Stunning, Detailed Elawa Farm Wedding

Terri K. Trost (34 and the founder of an interior design firm) and Matt T. Brown (35 and a senior associate at an investment bank) met in Hawaii and got engaged in Mexico, but for their wedding, they stayed close to home in Illinois. “It was important that all of my grandparents be there, and they couldn’t travel far,” Terri says. “Really the main reason we didn’t elope was because my grandpa, who was in a local band back in his day, agreed to sing our first dance song.” His rendition of “Look at Us” by Vince Gill—his first public performance in over 50 years—was the highlight of the night.
“We wanted it to feel like a sophisticated garden party,” Terri says. Abundant greenery and white flowers did the trick.
Terri carried roses, sweet peas, astilbe, ranunculus, camellias, veronica, and lemon leaf.
 Terri paired her satin gown with a statement headpiece, slingbacks and vintage diamond earrings. Lucite seating cards, scented candles and colorful china sat at each place.  “One of our ring bearers was our husky, Max,” Terri says. “We got him when we started dating, so he’s the same age as our relationship.” The couple served chocolate-raspberry, vanilla-strawberry and banana-and-custard cakes.
 Boxwood topiaries crowned dinner tables, where guests helped themselves to classic wedge salad, fried chicken, lemon cream pasta and carrots with yogurt dill sauce. Delphiniums, snapdragons, chamomile, larkspur and lisianthus marked Terri and Matt’s table. The 16-acre Elawra Farm is a restored 1917 gentleman’s farm and garden. “The natural setting, gorgeous gardens, animals and brick courtyards appealed to us in so many ways,” Terri says.