Sara Gardner 1/20/24 Sara Gardner 1/20/24

Christmas Themed Wedding at the Destihl Brewery | Jessica + Daniel

Destihl / Bloomington, IL

Jessica + Daniel put together one of the coolest and most unique wedding layouts I’ve photographed, and they did so in one of my all time favorite venues in Central Illinois. Today we’ll be taking a look at their one of a kind Christmas tree themed wedding at the Destihl Brewery & Beer Hall in Normal, Illinois! There’s a lot about their wedding that I want to talk about, so let's get right into it.

Cocktail Hour and Dinner at Destihl

The Barrel Room at the Destihl Brewery was seriously the perfect space for Jessica + Daniel to celebrate their wedding. The space is open and airy, with tons of natural light pouring which makes it fantastic for photos. The space also has a ton of character of its own thanks to the barrels the space is named for that line the walls, though couples can add their own touches of décor to fit the vision for their wedding day. As it turns out, Jessica runs a local Christmas Tree fundraising event every year, and so it was only fitting that she used some of the trees from her event to decorate the space and give their January wedding a Christmas feel!

The evening began with a casual cocktail hour with Destihl’s famous pretzels and beer cheese before everyone sat down for a delicious dinner. In addition to Destihl’s renowned beer, their food is also fantastic and yet another selling point of this already elite wedding venue!

Wedding Ceremony and Reception at the Destihl Brewery & Beer Hall

After dinner was finished Jessica snuck away for a quick wardrobe change into her white sequin dress. After her and Daniel had a quick moment with one another the three of us made our way back to the Barrel Room for their ceremony. With the wall of barrels and white frosted Christmas trees as their backdrop, Jessica + Daniel had their friend perform their wedding ceremony in front of their friends and family. After saying their I do’s the two were able to spend the rest of their wedding evening celebrating and dancing alongside their guests all night long in the Destihl Brewery’s Barrel Room.

It was so much fun and such a pleasure to document and experience Jessica + Daniel’s wedding at the Destihl Brewery & Beer Hall. These two put such a creative spin on the traditional wedding timeline and I think it turned out phenomenally! For a look at more of my wedding day galleries head on over to my blog, and if you’re ready to book me as your wedding photographer be sure to head to my contact page to send me an inquiry!

Vendors

Wedding Venue - Destihl Beer & Beer Hall

Sara Gardner 10/28/23 Sara Gardner 10/28/23

Restaurant Wedding at FitzGerald's in Berwyn, IL | Megan + Patrick

FitzGerald’s / Berwyn, IL

Megan + Patrick had a pure vision for their wedding day. A focus on fun, friends, family, and of course the deep love these two hold for one another. Not to spoil the whole blog for you, but I can safely say these two pulled their vision off with flying colors! Come with me as I relive one of my favorite wedding days at FitzGerald’s restaurant in Berwyn, Illinois.

Portraits and Private Vows

Their wedding day started on the more intimate side, with Megan + Patrick getting ready separately from one another in the company of their friends and family. Soon after they had their first look in Megan’s parent’s backyard. This also gave them a moment to read their private vows to one another, all under the spectacular fall colors of the massive tree behind them. Having their first look done, Megan + Patrick were able to have their wedding party photos as well as a majority of their couples portraits done early in the day. These were taken at the beautiful St James Farm nearby, and the fall vibes were immaculate here as well. Before long though it was time to hop aboard the trolley with their wedding party members and head to FitzGerald’s for the remainder of their restaurant wedding festivities!

Their Outdoor Ceremony at FitzGerald’s

FitzGerald’s is a restaurant and live music bar in Berwyn, Illinois, and was THE perfect choice for Megan + Patrick’s wedding venue. There’s such a fun atmosphere to the space both inside and out that really fed into the joy these two and their guests felt throughout the day. With a slight chance of rain we chose to have their ceremony underneath the outdoor tent. Not a soul let this dampen the mood though, as everyone was so happy to be celebrating the love between these two beautiful humans.

One of my favorite highlights of the day came shortly after as during cocktail hour Megan + Patrick were able to enjoy oysters off the grill. Not only were these delicious, but it was so fun seeing these two have this time to mingle and be present with their guests! This was only possible thanks to us getting taking their portraits early, and was a priority of Megan + Patrick. We did of course snag a few more portraits of just the two of them before making our way inside for their reception.

Indoor Wedding Reception at FitzGerald’s Restaurant

As far as restaurant wedding venues go, FitzGerald’s is in a league of its own when it comes to atmosphere. Between the warm vintage aesthetic, and the incredible live music the space is famous for, I can’t imagine a better space that Megan + Patrick could have chosen for their wedding. Each moment of their reception felt like a scene from a movie. Like the speeches that brought out the deep belly laughs, or the epic dance floor that was filled to the BRIM the entire night. The night was an unforgettable experience from start to finish, and I’m so glad I was able to document it!

I can’t thank Megan + Patrick enough for choosing me to photograph their restaurant wedding at FitzGerald’s. I’m still obsessing over their day, and honestly probably will be for years to come! If you’d like to see more love stories like theirs be sure to check out some of my other blogs. For those looking to book me as their wedding photographer I’d love to hear from you! Head to my contact page to send me an inquiry so we can get the ball rolling on planning your one of a kind wedding day!