“The bride Marisa is originally from the western burbs of Illinois, but currently lives near the sandy coast of California, just outside if Los Angeles in Marina del Rey. Marisa works within the advertising industry for In Touch Weekly Magazine, and Alexis is in a band as a lead guitarist. Marisa was looking for love in LA and about a year and half ago through a friend, her and Alexis crossed paths.

 

“We met when a friend of mine, Stefano dragged me out to meet a few new guys because I was complaining it’s so hard to find good guys in LA. I was reluctant and had been heading out to see a band somewhere else, but I said fine Stefano, just for a minute. Well, it looks like that ‘minute’ has turned into a lifetime. : ) Alexis and I definitely had a special connection from the start… the fact that he was French and played the guitar didn’t hurt either. On the first night we met, we spoke closely for about 30 minutes or so and then had to part ways due to other plans. Alexis text me a little later and wanted my email, so he could send me some of his music, since we had been talking about our musical interests. I’m sure that was half the reason he sent me his music. We started emailing about music and texting back and forth, planning to go out in a couple days. That turned into meeting him out after a Tool concert on Monday, we went on our first date on Tuesday, saw each other again on Wednesday, he came down to visit me in San Diego on Thursday, on Saturday I went to his show, and by Sunday we were in love and practically moved in together! I truly feel like we have known each other for years, even though on the books its only been since July 17th! There was so much honesty and expression of feelings and thoughts between us, we just cut right through the BS. Thanks Stefano, I owe ya one.”

 

When Marisa contacted us, she mention how technically her and Alexis were already married. But, they were planning for a cocktail reception with Alexis family at Chateau de l’Isle in Civray France, and a traditional ceremony and reception in Chicago. Alexis + Marisa had an intimate outdoor ceremony. The couple each recited personally written vows in both French and English. Starved Rock Lodge and State Park hosted both the ceremony, dinner and dancing. A national historic site and Ottawa Illinois river area natural landmark, Starved Rock is known mostly for its amazing location and the extensive display of naturally formed rock canyons throughout the property. It truly is one of the most gorgeous places to be married outside in nature within Illinois – the wooded ceremony vista is high on a bluff overlooking the nearby river valley. With humid and hot temperatures and rain forecasted for nearly the entire weekend, as you can imagine everyone was a little nervous about the day’s plans being rained out. But with drier weather, the outdoor ceremony proceed. However our original intention of hiking into a canyon at the park had to be changed. We proposed a few alternate locations for the bridal party pictures and Marisa said secretly she loved even more our alternate dry locations. She especially loved the offbeat and abandoned train car shooting spot. She said it fit her and Alexis’s personalities perfectly. We were in love with the locations too… the ivy wall, train tracks, inside the messy box car, and graffiti, it was an awesome find. Alexis + Marisa said it was so “us”. When she was explaining her and Alexis had already been married, we were curious to hear more. Both being huge music fans, naturally that was a memorable and big part of the day. Marisa told us more about their first ceremony:

 

Marisa writes: “We initially got married on stage at a Steel Panther show at the Key Club in West Hollywood. Alexis is French so we needed to get the immigration paperwork over with before our July wedding and a civil ceremony at the Beverly Hills courthouse was taking too long! When we initially went to file for our marriage license, it just so happened to be one of Lindsey Lohan’s neverending court dates and there were swarms of paparazzi and reporters everywhere, yelling ‘congrats’ as we made our way out of the courthouse. We ran into an acquaintance, Sean, we often see out and about on the scene and he told us he was a Reverend with a 100% success rate. :) ( He was also wearing a Lucky Charms costume as it was Halloween weekend. ) He asked where we would like to get married and on Stage during a Steel Panther show was the first thing that popped into mind. Sean knew the singer and made it happen through the management. Because this is LA, I didn’t exactly plan on Sean’s follow through. Well one day I was home sick and he called and said we were all set to go on stage. It was Monday, November 1st. I thought Monday?, I’m sick, plus being the day after Halloween? What a perfect day for a wedding right?! :) I popped up and grabbed some Sudafed and Alexis and I met him out at The Rainbow to discuss the schematics for the show. We called some of our closest friends last minute and we went out to celebrate! It was fun and crazy and very ‘us’.”

