DJ… please don’t stop the music…
An impeccably dressed groom and a gorgeous bride tied the knot. Not only did they turn heads, but when “Charlie 5” came out of retirement and started spinning at the reception the whole room erupted. The day had already been full of excitement and beautiful moments (including a tearful song performed by the father of the bride), but when the music hit that sweet spot later in the evening, everything came full circle. It was a terrific day for these two! Ashley and Charlie are not only a lovable and adorable, but they are lucky enough to marry their best friend. They found their match, “little do” and “big do”. Congrats you two, may you always light up a room and not be afraid to dance with everyone watching!
Ashley was so excited!
Charlie was waiting across the street from the church…
Charlie’s mom was so happy.
Married!
Fashion shoot with the bride!
Ashley hammed it up for the camera…
Gorgeous!
Best spot ever, so great for the whole group.
Charles has mad jumping skills!
I am so glad they trusted me with this very unique location…
This shot kills me!
The groomsmen were pretty feisty, they “borrowed” a stranger’s dog for this photo.
Some serious air!
Photos from the sky deck are epic…
Ashley’s dad performed a song for her…
The view from the Metropolitan Club.
Ashley kicked everyone off the dance floor and started dancing all by herself- coolest bride ever!
And then the best thing happened… Charlie 5 came out of retirement and started spinning!
This little guy was wiped out!
Congrats Ashley and Charles!
Second photographer: Jamie Hartley
Hair and makeup: Caitlyn Curiale and Kelly Heck of Salon Hype
Florist: Flor Del Monte
Ceremony location: Holy Family Church
Reception location: The Metropolitan Club, Willis Tower
Event Planner: Charlie and Ashley 🙂
Officiant: Fr. Jerry Boland
Cake: Bittersweet
Caterer: The Metropolitan Club
Dress: Tara Keely by Lazaro
Accessories: Veil, Jewelry, Flower hair piece-Bella Bianca; Shoes- Kate Spade
DJ/Band: TVK Orchestra…Guest DJs “Charlie Five” and “Frankie Bank$”
First Dance: No One/ Alicia Keys
Father/daughter: Stand By Me
Mother/son: A Song for Mama/ Boyz II Men
Q&A with the bride and groom:
What was the most memorable moment of your day?
Ashley: The most memorable moments for me were when my Dad broke down with emotion while singing a special song to me and the amazing Best Man/Maid of Honor speeches. They were like nothing I have ever heard before! Also, walking down the aisle and seeing Charlie waiting for me and getting overcome with emotion.
Charlie: Wow…Really hard to say. Of all of the memorable moments…Seeing Ashley walk down the aisle at the church seems to top them all. I thought she looked absolutely amazing and I felt emotions that I have never felt before as she made her way to me. Her dress was absolutely perfect (and totally fit her in all the right places (wink).
What was your favorite detail?
Ashley: Having Charlie as guest DJ in between the band. He killed it of course! And these fake mustaches from the photo booth. Those were quite the hit.
Charlie: Ashley has a good point. Charlie Five coming out of retirement! That was an awesome touch to the day, unique, and kicked the dance party into high gear.
Funniest memory from your wedding day?
Ashley: Again, the speeches especially my brother-in-law who’s speech should go down in History of Best Man speeches. And then during the ceremony when it was finally time to say our vows and Charlie didn’t here the priest say “repeat after me…. I Charles Herman” He stood there staring at me for a minute until both myself and one of my bridesmaids had to repeat it and get his attention!
Charlie: The best man speech given by my brother Don was unbelievable. The entire room was laughing and engaged.
Any advice for future brides/grooms?
Ashley: Know going into to it there will be a lot of opinions and disagreements but once the day comes it’s all worth it. Have as much fun as possible because it goes by so fast.
Charlie: Really vet out the vendors you will be working with. They will be partners in making your day magical. (Find a “rock” like Bethany).
If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
Ashley: I would have come outside of the church right after we were introduced as husband and wife instead of staying to take pictures. All of our guests had received bubbles to blow and by the time we were done everyone was gone. We really didn’t get to see who had attended the service.
Charlie: I once again agree with Ashley…(man I’m getting good at this whole marriage thing)…We didn’t go outside immediately after the ceremony to greet guests. If I could do over I would have let all the guests leave the church, had someone announce us, gotten immersed in bubbles and hugged every single person.
Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Both: We traveled through Europe! We spent our first 5 nights in the St. Germain neighborhood of Paris and did all of the tourist stuff…Dinner in the Eiffel Tower, Moulin Rouge, Seine river cruise, ate the Eucharist at Notre Dame and (climbed to the bell tower), went to the Louvre…The list could go on and on… We then took the TGV to the South of France where we rented a convertible and drove through the French Riviera; we stayed in Nice, Cannes, & St. Tropez (our favorite part of the trip). After the luxury of the French Riviera we drove down the French coast and countryside, headed to Barcelona and spent our final 3 nights there where we enjoyed a Flamenco show and toured the Sagrada Família.