That moment when online dating turns into fairytale marriage! Modern day romances don't always have the knight galloping in to rescue the princess from the evil queen's castle, but it doesn't mean they aren't fairy tales in their own right with happily ever after endings. Bob and Dawn Davis Photography and Designs brings us one of those tales. Today's featured bride, Alexandra Wulfsohn tells us she wishes her love story was one of traveling to London, serendipitously bumping into a handsome stranger in an old rustic English pub. Sharing laughs and life stories over a craft beer well into the night. But, it wasn't like that. Instead, they met online, a very realistic reflection of dating today.
Online Dating Turns Into Fairytale Marriage
Chris, a Londoner, was adjusting to a new bachelor lifestyle across the pond in Chicago, when he first decided to make an online dating account. Meanwhile, Alex was disgusted with the dull or narcissistic dates she had been on and was about to delete her own online JDate account. Before hitting the final close account prompt, she received a message from "LondonBoy." Lucky for her, she gave it one last chance. She remembers thinking "since he is British, at least his accent would be entertaining." Little did Chris know he would only have an active account for three days before finding one lucky American girl who stole his heart.
Alex and Chris' first date began at the swanky Pump Room in Chicago. The evening progressed to a few more cocktails at another nearby establishment, and later concluded at one of Chris' best friend's birthday celebrations in River North. Victoriously, Alex had passed the first test (despite only being able to understand half of what Chris said due to his heavy accent), because he introduced her to all of his friends the night of their first date.
The Proposal on a Bad Hair Day
The moment Alex met Chris; she knew he was different than anyone else. To her, his European upbringing had paid off. He was not only charming, but also a true gentleman. She was living at home in the suburbs, and he was living in the city. Instead of resuming his life as a carefree wild bachelor in the big city, he became a dedicated reverse-commuter to see her during the week. After a long day at work, he would travel to the suburbs, spend the evening with her whole family and take the last train and a taxi home every night. Chris never forgot to blow kisses out the window as the train departed. "That says a lot about his love and dedication, especially enduring snowstorms, train delays, and the seasonal monsoons," says Alex.
After more than a year of courting, Chis decided to propose. He wanted to make it a special moment, one she wouldn't expect. Alex was experiencing a long and stressful day at work where she is a speech therapist, she was running late, missed an appointment, was frantic with report deadlines, and on top of it all, says she was having an awful hair day. Chris, however, had a romantic dinner planned at her favorite restaurant. She had assumed it was just a casual date night and started making plans that interfered with the proposal. Instead of going straight to the restaurant for their reservation, she insisted on going home to change. All the while, her family was setting up an engagement celebration at the house, which urgently had to be taken down. She made a quick change of clothes and at the restaurant ordered two rounds of fried calamari starters to calm her frazzled self. During their conversation over fried apps, the topic of marriage surfaced. She made a sassy, sarcastic comment, "Yeah, like when we get married in the year 2050"¦ blinked, and Chris was on one knee with a diamond ring in hand. Without hesitation, she said "yes" while patrons throughout the restaurant snapped photos of the newly engaged couple.
A Wedding that Screams Summer
Alex and her mother combed through hundreds and hundreds of pictures. Everything from flowers to wedding cakes to dresses to chuppah architecture and began shaping their own vision of what a beautiful summer wedding would look like. They wanted lots of color and to take advantage of the gorgeous variety of flowers that bloom during the season's months. Top priority was to create a wedding day that screamed summer using pinks, yellows and oranges. They also knew they wanted unique centerpieces that were different than what they were seeing in other people's albums. Kehoe Designs excelled with bringing their dreams to fruition designing tall centerpieces that filled the room with a fusion of bright color. And they hired the dynamic duo, Bob and Dawn Davis to capture it all.
Alex's mom did most of her greatest Internet exploration during the wee hours of the night, and Alex would wake to an inbox full of suggestions each morning. Reva Nathan, their wedding coordinator, and Alex's mom made a dynamic duo. An elegant custom-designed chuppah was constructed to stand tall at the end of the aisle inside the Standard Club were the ceremony was held on a Sunday night. Each detail, right down to coordinating the ten groomsmen's' socks to the colors in her bouquet shined through. Alex wore a princess ball gown with layers of ruffles and a dazzling bodice from Allure Bridal and her bridesmaids coordinated in orchid colored dresses by Clarisse.
Guests dined on the Brit's favorite fish and chips and sipped mini beers. Sushi and deli stations were also set up in the great reception hall. But, it was the cake that made guests gasp. A stunning three tier, white fondant with dazzling silver pearl embellishments was created by Danziger Kosher Catering and when the bride and groom ceremonially sliced into it Â- a giant brownie was revealed.
The bride and groom agreed that the music at the wedding would make or break their big day. When hiring Chicago's Rendezvous team, they ensured there would be a variety of music playing for everyone to enjoy, including the much-anticipated slow songs that brought guests a little tighter. Their first dance as a couple was too Sam Cook's "You Send Me."
Alex's advice to brides-to-be planning the day of their dreams, is to not only hire a talented team of vendors, but to be sure that you like them on a personal level. And to most of all have fun and enjoy the process. Congratulations to the fairy tale couple who is enjoying their happily-ever-after journey together.