 

It was extremely important to Alexis and Marisa that they selected an AMAZING band to keep guests on the dance floor. The Libido Funk Circus was their chosen band and rocking the room was just what they did. If you are looking for a band that is other than an average, ordinary band, look no further. Libido Funk Circus has an awesome and commanding stage presence and as they describe their style, they do truly “set an electrifying pace for your event.” The band says they pride themselves on being “the band that party-goers rave about well after the event is over!” So true, we even stayed until the end of the night to watch the rest of their show. The bride, groom, and guests were seriously having so much fun! Marisa + Alexis your entire day was truly a celebration of what you are all about… we had a rocking time working with you, thanks Marisa + Alexis in selecting us as your photographers – we enjoyed spending the day with you! Hope you enjoy pictures from the beautiful wedding day – you are a stunning couple together + we wish to you all the best.”

 

 

 

Marisa + Alexis day of details:
Theme: Rock in Roll Glamour meets Nature
Los Angeles California Vows: On stage at the Key Club in West Hollywood
Outdoor Ceremony: Sunrise Shelter at Starved Rock Lodge
Harpist: Devon Haupt The Classic Harpist
Intro Music Selection: “Canon in D / Bridal Chorus”
Sand Ceremony: “Come Sail Away” Styx
Processional: “Sweet Child O’ Mine” Guns ‘N’ Roses
Bridal Shoes: Guess
Bride’s Jewelry: Vintage Jewelry
Hair Master Stylist: Jerry Monjes of J Alison Salon in Naperville or Tomas West Salon in Chicago
Makeup: Marissa Govedarica, 630-890-1872
Reception Venue: Starved Rock Lodge
Coordinator: The bride Marisa : )
Flowers: Mary’s Special Touch Floral
First Dance: “Starlight” Slash featuring Myles Kennedy
Band: Libido Funk Circus
Honeymoon: Sandals Grande Riviera Ocho Rios, Jamaica

 

Listen to a few sample tracks of Alexis’ music at: French Rocker on Reverbnation

“Erin + Joel’s rustic styled wedding took place in the LaSalle Peru area of Illinois. Throughout our shooting season often we are traveling into the City of Chicago one weekend, and then come the next weekend we are out in the ‘burbs. We enjoy both settings of a modern city venue and location, but we also love the simplistic beauty found in country settings, desolate nature photos, and outdoor ceremonies in unique places and surrounded by nature. Ottawa, LaSalle Peru and even further West into the Illinois River Valley and the Starved Rock areas, we definitely include all of these spots as some of our favorite regions for nature.

 

Erin + Joel’s smiles and love for each other was very easy to capture on this day. E+J’s day started off in us meeting each of them as they were getting ready in separate rustic cabins at Grizzly Jack’s Grand Bear Resort & Lodge in Utica Illinois. Grand Bear was also the couple’s venue where dinner, dancing and their reception took place later in the day. We first met with Erin + Joel over a year before their wedding day. They mentioned that in the earlier part of their relationship, often they enjoyed spend time outdoors, either biking along the river or hiking at the parks in and around Starved Rock State Park. Instantly the four of us bonded on that subject, as we also enjoy hiking in the Starved Rock region too. So when discussing the couple’s ceremony and reception plans, deciding to incorporate photos in nature was definitely a must. Erin + Joel decided to see one another before their outdoor ceremony took place, so we’d have plenty of time for a little, light hiking into a forest preserve followed by some bridal photography.

