Sometimes it doesn’t get much better than simple, sweet and sophisticated. This Kildeer wedding by Limani Designs brings the joyous traditions and serene designs of a Greek wedding to the midwest. Creamy florals mixed with romantic candlelight and delicate details plus the prettiest of personal touches. Bella Pictures captured each and every beautiful ballroom moment and you can find them all in the full gallery!
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We are so thrilled to be able to share the film from Bella Pictures too…
From the bride… Both Peter and I are of Greek descent, so we immediately knew that our wedding was going to be large, filled with family and friends. The ceremony took place at our childhood church, Saint Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church in Palatine, Illinois, and keeping up with Orthodox tradition, our wedding crowns were bought in Greece and had the shape of an olive branch wreath.
After the ceremony, we celebrated in the beautiful main ballroom of the Concorde Banquets in Kildeer, Illinois. Although our wedding took place in the suburbs of Chicago, we still wanted a touch of Greece. Guests first caught a glimpse of the theme when the cloth-covered book invites arrived several weeks before the wedding. Filled with silver pages and a yellow satin bookmark, the theme of an olive branch was found on each page. The olive theme continued in the hall as guests found their table numbers with three large opened books surrounded by old photographs of our parents’ and grandparents’ weddings in olive branch frames.
Guests entered the ballroom and were greeted by 10 olive trees, each over three feet, that were created by our florist and placed on the outer tables. The banquet-style table layout kept conversations going and were a nice reminder of Greek summer celebrations. The tables were filled with plenty of candles that created a nice glow in the room. Mercury glass vases of various shapes and sizes filled with butter yellow roses, white hydrangeas and a pop of lemon and eucalyptus leaves created a very romantic and vintage feeling. Alongside the candles and flowers were grey, cloth-covered books that added height and depth to the floral arrangements. This was the same cloth used for the wedding invites.
Our love of books carried over to the dessert area where we had three white bookcases filled with homemade desserts and vintage books. Between the two dessert bookcases we had a Jordan almond bar. Jordan almonds called koufeta in Greek are a traditional candy for Greek weddings. The koufeta bar was a play on the classic candy bar and was filled with sweet flavors such as lemon, honey, chocolate and strawberry. Placed on top of the bookcases were some items that represent both the bride and the groom. Each guest also received a small natural burlap bag filled with Jordan almonds, which are given for good luck. The burlap bags reminded us of the large burlap sacks used during the olive harvest. Some of our highlights from that day included the church service, which was steeped in tradition, and dancing with our guests until late in the night. We loved having family come in from Greece and other parts of the country to celebrate with us that day, and we couldn’t get enough of our eight flower girls who almost stole the show.
First Photographer: Joseph Kang from Bella Pictures / Second Photographer: Dave Suarez from Bella Pictures / Videographer: Valdas Sinkevicius from Bella Pictures / Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier / Custom Removable Skirt for Wedding Dress: Kaylee Zastrow Designs / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Bride’s Jewelry: Earrings borrowed from Patty Kopitas, cousin of the groom / Wedding Bands: Karla Lewis / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Bari Jay via House of Brides / Flower Girls’ Dresses: Crewcuts from J.Crew / Flower Girls’ Shoes: Next / Groom’s + Groomsmen’s Suits: J.Crew / Ties: Burberry via Bloomingdales / Ring Bearers’ Suits: Crewcuts from J.Crew / Ties: Gucci / Flowers: Northern Greenhouses / Church Decor: Soula Iliopoulos, friend of the bride’s mother / Ceremony Venue: Saint Nectarios Greek Orthodox Church / Reception Venue: Concorde Banquets / Event Planning: Limani Designs, owned by bride / Wedding Day Coordinator: Brian Figueroa of Limani Designs / Hair: Nikki Bappert, friend of the bride / Makeup: Esther Sifuentes (esther.sifuentes@gmail.com)