South Second Wedding

Leah & Patrick

Leah and Patrick are two incredibly genuine and joyful individuals. Being able to spend the day with them as they made their vows to one another was an enormous delight. Their South Second wedding day was filled with their radiant smiles and joyful laughter, and everyone there could feel the love and devotion between these two.

Patrick and Leah met in dental school, and their story is absolutely adorable. Having started out as friends, Leah was pretty hesitant to date Patrick. This was not because she didn’t like him; on the contrary, it was because she liked him SO much! Patrick finally wore her down, and she agreed to date him. They spent many dates together getting through dental school, through the triumphs and defeats. And they spent many fun moments together on adventures or their “do nothing” date days. They both knew early on that their connection was something rare and special. After a little while, Patrick knew it was time to ask the big question.

Patrick: Once I knew that Leah was the person that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, I had to come up with a way to ask her! My parents and I were brainstorming one day, and I came up with the idea to do it at her family’s annual Cinco de Mayo party, as it is a fun event that everyone in her family attends! My parents and I all thought it would be a great idea, however, I did not want my family to be left out of the fun. Therefore, we devised a plan to get Leah to invite them! They were originally scheduled to be out of town that weekend, so we created the story that they were going to be coming back through Chicago that weekend. When we mentioned it, Leah took the bait and invited them. It worked!
Next was asking for permission from her parents! I called the two of them up and asked her father for permission. They both were so excited, and we began to plan how to pull it off. Putting the ring into the piñata and risking it coming crashing to the ground was out of the question, so we decided to blindfold Leah for the piñata, and when the blindfold was removed, I would be standing right in front of her to surprise her and ask her to marry me. The day of the party came, and I started to get nervous. Leah had originally told me that she didn’t want anyone else around for our proposal, so I had taken a gamble in devising this plan. After some reassurance from my parents, I was ready for the proposal.
After dinner, we all went outside for the piñata. Leah wanted to start with the oldest and go to the youngest, but her dad quickly nixed that idea, knowing that I would not want to wait that long! Leah went second in line, and as she began to remove the blindfold after failing to break the piñata, I was standing there waiting to ask the most important question of my life. As I began to speak, I pulled out the ring and opened the box upside down, which has since become an inside joke between us. In the end, the two of us were so happy with the day of our engagement, and how we were surrounded by those we love most. It was a perfect day that I will forever look back on and smile.

Leah: Patrick proposed on one of my favorite days of the year, the Cinco de Mayo fiesta at my parents’ house! I had absolutely no idea it was coming that day. I had always told Patrick I thought of our proposal story as just us two, not in front of people. Patrick knew just what I wanted deep down, and what I didn’t even know I wanted. I think there were multiple times I would just look at my mom or Patrick and say “I LOVE our Cinco de Mayo fiesta!!!!” I had no idea that I would definitely love it a whole lot more!
After our family dinner, we went outside to get the piñata started….the year prior we started with the youngest, so I told my dad he should start since he is the oldest. He was insistent that the youngest start first, so my sister-in-law Heather went and barely made a dent in the piñata. I was up next. I got spun many times, which felt like even more after a few margaritas! My brother was pulling the piñata string and playing jokes on me, but even when he left it still, I didn’t do too hot. Hitting a piñata has never been my forte.
My dad came to unblindfold me, and when I opened my eyes, Patrick’s face was about an inch away from my face. He just looked at me and said “Hi.” I am pretty sure everyone could hear my heartbeat, and everything around us faded away, it was just me and Patrick. I forgot about everyone else. He got down on one knee and proposed in front of everyone! I could not even say yes because I was totally beginning to cry…I just shook my head yes over and over and hugged him! It was more than I could have ever asked for!!!! The only people that knew it was coming was my parents and his parents…it was absolutely the BEST. The surprise, for me and for everyone else!

As you can tell from their proposal story above, these two are so well suited for each other. They are two people matched in their genuine, caring, and kind personalities. They love to laugh, and they love their friends and families so well. We began their South Second wedding day at the Homewood Suites in the Third Ward. When we started covering photos of the men, they were in the middle of what might now be declared, “the great tie escapade!” It was the minor hiccup on the wedding day, and even in the middle of the singular lost tie, as Patrick was trying to stay calm, he said to us, “We’re going to laugh about this someday.” Well thankfully, they were able to laugh about it the SAME day because they found the tie! 🙂

After preparing at the hotel, the parties headed over to Brewcity Church for the ceremony. Leah and Patrick exchanged letters and then prepared for the big moment. The ceremony itself was all joy and celebration. The smiles on their faces seemed to last for days, and Leah said afterward that she simply could NOT stop smiling! I think that pretty much sums up the day for them both – they couldn’t stop smiling!

After the ceremony, the wedding party traveled to the Lakefront and Third Ward for pictures after ending at South Second for the reception. Leah and her mom, Bonnie, did nearly ALL of the decor themselves! Leah dreamed up the decor, and she and her mom created the beautiful welcome sign, the adorable marble hexagon coaster name cards, and the centerpieces. It all was so beautifully done! The reception was filled with loving speeches and toasts and the most incredibly meaningful dances. Leah and Patrick had their first dance, followed by Leah’s dance with her father. Then Patrick had his dance with his mother. The anniversary dance was won by Leah’s parents, which was SO adorable, and best of all, Leah’s 5 brothers surprised her with a special dance of their own. They each took a turn dancing with Leah, and then handed her off to Patrick at the end. It was so lovely!

Everything about Leah and Patrick’s South Second wedding was perfect. The next chapter in their story has begun, this one as husband and wife. Enjoy these favorites from their lovely day!