin and Emily shared their testimonies to the entire wedding crowd.
When Emily and I first spoke she shared that they recently came to faith and were baptized in the Catholic church. Having their ceremony there was very meaningful. I mentioned the faith elements table above…they had brought books and items of importance to them to share their testimonies with their guests. We set this all up on a table just outside the ballroom entrance. So at the reception, they stood up and shared their faith testimonies. It was very moving. Emily was brought to tears at the beauty of the Gospel and what Jesus did for her and all of us. I have never experienced this before at a wedding and I won’t soon forget it.
Next the couple shared their first dance which was a beautifully choreographed performance. It was adorable!
Once the first dances were complete and the open dancing started, Addy and I were done until clean up so we went home. I was to return at 10:30pm for clean up but around 9pm I received a text from the DJ saying the couple had left and the family was starting to clean up. Thankfully I live close so I rushed over to the Union so I could help. They had everything cleaned up already but I was able to offer to return the chair covers to Herriott’s that following Monday since the families are all from out of town.
This couple will forever leave an impression on me. They were so kind and sweet. I could tell they genuinely loved each other and Jesus. It was truly a celebration of what Jesus did for us and a picture of his covenant with the church. I wish all the best to Benjamin and Emily!
This was my last event for the 2022 calendar year and it was the perfect event to end on!