Luthy Botanical Garden & Trailside Event Center Wedding

Peoria, Illinois

Taylor and Brian’s Luthy Botanical Garden and Trailside Event Center wedding was one I’ve been looking forward to since the day they booked their wedding with me. I first met Taylor two years ago at Kourtney and Connor‘s wedding. Taylor was the planner for the day and I was so honored when she reached out to me about her own wedding day photography. I knew that, as a planner, Taylor would make sure the day was beautiful, but the best part of the day was the people . . . and maybe Donald. You’ll see him below wearing a greenery collar. He definitely stole the show. Well, he and Taylor’s little niece River.

When I arrived to Taylor’s house for getting ready photos, all of the girls were finishing up with hair and makeup. I had forgotten that they had chosen a black and white wedding with a lot of greenery and white flowers. I started on getting ready photos and details while the girls finished up, while also grabbing some sweet photos of Taylor & River, as well as Taylor’s cat. River clearly adores her Aunt Taylor, so I was glad to get some happy photos of her before she went to take a nap.

Once everyone was ready, we headed to Trailside Event Center for Taylor to get into her dress and for some first looks. The stairs at Trailside were the perfect place for a first look, especially since it was covered in greenery for the day. Following some photos outside behind the venue, we all headed to Luthy Botanical Garden for the ceremony.

After a sweet ceremony with vows that the couple wrote to each other, we spent some time at the gardens for family photos and photos of the newlyweds. Luthy is such a pretty spot for photos, so even though there were a lot of kids getting homecoming photos taken at the same time, we had plenty of space to take beautiful photos.

Back at Trailside for the reception, Brian and Taylor shared their first dance and Brian danced with his mom. When Taylor and her dad broke out of their slow dance into a perfectly choreographed father-daughter dance, everyone went crazy! Kuddos to Taylor’s dad for learning all of the moves and making such a fun memory for Taylor on her wedding day.

Taylor and Brian, it was my pleasure to photograph your wedding day. I wish you all the best in life and your marriage. I hope to photograph you again throughout the years.

Vendor Team:

Ceremony Venue: Luthy Botanical Gardens

Reception Venue: Trailside Event Center

Planner: Finally! Events Co

Videography: Complete Weddings & Events

Photography: Karen Shoufler Photography

Florals & Decor: I Do Events

Cake: Trefzgers Bakery

DJ: Complete Weddings & Events

Hair: Tori Graves

MUA: Danielle Burnett

Bridal Shop: Simply Elegant by Cheri

Officiant: Misty Winn-Phelps

Caterer: Childers Eatery & Catering

Transportation: Playtime Party Bus

 

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