ELLIOT & HOLLY / Illinois Farm Wedding

Elliot and Holly got married this fall at at private residence north west of Chicago. The residential property, once used to house Lipizzaner horses, is a circular series of connected barns, enclosing a beautiful courtyard. The property overlooks cornfields and a big prairie land sky (I grew up in Illinois and love going back ;) ). It’s a setting dear to Holly’s heart as it’s where she lived and worked as a nanny when she first came to the US from her native South Africa.

Elliot and Holly, both writers who met in an MFA program, styled their wedding gorgeously with velvet, satin and gem tones. There was a luxurious, art deco feel and I loved it. Holly wore a beaded cape over her silk sheath dress, and bold red lipstick. Elliot wore a black velvet suit and a sweet emerald green and black double bow tie.

Food was an important part of the festivities, with Chef Jesse Hughey from Charleston, SC cooking for their rehearsal dinner. And on the wedding night they shared many of Holly’s favorite South African dishes. They also chose to have a seven tiered “cake” of cheeses which looked and tasted fantastic.

What a joy it was to celebrate with these two!