Wedding The Stonegate Conference & Banquet Centre

Nancy & Will – wedding photos The Stonegate Conference & Banquet Centre in Hoffman Estate IL 

Hi everyone! Welcome back to our blog.

We always love photographing weddings. This wedding was a special one for us, because  Nancy ( the bride) was our daughter’s music teacher. During the years she thought Beatrice we got to know each other pretty well. So, we were looking forward to this wedding as it was like someone from our family getting married.

We did an engagement photo session with Will  & Nancy during the summer and it was a blast! 

There’s so much love in the air and the bride and groom spent so much time carefully planning all the details. It was not any different for Will & Nancy’s wedding, either!

The wedding ceremony was at United Methodist Church in Barrington, the reception was at
The Stonegate Conference & Banquet Centre in Hoffman Estate IL, and was catered by The Stonegate. The bride got ready at her house in Algonquin and the groom with the guys at Hilton Garden Inn Hoffman Estates.

Once the ceremony was done we all took the opportunity to take wedding photos while the sun was going down over Barrington IL.

You could tell they were really loving every minute of their special day surrounded by family and friends who loved them. It was really interesting feeling, seeing our daughter as a guest at this wedding!

At The Stonegate Conference & Banquet Centre in Hoffman Estate, the cocktail hour started by having Will’s jazz students entertaining the guests. Will joined the band by playing some amazing pieces on saxophone.

The reception took place in a gorgeous white tent. In the middle of the room was the beautiful wedding cake waiting for Will and Nancy. 

They danced to their first song by Frank Sinatra which was played by DJ Tim Hicks from Music in Motion.

As for us, one of our personal favorite photo of the wedding was when we got to take pictures of bride and groom

 by the fireplace at the venue.

A few more people that helped their wedding go off without a hitch was:

Cake Maker: The Stonegate

Where Dress was Purchased: Oleg Cassini- David’s Bridal

Caterer: The Stonegate

Florist: Michelle Hippler

Photography & Photobooth: H Photography 

Dj: Tim Hicks- Music in Motion

Videography: Martin Events

Here are some questions that Nancy was kind enough to answer:

• how did you  meet: 

We met in college during band auditions as we both went to school for music education.

• what her favorite part of the wedding was, she said:

“Seeing each other for the first time down the aisle of the church.”

• How would you describe your overall wedding experience?

The wedding day was amazing, and the days leading up to and after the day were just as wonderful because we had so many people we loved in the same place at the same time.

• What advice would you offer to other couples planning a wedding?

Our biggest advice would be to plan ahead as much as possible so that when the wedding day comes you don’t need to worry about small details and can enjoy the day.

• Tell me about your dress. Where did you find it, how did you choose it, how did you know it was the one?

I knew the style of dress that I wanted but I couldn’t find it at the first store we visited, so we went to a second store. I immediately saw it and knew it was exactly what I wanted, and when I tried it on it was perfect. It even had pockets, which made me know it was definitely the one! 

• Any tips that you have for preparing your wedding party for the photos?

Make sure your wedding party knows the general timeline for photos so you don’t need to waste time trying to find people. We let all of our family know to meet at a certain place right after the ceremony so we could take photos as soon as possible. 

• What were you most anxious, nervous or fearful about regarding your wedding day and what was the outcome?

Nancy- I was nervous about saying my vows, but it ended up being the most relaxing part of the ceremony because I already knew exactly what I wanted to say.

Will- I was worried about everyone being in the right place at the right time, but everything worked out on the day of the wedding. 

• Was your wedding very different from the way you always imagined it? Or the same?

 Our wedding day was like we had imagined it but even better. Everyone had told us leading up to the wedding that it would go by so quickly that we wouldn’t remember the day. It did go by quickly, but we were able to enjoy so many moments from getting ready, the ceremony, reception, and “after party” that we will remember forever.

We wish Nancy & Will many more years of love and happiness!!

by: Doru & Claudia Halip