ANNIE + BRENNAN WEDDING DAY

They met through mutual friends at a music festival (that only happened once, perhaps designed by fate just so the two could meet) in Buena Vista, CO. It was a fun filled weekend, but the best part was the fact that as the weekend went on they found themselves inching closer to each other. They’ve been inseparable ever since.

Besides his supremely charming smile, she was taken with his “super snuggly looking shoulders, and beautiful man bun”, but mostly she was drawn in by his groundedness and subtle strength.
He was taken with her smile, her sparkly eyes, and her most sweet, caring, and easy going personality.

For the first year, the two experienced the joys of a long distance relationship. Whether it was a 2 hour drive through the mountains of Colorado between Breckenridge and Boulder, or a 2 hour flight from Colorado to Illinois, they learned a lot about each other along the way.

Brennan knew Annie was the one when she first came to visit the farm where Brennan grew up.  She was riding along with him in the tractor during harvest. While he was unloading grain into a bin, she was frolicking around making tiny flower bouquets out of what he considered to be weeds (and she even found a giant four leaf clover). She truly seemed to be happy and at peace here and gave Brennan a new perspective on where he grew up and the parts of it he may have taken for granted. That simple insight allowed him to see how wonderful his future could be with her.

During that same trip, Annie and Brennan walked out to the pond on his family’s property to drink their coffee and along the way she thought to herself  “I could marry him right here” She even wrote in her journal on the flight back that she wanted to get married outside on his family’s farm, which is steeped in history and love, with all the flowers, trees, butterflies and critters there to witness.

And on August 16th, 2019 that’s exactly what they did.  In a pine grove that Brennan’s parents planted as a Christmas tree farm shortly after they were first married almost 40 years ago, the two promised forever surrounded by their closest friends and family in the most heartfelt, tender, joyful ceremony anyone could dream of.

We have seen a few weddings in our day, but this is one we will remember all of our days.  We are so very proud to share Annie and Brennan’s wedding day today with you.
The two had their first look at Brennan’s Nanny’s house. It was so sweet how special this property was to the both of them, as well as how special Nanny is to them. We love that Annie and Brennan keep the things that matter close.My word these two.  I’m not going to have to explain it.  You’ll see it immediately. The have it.  They don’t need coaching on how to be in front of the camera, because they are so natural being with one another. Their comfort with one another, the admiration for one another, and the way they are so visibily partners is inspiring. From the first message I receieved from Annie I knew I would love her.  And I do.  But what I feel from Annie is what everyone who knows her feels. Everyone loves her.  Not only for who she is, but how you feel on top of the world when you are with her.And this guy is pretty special himself.  You don’t meet many men this kind and geniune.  I love that while he takes what he cares about seriously, he’s also really unguardedly silly and sweet.  He was definitely made for Annie, and she for him.As soon as we saw this woman we knew exactly who Annie gets her personality from!  Obsessed.<3The two wanted an outdoor wedding on the farm because they’re both happiest and the most centered when surrounded by nature. Pretty much all of the ceremony decorations you see they made themselves using things they found around the ceremony site. The two and their families did so much work to make this place the magical wonderland that they’d dreamed of, and all the work paid off.  It was one of the most magical ceremony locations we’ve ever seen.With the setting being a grove of pine trees Brennan’s parents planted when they first married, the two also planted their own tree as part of the ceremony. They also spread some of Annie’s mom’s ashes in with the dirt. Then their parents came up and watered the tree while one of their favorite songs played.This setting.  This scene.  Is so perfectly them.Married!If this doesn’t look like joy, I don’t know what does. After, we headed to the reception at Aries winery in Grafton IL where they even managed to turn this space into a place that represented them perfectly.Any mother who has a son would wish for a wife for her son that is as devoted and loving as Annie is to Brennan.  Any father who has a daughter who wish for a man who looks at his daughter with as much respect and care as Brennan looks at Annie.More from the couple about the day –

• The moment they looked the most forward to on the wedding day:
In general, the ceremony and committing ourselves to one another in front of all our family and loved ones. It definitely lived up to our expectations! It was all so special and uniquely us.

• Favorite moment of the day:
For both of us it was the first look. It was the only time we were able to just be ourselves together without an audience. Time moved slower and we had a chance to cuddle and take it all in. It also allowed us to get to spend the rest of the day together before the ceremony started, which was really nice.

• Advice for future bride/grooms:
Invest time in learning about your communication styles and how your upbringing has shaped you and your emotional needs. Once you have a clearer picture of that, it is easier to see how your ways of communicating impact your partner, in both positive and negative ways. We’ve learned that in moments of disagreement, it is often just the way we are expressing ourselves that create the schism rather than the actual issue at hand.

Also, give yourself a few days (at least) before you leave for your honeymoon! We were so glad that we had some time to collect ourselves and pack, couldn’t imagine having to add any more stress to the days leading up to the wedding.

Hire TenSixteen Photography if you haven’t already. Your photographers are with you more than anyone else throughout the day, and Karin and Roger were such a delight to have alongside us on this most special day of our lives. Karin was amazingly helpful with coming up with a timeline for our day, but they were both flexible when the time came. This really helped our special day run smoothly. Can’t express how awesome it was to work with them.
* Annie and Brennan were provided with no compensation for saying that.  LOL.

• SONGS:
Tree Planting Song: Joy- Phish
Walk in Song: You Make My Dreams- Hall & Oates
First Dance: When I Get My Hands On You- New Basement Tapes
Father Daughter: Wildflowers- Tom Petty
Mother Son: I Hope You Dance- Lee Ann Womack

• Wedding Professionals who made the day special:
TenSixteen (obvi, THE BEST)
Rustic Love Rentals in Lincoln, IL
I Do Cakes & Cupcakes in Beardstown, IL
Two Mikes Catering
Sweet Life Salon and Maven Makeup
Flower Buds from Virginia Beach for flowers

• Honeymoon Location:
Costa Rica!

The two call Jersyville IL home

We can’t get enough of these two, and if you can’t either this slideshow is a must watch!!!