1. Real Weddings

A Vibrant Eclectic Wedding at Carriage House Event Center in Altamont, Illinois

Brent Garner, 24, an IBM System Administrator, married Jodi Garner, 23, a sixth grade teacher, in an eclectic wedding in Ilinois. The couple first met

Brent Garner, 24, an IBM System Administrator, married Jodi Garner, 23, a sixth grade teacher, in an eclectic wedding in Ilinois. The couple first met through mutual friends after realizing they had tickets to the same concert. "I was interested in him, but I had no idea that those feelings were mutual," Jodi says. A few months later, the couple planned their first date where Brent asked Jodi to be his girlfriend. After spending part of their relationship long-distance, Brent surprised Jodi with a proposal on Christmas Eve with a ring that had his grandmother's diamond. The couple chose Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Lillyville, Illinois, the church the bride attended while growing up, as the location for ceremony. Their reception was held at Carriage House Event Center in Altamont, Illinois. "We wanted our reception venue to have a welcoming atmosphere and beautiful design without adding a lot of decorations," says the bride. "We also needed enough room for 450 guests, and the open balcony for extra tables was functional and added to the main room's overall appeal." A color palette of kelly green with bright spring color accents tied together with a "whimsical tea party" theme made for a vibrant and fun reception. Jodi made many of the decorative items by hand and also collected items from family and friends. Brent designed the save the date cards and watercolor invitations and the bride handmade all 250 tri-fold programs. "We wanted our whole day to have a special handmade touch, from planning the decorations to choosing the music played by the DJ," Jodi says.

Heirloom Diamond Engagement Ring
"Unlike most brides, I was not excited to go wedding dress shopping," Jodi reveals. "I'm not very good at making up my mind when it comes to clothing, so I was worried that I wouldn't find 'the dress.'"
Jodi donned an A-line dress with lace and sequin detailing on the top and chiffon on the bottom. "I walked into David's Bridal, saw a dress up on the wall on a mannequin, and said, 'That's the one I want,'" she says.
Jodi's six bridesmaids also wore dresses from David's Bridal. "They could choose whatever style they liked best, as long as the dress was Kelly green and short," she says. "Half of the bridesmaids chose chiffon fabric, and half chose satin."
Short Kelly Green Bridesmaid Dresses
Brent and his groomsmen wore tuxes that were rented from Weber's Clothing in Teutopolis, Illinois. "The coats and pants were charcoal gray, and the vests and ties were black," Jodi says. "They also wore black Converse shoes."
Black Vest and Gray Pant Groomsmen Attire
Jodi and her bridesmaids carried vibrant bouquets that that featured a variety of flowers in bright spring colors.
Church Wedding Processional
Sacred Heart Catholic Church Ceremony
Bride and Groom Recessional
Bride and Groom Recessional
Guests threw colorful paper airplanes at the newly married couple as they made their exit from the church after the ceremony.
Paper Airplane Church Wedding Exit
"The selling point was definitely the open, curved staircase that we walked down as we were introduced as husband and wife," says the bride of their reception venue.
"Since I have multiple food allergies, we had a small gluten free, naked cake decorated with flowers matching the bouquets and Polaroid photos of us taken right after the ceremony on the top," Jodi says. "Guests had the option of chocolate, white, strawberry, and lemon sheet cake."
Polaroid Photo Cake Topper
"We both love to dance and have fun, so it was very important to us that our dance floor was full the entire night and that everyone was enjoying themselves," says the bride.