We recently had the absolute honor of filming Madi and Grant’s wedding day. Let me tell you friends, these two are the real deal.
It all began with a blind date! Madi was a freshman as SIUE and Grant a senior at SIUE. Madi had just joined a sorority and it was their first big event called barn dance. She wanted to take a date so she reached out to a friend from high school that was in her same sorority and asked her to set her up with a date. She prefaced the request by telling her she wanted a date that would just want to go and have fun with everyone, but nothing serious. Madi was not looking for a relationship at that time.
Grant was the one Madi’s friend set her up with and immediately hew blew her away with his kindness, his smile, his big heart, and his respect. Even though the event ended up being a bust, they had no clue about the surroundings because they spent the entire night talking each other’s ears off and getting to know so much about one another.
He thought she was genuine (and gorgeous).
She thought he was such a gentleman (and handsome).
At the end of the night, Grant walked Madi back to her dorm room like a gentleman, and she walked in and told her roommate and her mom (who she called immediately) that she was going to marry this guy one day!
They dated throughout college, often hanging out with groups of friends, and almost every night they would get back to Grant’s apartment and turn on Ed Sheeran and dance in his living room. Still to this day they’ll enjoy dance breaks during cleaning the house or when they’ve had a rough day, or when they just need to dance lol. (Only now it’s not 1 am after a night out with friends) The two both love that being each other’s best friend. They make each other laugh, they can be silly with each other, but they also know when to be serious and be there for one another and support one another.
On August 9th 2019, Madi thought they were going to Grafton to celebrate her parents’ anniversary. Her mom, dad, brother, and Grandpa Terry all met up with Madi and Grant at Aerie’s winery. When they got there, they grabbed some drinks, talked to the owner (they are best friends with her parents), and Madi suggested before they sit down for dinner that they take a nice family photo outside with the gorgeous view in the background. When they went outside and Madi’s mom suggested that Grant and Madi get a photo first. Madi didn’t think anything of it because she is always asking her mom to take their picture. They set up for our picture and all of a sudden Grant was on one knee. She was completely shocked! It was the best day ever because her family was there to witness.
They were going to have a big traditional wedding – getting married at the Catholic Church in Carlinville and then having a reception with about 350 guests at the Elk’s. COVID completely changed those plans. They could no longer get married in the church because of the guest limit restrictions and couldn’t have their big reception as planned because of the same issue. So they quickly started finding a way to still get married on the day they had chosen because they couldn’t wait to be married and didn’t want COVID to stop our lives from happening. Unfortunately, Madi’s grandfather became sick and increasingly sick over quarantine. They were able to bring him home to her parents and care for him. Madi would sit in his room planning the new wedding while he listened and talked about how excited he was. He asked every day if it was wedding day yet or would ask how much longer until the wedding. Madi and Grant chose to keep their original wedding date of June 20th because they wanted to ensure Grandpa Terry would be there for it. Unfortunately, God had other plans for him. “We realized that weddings have become such a huge deal and so expensive that it takes away from the true meaning of the day. Our wedding day turned into exactly what we didn’t know we needed. We got our garden-themed wedding at my parent’s house in their backyard. The simplicity of our wedding day was so beautiful and SO stress-free. We wouldn’t change it for anything.”
For couples going through the same stresses of planning a wedding in 2020, Madi and Grant advise “Do what makes you as a couple happy and definitely don’t worry about what other brides/grooms are doing. Do what is best for your relationship, your situation, your family. Don’t let anything get in the way of marrying your best friend. It will all work out in the end and at the end of the day none of it will matter except for the fact that you are married to the one you Iove.”
Everything about Madi and Grant’s day was magical. You could FEEL every bit of the excitement, anticipation, and most of all LOVE. These two were surrounded by their biggest cheerleaders. The supportiveness, the warmth, and the wholehearted joy to witness Madi and Grant promise forever was something we will never forget. The fact that the day was in her parents’ backyard and was an intimate gathering made every single second of it more special. As Madi said perfectly “COVID did not change our wedding theme at all. It made it better.”
We are so excited to share this Highlight Film of Madi and Grant’s wedding day, and hope you enjoy seeing the love and joy that just radiates! Enjoy <3
Andrea Hearn-photographer
Ashlee Miller at Coco Bongo- hair and makeup
Main Street Bridal- dress and accessories
Tish Chism- wedding cake
Bev’s Basket and Bows- wedding bouquet, Grant’s boutonnière, and the beautiful swag for their arch
Fat Albert’s- catering
