Kate
+
Hayden
{September 5,2026}
Photos by https://www.ostendo.photography/
Introducing our lovely bride, our very own, Kate
Some of you already know and love her!
Kate is wearing a gorgeous A-line gown by Stella York
Photos by https://www.ostendo.photography/
Kate’s florals were absolutely beautiful!
Blooms by Chris did such an amazing job
Photos by https://www.ostendo.photography/
After the newlyweds got ready and had the sweetest first look they headed to their ceremony.
Kate and Hayden had their ceremony at Faith Church in Highland.
Photos by https://www.ostendo.photography/
After a heartwarming ceremony, they then headed to the Ford Hanger in Lansing,IL for their reception!
Photos by https://www.ostendo.photography/
How did Hayden and Kate meet?
We are high school sweethearts!! Hayden moved here his junior year from Iowa for his dad’s job, and we were in the same grade. We didn’t have any classes together and didn’t start talking until the end of junior year, but started dating the summer going into senior year!
How did Hayden propose?
He proposed in my backyard! We went out for dinner, and his parents and my family set everything up together for when we came home. It was so special! For him to do it in the house I grew up in, with both our families there, and one of my friends took pictures for us!
Was Kate surprised or did she see it coming?
I knew that it was most likely coming in the next handful of months, but the actual night it happened, I was totally surprised!!
It was time for Kate to “say yes to the dress”
It was amazing!! I had a private appointment on a Sunday with all of my closest people. Sandy was my stylist, and I felt so comfortable and just had so much fun. It was a very emotional time for me and my family as my dad had just passed away soon before my original appointment that I had to postpone. But when we were able to finally come in, we were treated with such care, and it mean so much to all of us.
How did Kate know her dress was “The One"?
It just felt like me! It surprised me as it was very different from my inspo and what I thought I wanted, but I loved how it still felt clean and classic with a little twist. I could also picture me wearing it at the church and our reception venue. I just kept coming back to it, and I felt so confident in it!!
What was Kate’s favorite part of the planning process?
I loved at the end of planning, seeing how everything came together and how the vision came to life! We had to do a lot of work at our reception venue, so seeing all the decor and aspects of the Hangar come together was so fun! And it was even better than I hoped!
What was Kate’s least favorite part of the planning process?
Seating charts are hard!! Knowing how many people to put at a table, trying to put people together that know each other, people maybe cancelling last minute, printing out the chart. It was not my favorite, but it ended up working out great!
What was your favorite moment of your wedding?
Dancing at our reception!! You will always find me on the dance floor at a wedding, but it was so special dancing at ours. We had the best time dancing with all our people and celebrating that we just got married!!!
And an honorable mention, having a second with my brother before he walked me down the aisle. It was very emotional, but so special to get ready to walk down and take everything in.
What is the best piece of advice you can give brides-to-be who are currently planning their big day?
It of course is easy to say now, but everything will work out!! There may be some hiccups or things that don’t go perfect. But control what you can, and if you can’t, you will still be getting married and people most likely won’t notice!! You have planned for a long time and have done everything you can leading up to it, now enjoy it and let people help!
Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Te Grotenhuis!
If you’d like to see the rest of their beautiful pictures by Studio Ostendo, CO Photography, check out the gallery below!
