Hiring a professional florist
Michelle O’Neal-Babicky, owner of Petals and Co. in Rochester, loves weddings. She’s worked in the floral industry providing flowers for weddings since 1982 and founded Petals and Co. 21 years ago. She now averages more than 100 weddings each year, and O’Neal-Babicky says she is never finished learning. When it comes to selecting and planning…
Worth a thousand words
Your wedding day will pass in a flash, but your wedding photographs will last a lifetime and be passed on to future generations. How can you make sure photos of your special day will be everything you imagined? Select your photographer carefully, and seek your photographer’s advice. A wedding photographer is in a unique position,…
Diet no more
I wanted Michelle Obama arms when I walked down the aisle in my strapless dress nine years ago. I worked with a personal trainer and tried to eat healthily, with smaller amounts of beer and frozen yogurt, my standard treats. But I have never been a good dieter. Hunger and abstinence are not really in…
Washington Park
Springfield offers a wide range of venues for your wedding ceremony – from beautiful churches to lovely outdoor parks, from museums and historic sites to banquet halls and clubs, from formal to casual, large to small, and intimate to expansive. A popular place for outdoor weddings is Washington Park, with its colorful formal and informal…
Great places to get married
SPRINGFIELDBallrooms, banquet halls, country clubs and bed-and-breakfasts Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and MuseumThe Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum’s magnificent Plaza, the center rotunda of the museum, offers a spectacular backdrop for elegant receptions. Catering is available or couples may bring in outside catering for an additional charge. The library and museum are is ideal…
Picking a venue and staying on track
Location, cost, size, ambiance and amenities are all factors in selecting a venue for the ceremony and reception. In addition, it’s important to understand how much you will need to do versus what the venue will handle for you. Most people are planning a wedding for the first time and don’t fully appreciate the many…
Wedding advice from a pastor
One of the most important decisions a couple must make in planning the wedding is determining who will conduct your ceremony and where it will be held. Will it be in a church, conducted by a member of the clergy? Will it be in another location but officiated by a clergy member? Or, will it…
Using an officiant to lead
Weddings in Illinois must be “licensed, solemnized and registered.” Couples often choose to have their wedding “solemnized” by someone with whom they have a personal relationship. For many, this is their pastor, priest, rabbi or other clergy member. Others may not be affiliated with a church or may not currently have a personal relationship with…
About Capital City Wedding 2017
About Capital City Wedding 2017 Thanks to Karen Ackerman Witter of Springfield, who assembled and edited this year’s wedding guide, while writing many of the articles. Karen helped plan her daughter’s wedding, which took place on July 9, 2016, at the Washington Park Rose Garden with a reception afterwards at Illini Country Club. She saw firsthand the…
Finding the perfect gown
When you have hundreds of wedding gowns to choose from, how can you find “the one”? By using your body type as a starting point but keeping an open mind. “Girls who think they can’t wear something that’s fitted, often can,” says Lisa Fuhrman, a bridal consultant and stylist at Kleinfeld Bridal in New York,…
