Krista & Gus Orpheum Wedding
Vendor List:
Day Of Wedding Coordinator- 618 Events, Kylie Houchin
Venue - The Orpheum
Hair and Makeup - Hansen & Co. Beauty Lounge
Caterer and Bar- Michaels’ Catering
Photographer - Elouise Photographie
Floral - DIY
DJ - Complete Weddings & Events
Cake - Sugar Mama Bakery
Krista and Gus were such a lovely couple to partner with. They had such a sweet spirit about them and were such a joy! I am so glad that their wedding day was so special and that they were both happy and able to enjoy the day!
My first interaction with Krista and Gus began over a Zoom call as it goes with many of my clients. Not only were they long distant from Central Illinois, but this couple was also far from one another. Krista was located on the northwest coast and Gus was stationed in the Carolinas with the military. How strong of a love they must have to plan a wedding across the whole country!!!
We had an initial consultation to chat about what possible role I would play on their wedding day, what their needs are, and how we would move forward. Shortly after, they were so sweet to let me know they wanted to have me be a part! We kept in contact and had another Zoom call close to their wedding date to discuss all of the details.
Unfortunately, the couple was unable to visit town leading up to their wedding date. Thankfully Krista’s family lives in town and I was able to do a walkthrough with her parents at the venue! We were able to FaceTime Krista in so she could be a part of all the discussions. At this meeting, we went over the finalized details and made a floor plan for the wedding festivities.
The wedding weekend began on Friday with set up at the venue. The couple chose to swap a few of my hours around and I was able to join them Friday for set up. We arrived at the venue around 3 pm and got all of the tablescapes ready for the wedding day. Krista chose to create all of her own decor and florals for the wedding. They brought a team of people and we got everything set in place. Following set up, they were able to head back to their hotel and get ready for the rehearsal. Their officiant rocked the rehearsal and was so lovely to work with. The couple headed to Big Grove Tavern for their rehearsal dinner and then rested up for the celebration ahead of them.
The wedding day began with Krista and her girls heading to Hansen and Co. to get their hair and makeup done. Meanwhile, Gus hung out at the Hyatt with the guys and relaxed for the morning. Once all of the ladies were ready, they drove to Krista’s parent's house to finalize getting ready and begin the day. The photographer arrived at the house and got “getting ready photos” of them all. Krista then got into her beautiful princess dress and captured a nostalgic photo in front of her childhood fireplace with her twin sister. They had taken many photos here before for school dances, graduations, and birthdays. How sweet!!
Krista and Gus met up at Westside Park in Champaign to share a first look and take their bridal photos together. We were so lucky to have nice weather in mid-November! It was so incredible that they were able to take outside photos like Krista had always dreamed. They traveled over to the venue to meet up with their bridal party and capture all of those memories together. Once photos had concluded, they were able to relax in the bridal suite at The Orpheum and enjoy quiet time with their close friends and family.
Once the guests arrived it was go time for the wedding ceremony. The Orpheum is an old theater turned into a wedding venue, and it has so much unique character including the stage. I took the wedding party backstage and they entered the aisle through the curtain. It was truly a grand entrance into the ceremony. The officiant kept things short and sweet, but very personal. He was their pastor when they were younger and was honored to officiate their wedding. Gus had his mom perform some beautiful, heartfelt readings and then they were pronounced husband and wife.
The guests headed to the foyer for cocktail hour as we flipped the room for their reception. Everyone was able to enjoy specialty cocktails, popcorn, and passed appetizers. Krista and Gus took their family photos and signed their marriage license to make it official! Once we were all set for the reception, the guests were redirected into the theater for the reception.
The newlyweds had their grand entrance and moved directly into enjoying their amazing salads from Michaels’ Catering. Once everyone had finished, the best man and maid of honor gave a toast before dinner was served. The couple chose a delicious family style meal and was able to mingle with everyone once they finished their meal. Krista and Gus don’t like cake so they had a mini dessert bar instead and had a “mini dessert cutting”. It was so cute! Krista and Gus prefer not to be the center of attention so they skipped out on first dances. In lue of a first dance, they went around and took a photo with each table at the wedding and then a large group photo on the dance floor.
Now it’s time to party! Once everyone was on the dance floor, I turned off the lights when the beat dropped and everyone went crazy! They were such a high energy group that LOVED to dance and were actually amazing at it! They also had board games set around the room if anyone preferred not to dance. Everyone had an amazing time on the floor and enjoyed their evening. I was able to get everything cleaned up and we loaded it all up at the end of the night! We love getting to take that stress off of our clients.
I am so thankful I was able to share this special day with Krista and Gus and wish them a lifetime of happiness! Cheers to the happy couple!