Classic wedding uses Pinterest ideas

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Classic wedding
uses Pinterest ideas
Melissa Giese and Reid Kehoe
BY CAITLIN MULLEN
Contributing writer
O
ne of Reid Kehoe’s favorite parts of his wedding day to
Melissa Giese was cocktail hour on patio of Biltmore
Country Club in North Barrington.
They were newly married, the weather was perfect, a
five-piece Irish band was playing and they had the whole
night ahead of them.
“That, to me, was just one of the most enjoyable parts of
it,” Reid said.
Melissa, from Palatine, and Reid, of Wheaton, currently
live in La Crosse, Wis., where she is a counselor for at-risk
adolescents and he is a neuropsychologist.
The two dated on and off after meeting in spring 2004
at Purdue University and kept in touch through graduate school. About five years ago, they started dating
more seriously.
Reid proposed in June 2012. After a wrench was thrown
in his elaborate plan, he kept things simple with flowers
and candles during a romantic night at home.
“It kind of worked out perfectly,” Melissa said.
They chose to have the ceremony at St. Paul United Church
of Christ in Barrington because they wanted Reid’s cousin’s
husband Britton Smith to take part in officiating by delivering
the sermon, and the church welcomed the involvement.
They gave guests noisemakers to use as they exited the
church, and Melissa loved hearing the cacophony as they
prepared to walk out together.
Melissa’s dad, James, is a member of the Biltmore
Country Club in North Barrington, which Melissa and Reid
loved for its elegant atmosphere and the ability to have
cocktail hour and the reception in separate rooms during
their Sept. 14 wedding.
“We looked at a couple different places, always knowing
that that was our frontrunner the whole time,” Melissa said.
They turned to Pinterest for wedding decor ideas, such
as adding brooches to her bouquet and having guests sign
quilt squares in place of a traditional guestbook.
Melissa’s mom, Mary, handled most of the work on
their centerpieces, which were a mix of black hurricane
vases filled with starburst lilies and hydrangeas, and
upside-down wine glasses serving as candle holders with
flowers underneath — another Pinterest idea.
Melissa said she wanted the day to be “elegant, simple
and classic.”
Most of the songs played during dinner were from mix
CDs Reid made for Melissa while they dated long-distance.
Joshua Radin’s “I’d Rather Be With You” — on the first CD
he made for her — played as they danced together for the
first time as husband and wife.
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY SUSAN RYAN PHOTOGRAPHY
Photographer: Susan Ryan Photography, Chicago
Videographer: Studio One Photography and Video, Naperville
Ceremony venue: St. Paul United Church of Christ, Barrington
Reception venue: Biltmore Country Club, North Barrington
Floral arrangements: Garvin Gardens, South Elgin
Dress: A L’Amour, Barrington
Disc jockey: Music By Design, Chicago area
Cake: Jarosch Bakery, Elk Grove Village
Bridesmaids’ dresses: House of Brides, multiple area locations
Men’s attire: Jos. A. Bank, multiple area locations
Transportation: W-Limo, Des Plaines
Hair: L’Auberge A. Golden Day Spa & Salon, Barrington
Favors: Bottles of maple syrup, Sugarbush Farm, Woodstock, Vt.
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