Molly and Joey’s University of Illinois wedding was held outdoors on a hot autumn day at the arboretum. Their orange and blue wedding was filled with so many fun U of I touches from the gorgeous flowers to the orange Yeti that sat on their gift table at the Colannades Club to collect cards.

When I met up with Molly and her bridesmaids at her grandma’s house in Champaign, everyone was so calm and relaxed. I love it when brides get ready in someplace meaningful, especially if it has good lighting. I started by photographing Molly’s gorgeous dress and the rest of the details, while my second photographer met up with the guys for some getting ready pictures. It was a very hot fall day, so we kept Molly inside as much as possible, allowing her the stay cool before heading outside in the full sun for the ceremony.

Molly was walked down the aisle from the back of the gardens by her son and then met up with her dad as they got closer. It was so sweet to see them walk her down the aisle together. Joey was emotional as Molly approached him, which made everyone teary eyed. While the ceremony was kept short due to the extreme heat, it was a beautiful ceremony in the middle of the gardens at the arboretum.

After the ceremony, we headed around to special places on campus for bridal party and bride/groom photos. We made a quick stop at the famous Morrow Plots before we headed to the quad and Follinger Auditorium. There were some students doing some kind of filming on the steps at Follinger, but they were very kind to step aside for a bit while we took some photos there. We ended our portrait time at Memorial Stadium, home of the Fighting Illini football team. It was quite the experience to photograph right on the field, and the bridal party was having a blast.

We made our way to the reception area, which was right up the stairs of the stadium at the Colannades Club. What a cool place to have a reception. The guests were seated at tables overlooking the football field. If you are getting married soon and are an Illini fan, you should definitely check out this unique venue.

You can read all about Molly and Joey’s love story on their engagement session blog post here.

Vendor Team:

Ceremony Venue: University of Illinois Arboretum

Reception Venue: Colannades Club at University of Illinois

Florist: Flowers by Kristine

Videographer: 217 Photography

DJ: Elite Mobile DJ

Cake Artist: Lynette Bouton

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If you would like to book me for your wedding photography, please contact me via the contact form on the home page or email me at karen@karenshoufler.com