Independence Grove in Libertyville Wedding Feature: Jess and Zach
This September wedding was such a sweet one to be a part of! It was a pretty cloudy day in Libertyville, but thankfully we avoided the rain for the entire day! I’m sure it was even almost nice for the overcast so that all of the pictures weren’t too blown up with white light. It was also about 70 degrees for the whole day too, which was incredible and felt perfect!
From the start of the morning, Jess was in such amazing spirits. She was gushing to us about her dress and how excited she was to put it on. Her dress was tight-fitted but it looked like it was made for her. I really loved the long sleeves - as it gave it such a sweet, modest feel.
The couple opted to stick to a traditional route and didn’t want to do a first look. As you can see, it was a such a sweet reaction from the groom to see his bride for the first time down the aisle!
Before we knew it, we were already at the ceremony! Jess and Zach got married in a
Greek Orthodox church that followed a very traditional outline - there were candles, veils, and a “first dance” where they walked around the altar.
Also, Jess had this incredible pearl veil that I just adored. I really have a soft spot for unique veils - any pearls, embroidery, or color makes me smile just a little bigger because they are so cool!
While they walked around the altar for their first dance, the mothers threw some petals at them to follow tradition. I’ve never seen a Greek Orthodox wedding, so it was definitely different than what I am used to!
One of my favorite parts of the day are doing grand exits and getting some fun photos from them. They had a great selection of photos of this moment and I love how it turned out!
They also had a unique color scheme worth noting. You don’t see these purples and blues often, but everything worked so well together! I really loved the light purple roses throughout Jess’ bouquet and in the centerpieces throughout the reception as well. Having Zach’s suit jacket also made for a nice pop of color to match the scheme. It’s nice to be able to differentiate the groom too!
Independence Grove has a huge area for photos that they got to utilize for some really nice shots! There is a lake or pond right next to the venue along with many trails near it. There are also a few gazebos and long bricked patios that would be great to get your portraits done.
We had many speeches from family and friends before dinner got started, including from both the bride and the groom! It’s a really nice touch to add a personal thank-you to all of your guests sitting there in front of you. Jess and Zach had such a fun energy through the night, so it was also nice to hear them laugh with their guests like a big family dinner!
After dinner was over, we got started with some traditional Greek music and had a money dance while everyone joined hands and circled the dance floor! It was so much fun to see EVERYONE out there - all the older relatives with their friends all together was such a joy!
The first dance is always so sweet, and they even had a little bit of fun with their spins and dips while keeping good time!
One of the most memorable parts of the night was actually the mother-daughter dance that Jess had with her mom. Her mom came up to the DJ and I before the reception and told us this incredibly sweet story of how they sang and danced to Edwin McCain’s “I’ll Be” when she was growing up. Jess’ mom actually got a Cameo of Edwin saying a “congratulations” to Jess and Zach on their wedding and then sang to them that song for the mother-daughter dance. We were able to arrange this to be a surprise for Jess and had it going for the whole room to hear - and it made everyone cry (including me!).
The night got started and the people were crazy on the dance floor! They had nearly all of their 200 guests on the dance floor for nearly the whole night - it was amazing!
The wedding as a whole was such a fun one to be a part of. The blues and purples were all over with the lights, the linens, and the centerpieces that really gave it such a cool vibe! Jess and Zach were so happy and fun to work with for the day, and with a great group of vendors we were able to pull off a great wedding!
Vendor Credits and their Instagrams:
Ceremony Venue: Ascension of our Lord Greek Orthodox Church
Reception Venue: Independence Grove
Coordination: Firmly Rooted Events
Photography: North Shore Photography
Videography: David Zrwin Productions
Hair/Makeup: Hairs 2 the Bride
Florist: Polly’s Petals
Catering: Catering by Michael’s
Dessert: Oak Mill Bakery
Transportation: Signature Transportation Group
Accommodations: The Forester Hotel
If you’d like some help planning your wedding, email me at hello@firmlyrootedevents.com.
