A Crowne Plaza wedding with 70-degree weather in March? We will take it! The warm glow of the sunset made their rooftop portraits dreamy!

Nope, it isn’t deja vu. Kelsea and Christian made their premier to the blog last March with this post in celebration of their wedding ceremony at the Pillars Event Center in Taylorville, Illinois. Just shy of a year later, they finally had the opportunity to celebrate at the Crowne Plaza in Springfield, Illinois with their friends and family. With the cutest addition to their family being their daughter!

The Crowne Plaza was their pre-covid plan for all things wedding with an original wedding date in June 2021, but with most things pandemic related, plans changed and I agree with Kelsea, it was all for the best in that they ended up being able to utilize both venues they loved. Instead of a ceremony on the rooftop terrace at the Crowne Plaza, we used it for their portraits on reception day. The backdrop of the city in the background in the distance is dreamy and I look forward to shooting there again!

One of the nicer aspects of splitting their day into two parts was that by the time we went outside for portraits of the two of them, we’d already worked together several times! This enabled us to work quickly before sending them off to cocktail hour to enjoy the company of their guests! I credit that to the fact that they had an engagement session with me way back in 2020, where they learned my posing fundamentals. I think we were outside for maybe 20 minutes on the rooftop on reception day!

While they mingled, I dipped into the ballroom to photograph the room all set up before guests were welcomed in. After their ceremony last year, the couple hosted immediate family for an intimate dinner at the Pillars Event Center. They thought ahead when it came to the centerpieces and because of that, they were able to utilize them again this year. SO SMART! They were the perfect scale for both venues and I love the timeless look of them.

Kelsea and Christian, you have been a dream to work with. I have loved getting to know you and your families and truly enjoy keeping up with you on social media. Thank you for trusting me with such precious memories.

Love,

Lisa

 

Ceremony | The Pillars Event Center

Reception | The Crowne Plaza – Springfield, IL

Dress Store | The Ultimate Bride

Florist | Main Street Florist

Ceremony Catering | Secret Recipes Catering

Reception Catering | The Crowne Plaza – Springfield, IL

Bridesmaids Dresses | Azazie

Groomsmen Attire | Men’s Warehouse