A Classic, Subtle Beauty-and-the-Beast-Themed Wedding at Tir Na Nog Estate in Lake Villa, Illinois

When Serena (26 and a student) went on a college visit in Kalamazoo, Michigan, she was introduced to her cousin's roommate, Kaleb (32 and a design engineer). He pulled up in his truck and sat quietly away from the group, as Serena jokingly describes, "I thought he was mysterious and brooding, but he just had a bad day at work. Turns out, he was this big dork." Kaleb took the liberty to show her around town to East Hall before asking her out to the county fair, "attempting to win her heart by taking her to see tractor pulls. Instead, Serena stole his heart when she proved she could eat half a funnel cake in one bite," Serena recounts. About twelve years later, when they missed their fancy dinner reservations, Kaleb took Serena back to the top of East Hall where they spent their first day together and asked Serena to marry him. They held their wedding ceremony at Trinity United Methodist Church (where Home Alone was filmed!) in Wilmette, Illinois with an elegant reception at Tir Na Nog Estate, a 1920s mansion filled with antiques and a marble crest, in Lake Ville, Illinois. They loved that the estate had eleven bedrooms to host their parents and wedding party for the weekend without having to worry about transportation or hotel reservations. Serena and Kaleb did, however, treat themselves to a 1939 Packard limousine for their stylish transportation from the ceremony to the reception. With six bridesmaids all over the map--from Texas to Japan--Serena decided it would be best to let them find their own dresses in the same color and fabric, while the groomsmen did the same with personalized Cyberoptix Tie Lab ties gifted from the bride and groom. Since they held their reception at a mansion, it was only fitting that they would have a subtle Beauty and the Beast theme with centerpieces of candelabras and glass-domed roses. In keeping with the theme, Serena and her maid-of-honor wrote, illustrated, and hand-sewed books to serve as wedding invitations. The bride also made hand-drawn pastel portraits as favors for all 140 of her wedding guests! All of these small, customized details added up to a spectacularly fun and fancy wedding celebration.