Periodic Tables and Pastel Wildflowers: Kathleen & Andrew’s Wedding at Oak Brook Hills Resort
Wildflowers, periodic table seating charts, a cake toss for the ages — Kathleen and Andrew’s wedding at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort was the kind of wedding they’d spent six years working toward.
Kathleen and Andrew met in college studying Chemical Engineering at Notre Dame. After graduating in 2018, they went on to spent nearly six years in a long-distance relationship — Kathleen working in Chicago, Andrew earning his PhD at Purdue in Indiana.
“It wasn’t easy. We had to learn to choose each other, even when we couldn’t share a time zone,” recalled Kathleen. “But we made it work — through road trips, late-night calls, and a lot of planning ahead.” When Andrew finally joined Kathleen in Chicago, they almost immediately got engaged, then married seven months later. There was no hesitation — they were ready.
The Proposal
“Our wedding story really began with the proposal. On Valentine’s Day, Andrew invited me on a ‘free walking tour’ of my favorite place in Chicago: the Art Institute. I grew up going there with my family — it’s always felt like a second home. As we made our way through the galleries, I started to notice the paintings felt… oddly specific. They reflected milestones in our relationship, paired with thoughtful prompts. My favorite was Starry Night and the Astronauts, which came with a question about planning our future. After winding through every gallery I’ve ever loved, we reached the grand staircase — where Andrew confessed he’d designed the entire tour just for me, and proposed.”
The Ceremony
Kathleen and Andrew’s celebrations began with a ceremony at St. Francis Xavier Church in La Grange. Coming from a big Irish Catholic family, it was important to Kathleen (and Andrew!) that they marry in a traditional Catholic ceremony. She recalls feeling nervous in the lead-up, but as soon as she stepped into the church with her father, all that faded away. All she felt was joy. Complete with a special reading from the Book of Ruth and a personalized homily, the ceremony was full of meaning.
The cherry on top: When Kathleen and Andrew walked out as husband and wife, the rain that had been plagued the morning had just cleared.
The Reception
The details told Kathleen and Andrew’s story before a single toast was given: table numbers rendered as periodic table symbols (a nod to their ChemE roots), signature cocktails named after their pets, and florals by Your Day Floral — who not only nailed the vision, but returned at the end of the night to repurpose the arrangements into mason jars for guests to take home. Even the wedding cake felt fated: the style they chose happened to share a name with Andrew’s late mother, Barbara — a small, serendipitous detail that felt like a blessing.
The couple entered to “Shipping Up to Boston,” a Notre Dame hype-song staple, then set the tone immediately with a cake toss in lieu of a traditional cutting. It had gone sideways in every kitchen rehearsal, but in the moment it mattered most, the newlyweds caught it clean. The room erupted. “Honestly,” Kathleen laughed, “it might have been the athletic peak of our lives.”
From there, the dance floor never stopped. DJ Joe kept the energy relentless through attempted handstands, limbo, lifts and a few spectacular wipeouts. The night wound down with Jet’s Detroit-style pizza, Portillo’s hot dogs and an afterparty at the hotel bar. The couple, predictably, were among the last ones standing, getting those last minutes of celebration in before they went home, hugged their pets and flew to Canada for their honeymoon. Chaotic, colorful, funny, and full of love — it was everything Kathleen and Andrew wanted and more.
Vendors
CEREMONY VENUE St. Francis Xavier La Grange
RECEPTION VENUE Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort
FLORAL Your Day Floral
DAY-OF COORDINATOR Once and Forever (Leiny Vega)
HAIR & MAKEUP Windy City Glam
BRIDE’S GOWN Jenny Yoo
GROOM’S FORMALWEAR SuitShop
LIGHTING A Posh Production, Encore
CATERING Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort
LATE NIGHT SNACKS Portillo’s Hot Dogs, Jet’s Pizza
CAKE DeEtta’s Bakery
ENTERTAINMENT Joe Medrano from Show on the Road DJ
GUEST PHOTO SHARING GuestCam