 

E+J chose a historic ceremony venue where their vows were exchanged outside, in the rain, and on the step of the Lasalle Illinois Hegeler Carus Mansion. The rain held off for the first part of the day up until about 5 minutes before the ceremony began. Continuing on, the bridal party stood alongside the couple as the rain drops steadily fell… guest watched down below with umbrellas in hand. The rain Joel and Erin had made their day one of our most memorable exchanging of vows this year. The light rain was actually quite beautiful. Details we enjoyed about Erin + Joel’s planning was the overall in the woods and outdoors style incorporated to all the locations, selections of details, and decor. Erin’s vintage inspired lace dress tied in a touch vintage elegance. Erin worked closely with her florist in choosing florals to complement their outdoor day’s activities and woodsy venues. Floral bouquets and centerpieces included chopped wood, wood branches, moss, and an earthy color palette. A bright shade of orange found accented in her bouquet and within the bridesmaid’s dresses brought in a lively burst of color. Erin said inspiration for her theme of was also derived from the mansion’s own family history, the story of the mansion and the Hegeler Carus mansion’s historic story of togetherness. Erin decided to carry that over creating a family-togetherness aura while having their ceremony at the mansion.

 

“In addition to the story behind the family that lived at he Hegeler Carus Mansion, we really wanted it to be a day about love and family….and we wanted it to be a personal experience for everyone. Every one of our guests really have played an important role throughout our lives, so for the reception we created a wedding wall with photos honoring those guests and the commitment they made to each other… just the same as Joel and I had that day.” Erin and Joel mentioned they didn’t know at first have any ideas what to do for their guest’s favors. She said “we didn’t want to just throw some M&M’s in a paper box and say thanks for coming! I have a green thumb. I thought it would be cool for the place card succulent plants to double as a little gift guests could take home. Personalizing the day even more, we incorporated a unique recipe concept since we both love to cook. ( Erin said cooking is frequently a weekend date night activity. ) On date nights, we choose a couple of recipes, turn the music up really loud, make some drinks and cook all night long.” So when considering personalizing the reception, Erin + Joel thought it would be a special personal touch in sharing their favorite recipes for everyone to have their own date night at home. Rather than gifting a generic favors… Erin said “we wanted everyone to have a piece of us. If Joel and I had any advice to give anyone getting married, it would be take the time to research and find GREAT VENDORS who know what they are doing. I think the biggest reason the two of us didn’t get stressed is because we made a point to choose vendors who were very professional and experienced and all we had to do was let them do their jobs. Also, don’t sweat the small stuff or the big stuff for that matter. Everything always has a way of working out and at the end of the day, you honestly won’t remember what you were so worried about. I think both Joel and I agree that our favorite memory is when my dad gave me away to Joel in the rain. You just can’t recreate moments like that.”

 

Erin and Joel, we thank you again in hiring us to share the beauty of the day with you. We were honored to be chosen as one of your vendors – we enjoyed capturing the many moments in the official start of your lives together. Sending out a congratulations again to the two of you, and best wishes! Hope seeing photos bring back more smiles for you and fond memories from the day.”

 

 

 

Joel + Erin’s vendors included:
Theme: Vintage Rustic
Mansion Outdoor Ceremony: Hegeler Carus Mansion, LaSalle, IL
Reception Venue: Grizzly Jack’s Grand Bear Resort & Lodge, Utlca
Getting Ready Locations: In a Cabin and Villa at Grizzly Jack’s Grand Bear Resort & Lodge
Bridal Dress Designer: Paloma Blanca from Bridal Elegance, Ottawa, IL
Bridal Shoes: Martinez Valero
Hair: Lauri Vancil and Stevi Fox of Colorific Salon, Normal, IL
Makeup: Anne Frances Salon & Spa, LaSalle
Bridesmaids Dress: Mori Lee from Bridal Elegance
Tuxedos: Jim’s Formal Wear by Marien Mae Bridal
Cake: Kelsey’s Kakes
Flowers: Jennifer Hunt of Countryside Flower Shop, Crystal Lake
Guest Favors: Small potted succulent plants
DJ: Tone Productions DJ Service
Honeymoon: Secrets Capri in the Riviera Maya
Travel Agent: The bride Erin from Travel Connections, Peru, Illinois

 

♥ Visit our photography we captured during our day out in the Spring season for Erin + Joel’s engagement photography session.

 

 

Looking to book a destination, honeymoon or vacation? Erin the bride is an owner and partner in a local travel company called Travel Connections. We recommend contacting Travel Connections when planning a destination, honeymoon or another travel event. Visit Erin’s company’s web site by clicking the preview image below, use this link Travel Connections or call them at 815.780.8581.