K A Y L A

+

M I C H A E L

{November 15th, 2024}

STUNNING!

Introducing our beautiful bride, Kayla!

For her big city wedding, Kayla looked amazing in a fitted, long sleeved gown by Essense of Australia!

She added a dramatic royal length veil, also from Essense, to complete her look!

{Photos by: Stephanie Pana Photography}

For her classic flower arrangements, Kayla worked with Bright + Bloom Floral Design!

You can never go wrong with the classic combo of white florals and greenery!

Kayla married her hubby, Michael, in an absolutely gorgeous indoor ceremony at RPM Events in Chicago!

{Photos by: Stephanie Pana Photography}

If you think the ceremony was gorgeous, just wait until you see this STUNNING reception!

{Photos by: Stephanie Pana Photography}

How did Kayla and Michael first meet?

“We actually FIRST met when we were both in high school, of course not knowing that we would end up married 10+ years later. My cousin and one of Michael's best friends were dating at the time, and the three of them went to high school together. My cousin and I were super close at the time, regardless of the fact that I went to different high schools, and her boyfriend (now husband) was having a weekend party that we were all together at. Fast forward 6 years, my cousin and her boyfriend turned fiance had a combined bachelor/bachelorette party in Nashville, where Michael and I had a couple conversations throughout the weekend, and eventually started dating shortly afterwards.”

How did Michael pop the question?

“After 4 years of dating, Michael and I got engaged on my family's annual vacation to Aruba! It was the first time Michael had joined our trip to Aruba, and halfway through the trip we went down to the beach to "take family photos at sunset" before heading to our favorite restaurant on the island. When the sunset hit perfectly, he dropped down to one knee right on the beach in front of my parents and younger brother. Needless to say, everyone was so nervous that the photos didn't turn out great, but the answer was obvious- YES.”

Did Kayla have any idea it was coming??

“I had a slight feeling, but didn't know exactly when it would happen. We had obviously spoken about marriage, and I knew that we were getting to the point of taking that next step, but I wasn't 100% convinced he would do it then. Of course, looking back now, a couple of my closest girlfriends had hinted that he might do it on vacation. But truth be told- I checked his bag in the airport and never saw a ring! I've also always been the go-go-go type, and Michael has always been the slow-slow-slow type, so I thought it might have still been too soon for him, even though I was hoping it wasn't.”

After she got the ring, it was time for Kayla to say “yes!” to the dress!

“I couldn't have asked for a better dress buying experience, honestly. The WORST part of my experience was leading up to my buying experience, not even the buying process. Something Blue was the FIRST bridal dress store I was going to, and I had a vision of the exact dress I wanted thanks to endless hours of scrolling on pinterest. But I had a tight budget, so I was VERY nervous I wouldn't find a dress and just be defeated afterwards. I truthfully didn't have a backup plan if Something Blue didn't workout. Luckily, there was no backup plan needed!”

How did Kayla know her dress was “the one”??

“I knew my dress was "the one" the moment I put it on. It was actually the very first wedding dress I tried on at Something Blue, and ever. But I drug my closest friends and family from Illinois out to Indiana, so I tried on EVERY long sleeve lace dress (my vision) that Something Blue had. After I finished trying on the last long sleeve lace dress, solely so I didn't have any second guesses or regrets, I put back on the very first dress and was beaming. And everyone that joined me started crying. We all knew it was "the one".”

What was Kayla’s favorite {and least favorite} part of wedding planning?

“Honestly, Michael and I truly enjoyed the entire wedding planning process. We were only engaged for 10 months before getting married, but we took the entire first month to simply budget and plan the big ticket items. We had already been saving for the big day long before getting engaged, and we knew a lot of the vendors that we already loved, so it was just a matter of if they had November 15th available- and lucky for us, they all did. It took us less than a month to solidify all our beloved vendors, so after that we just got to enjoy picking all the fun things- colors, songs, food, desserts, signature drinks, etc. Not to mention, all our vendors were INCREDIBLE and made everything SO easy and SO stress free. And me being very Type-A and very easily overwhelmed, that was all I could ask for.

My least favorite part was realizing what everyone said was true: you spend MONTHS and countless hours planning this perfect fairytale of a day, just for it to be over SO quickly! We even planned little moments for Michael and I to be alone, like our first touch (so we could read our private vows but NOT see each other prior) and our brief 5-10 minutes to be alone after the ceremony to take in that we were MARRIED. But it still flew by. I just wish I could redo the entire day one more time, but this time in slow motion.”

Does Kayla have any special wedding day memories?

“Truthfully, I could not have asked for a more perfect wedding. It's so hard to pick just one favorite! But if I had to pick just one, I would say it was walking down the aisle to Michael. After waiting ALL morning and afternoon to see him, it was finally time. Although that was the ONLY time I got nervous considering it FINALLY hit me that I was getting married (I literally couldn't stop shaking), I knew that the best night of our lives was just beginning. And it began with my dad by my side, in my dream dress + veil, surrounded by our most loved people, and ending with getting to marry the man of my dreams. Not to mention, everything afterwards was great food, better drinks, hilarious speeches, and the best music- ya know, all the fun stuff!”

What words of wisdom can Kayla give brides-to-be who are planning their own big day?
“Besides hiring a wedding planner for the last 3 months to handle the nitty gritty so bridezilla moments don't happen, it would be to enjoy every single moment. Enjoy the stress. Enjoy the budgeting. Enjoy the endless emails, phone calls, zooms, and meetings. Enjoy it ALL. Because while it may seem overwhelming or stressful that day, it all goes by SO fast and you'll wish you could do it all just one more time when it's all over and you're looking back at old emails or old calendar invites or old pictures. We "enjoyed" everything by making it an event! We had our families come to our fittings, our tastings, our walk throughs, our rehearsals, our everything. It gave us something to look forward to and enjoy every week, rather than stress about it.”
Congratulations, Kayla + Michael!!

Check out more of their gorgeous big city wedding photos by Stephanie Pana Photography in the gallery below!