Tara & Brad Carmon's Wedding
Vendor List:
Day Of Wedding Coordinator - 618 EVENTS, Kylie
Ceremony Venue- Wesley First United Methodist Church
Reception Venue - Carmon’s
DJ - Dynamic Sound
Hair & Makeup - Thrive Salon & Spa
Catering & Var Service - Michael’s Catering
Photographer & Videographer - Vivid Studios
Floral - Fancy Florals by Nancy
Cake - Michael’s Catering
Transportation - Elegant Events
Rentals - Herriotts
Rentals - Elegant Events
Linens - BBJ Linens
Rental - Alpha Lit
Calligraphy - AP Calligraphy
Tara and Brad’s wedding was just like a fairy tale wedding. The garden theme mixed with beautiful lavender shades was stunning. This wedding was truly a grand event and went as amazing as it ever could.
Tara and her mother Lauri were such wonderful people to work with. They were always just so kind and considerate throughout all of our interactions with one another. It was a great experience getting to get to know and work with the both of them.
This reception was at Carmon’s in Champaign, which was the perfect space to house all of their guests! I was hired to help at the reception only so I wasn’t involved with the rehearsal or ceremony at all.
Saturday began with Fancy Florals by Nancy, AP Calligraphy, and AlphaLit arriving to set up their part in the wedding. Nancy did an incredible job on all of the centerpieces and other florals that were a part of the wedding. Alyssa’s menus and signage were absolutely stunning. Something unique that Tara incorporated was take home mini vases for the guests. AP Calligraphy made a tag on the vases that invited the guest to take a stem off the table and place it in the vase. How creative and thoughtful of a favor! AlphaLit installed a sign that read “THE BATTS '' which was such a fun touch to the reception space.
Tara had a wonderful morning with all of her girls getting ready at Carmon’s and looked so beautiful on her day. Most of our clients ask how long to allow for the morning to get ready. There are so many variables that play into this but typically our clients’ day is starting at 8AM to ensure that every girls’ hair and makeup is complete on time. It’s amazing how fast the day goes by even though it starts so early.
Once the girls were all ready they headed to the church to get all of their pictures done prior to the ceremony. Tara and her bridesmaids got into their dresses at the church. They also did the first look with Tara’s dad and Brad, the groom, at the church.
The ceremony went great and the couple did a bubble grand exit out the church doors. While the guests headed to cocktail hour at Carmon’s, the bridal party went around town in their shuttle to take more photos and stop at a few bars.
When they arrived back at Carmon’s they did their intros and their bridal party had so much fun with this! I loved the energy that they all brought to the room. Everyone enjoyed a wonderful buffet meal from Michael’s Catering and then it was time for Tara and Brad to cut the cake. This was not just any cake. This cake was the most dreamy, romantic five tier cake that has ever been created. It was so tall (yes you read that right…5 TIERS), and each tier was separated by a layer of beautiful florals. It was truly a work of art and exceeded Tara’s dream cake expectations.
After the cake cutting the toasts and first dances proceeded, and then the party started! They had such a fun group of people that were willing to get down on the dance floor. I loved getting to see the pure joy on everyone’s faces. Tara and Brad had a sparkler grand exit from the reception and had an amazing surprise waiting for them. A horse drawn carriage for them to ride around downtown in. How amazing! The most perfect end to a magical night.
My favorite part of this wedding was the attention to detail. Lauri, Tara’s mom, wanted this to be the most perfect day for her daughter. And she totally achieved that. Let me share some of the over-the-top, amazing details of the day with you. The photo booth had a greenery wall to match the garden theme. The guests took photos on a polaroid and stuck them into a book with a custom border. This border had their names and date and matched the theme perfectly! The seating chart was an assortment of plants with the assignments sticking out of them. The head table was incredible! The bride and groom sat under a beautiful arch with floating lights above them!! How amazing! Every small detail was thought of, and it was evident!
This wedding was truly enchanting and I am so glad that the bride and groom are happily married. Cheers to Tara and Brad!!