Quad Cities Wedding - Stephanie & Steve

It's amazing how fast and slow a year can go.  I've been looking forward to this post ever since Stephanie & Steve's rockstar engagement session last July in downtown Chicago.  At that time, this weekend seemed a lifetime away.  Then, as I drove back to the Quad Cities in preparation for their big day this past Saturday, I couldn't believe it was here!

Stephanie bursts with energy and Steve is her rock.  She's my type of girl, the kind that jumps at any opportunity given to her.  Steve is right there next to her, but also double checking the harness is securely tightened before the roller coaster takes off.  They are each other's sacred calm after an insanely long day, week or month at work.  And as cliché as it may sound, when they look at each other you can tell the entire rest of the world fades into a fuzzy background.

Stephanie & Steve said "I do" this past weekend at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Davenport, IA with a great celebration following at the Rogalski Center on the campus of St. Ambrose University (stay tuned for that party post at the end of the week!).  We started off the day at 5IVE Star Salon, a super cool salon in the Village of East Davenport and one of my new favorite preparation spots.  The openness of this location is ideal for a group of excited ladies to still be able to see each other and chat will getting pampered.

While I hung out with the ladies, Josh stopped over at the Isle of Capri where Steve and the guys were getting ready.

Next it was onto Hotel Blackhawk for final preparations before the first amazing moments of Stephanie and Steve's day together.

By the way, Stephanie's sister and Matron of Honor, Krissy, MADE the Junior Bridesmaid and Flower girl dresses.  The Junior Bridesmaids' dresses match the Bridesmaids' dresses TO A TEE!  No big deal (read as: Holy cow, how awesome is Krissy!)

Loved the slate silver clutches for all the girls.

Stephanie's Renee Couture gown from A Storybook Ending Bridal Boutique couldn't have suited her more. With it's perfect combination of feminine flowing layers on the bottom and rockin' bling on the top, coupled with her cathedral length veil, she was the perfect balance of modern fashion and beautiful tradition.

Before their First Look, Stephanie & Steve exchanged letters that they had written to each other.  You could feel in the air how badly we all wanted to let Steve pull the door back the entire time, but it was well worth the wait for the stunning First Look coming up!  That and not letting Stephanie cheat by peeking through the door frame was priceless!  :)

Ok, so maaaaaybe us girls tend to be a little more wordy than the boys... Maybe.  ;-)

Hotel Blackhawk is filled with beautiful light, classic furniture and gorgeous detailing.  It's re-vamped combination of modern and classic went right along with Stephanie & Steve's style and was thus, the perfect location for their First Look.

We told Steve that Stephanie would be waiting for him to turn around.  Since she made him wait a bit for her arrival to the First Look, he made her wait in crazy anxious anticipation just standing there being able to see his back!  I could hardly contain myself!  So mischievous, funny, adorable and perfect.

Finally!!

From Hotel Blackhawk it was onto St. Anthony's and a hilarious ceremony with Fr. Apo, Stephanie's family's priest growing up.

This little stud set the bar for the groomsmen all day long.

It was a day full of emotion...

and of course, laughter!

"You may now kiss your bride for 5 minutes!" - Fr. Apo

Mr. and Mrs. Yan :)

The parking lot of St. Anthony's had a fabulous ivy covered wall, featuring a little art work...

How did I spend 18 years in the Quad Cities without knowing this existed?!!

As the day warmed up, we kept everyone cool hanging out in the shade of the lovely Butterworth Center.  The Deere Wiman House and Butterworth Center is a beautifully landscaped garden.  Regardless of the season, it's a great location complete with gardens, open lawn and classic architecture.

Adorable.

So darn pretty!

Being that both Stephanie & Steve use Excel intensively in their every day work lives, they had a pretty impressive timeline for all of us that of course had to be captured!

Thank you to Josh Ohms of Josh Ohms Photography who assisted in capturing all of these wonderful moments.  Stay tuned for a great reception to come in Thursday's post!