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Its not often that we have the pleasure of hearing responses from our groom’s which is really too bad, but it seems that when we do, the quality is down right…. SWOON.WORTHY.  I hope your ready because Erin & Kevin Watson’s Grove Redfield Estate wedding shoot by Illinois photographer Korto Photography is going to bring glee to your heart both visually & with the sweetly stated recanted story of Kevin falling for Erin from his perspective.  I won’t spoil his words, but let’s just say they are elementary school sweethearts, that’s right…. Elementary!  After reading their words about their love story & design of their day, I am not surprised that the passion matches the explosion of beauty you see.  Allison of Korto Photography‘s wonderfully artistic style is a match made in heaven with these two and it all plays out like an editorial spread in your favorite wedding glossy magazine.  Early spring setting, handmade details, keen wedding fashion from both the bride & groom {the back of Erin’s dress is to die for!}, & a storybook Illinois estate wedding locale.  Its hard to select a favorite moment, though the last few frames at twilight shot by Allison are simply beyond dreamy.  Buckle up kiddies, your about to swoon all over this Grove Redfield Estate wedding!

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Novella of the Bride…

Wedding Buzzwords ~ Rustic, Un-Traditional, Contemporary, Vintage, Relaxed, Scenic, Serene, & Charming

We grew up in the same neighborhood as children-a couple blocks away from each other, in fact. Throughout K-6th grade, we shared a few of the same teachers, as well. *Funny story: When we were in the 1st grade, I {Kevin} decided to bring a gift to school just for Erin. Why I picked her of all the girls could have just been a coincidence, but what was more hilarious was the size of the box. Imagine a little kid lugging a pottery set box that was the size of himself into a gradeschool so he could give it to his crush. That little boy was me. And, it sounds like the only thing that was more embarrassing than reflecting on that story was how much fun her dad and big sis made with the story. “Erin’s got a boyfriend, Erin’s got a boyfriend!” Anyway! I moved to another city in the 6th grade…Erin even wrote about it in her scrapbook from high school, saying how sad she was that he had left. Fastforward 14 years- through high school and college, successes and failures, good and bad relationships, new jobs and new dreams…the elementary crushes would unknowingly attend a mutual friend’s wedding. And, the miracle about this little arrangement is that we were both dateless! The stars aligned just right that night. I still remember during the ceremony when I was checking out the good-looking women as they were taking their seats and discussing it with my friend next to me. I remember saying, “Hottie, 3 o’clock.” to my friend. After everyone is seated, my eyes are wandering throughout the crowd and I lock eyes with THIS HOTTIE…the same one I mentioned earlier. And, for some reason she started waving at me. I was like…OMG why is she waving at me? There’s no way she could be waving at me. (And, she felt like a complete idiot afterwards because he didn’t seem to recognize her!) Then, the face that I was staring at came together like a puzzle and I recognized her. ERIN. Unbelievable. My heart-dropped and I was much more excited to be attending this wedding. Despite all of the nervousness,  we danced the night away and hung out like no time had passed-curious about one another. After the reception, we exchanged numbers and talked the whole night. The rest is history. Our love grew deep and wide, faster than anything I had ever been a part of before. We had a history and we had a future. Our love survived being distanced 1,000 miles for months, and now our love will use its strength to propel us 1,000’s of miles into our dreams. You know, this is just my side of the story. There are so many things that make Erin and I so perfect for one another, and 99% of them are too beautiful to put into words. After viewing countless halls, lofts, and wedding spaces and always feeling fairly ‘meh’ with them, we came across this location. We both instantly were finally pushed over the edge into one direction. The Redfield Estate was natural. It was beautiful, outdoors, swimming with life and potential. The natural landscape was a perfect canvas for us to create our wedding.  The theme was rustic outdoors and I {Erin} personally hand-crafted all of our save-the-dates, invitations, place-cards, card box, table runners, centerpieces, ceremony aisle mason jar décor, and photobooth props.  Friends and family helped immensely in creating our special touches as well!

Favorite Moment ~ We both agree that our most-favorite moment was toward the end of the evening. We decided to escape from the party and venture off into the distance where we could view the entire estate. We held each other and took in all we had created over the past 8 months. We took slow, deep breaths, and tried to mentally capture and soak up the moment. It was a warm memory that will stay with us forever.

Vendor Love

Photographer: Korto Photography | Venue: The Grove Redfield Estate | Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal | Shoes: Anne Michelle | Makeup: Alex Rivera | Groom’s Attire: Express | Invitations: eFowCreations | Music + Lighting: AMP DJ Services | Florist: Aberdeens Wedding Florist | Caterer: Corky’s Catering | Baker: Portillo’s, Orland Park Bakery Wedding Planner: eFowCreations