Rain, Rain, Don’t Go Away: Amanda & Dylan’s Rainy, Backyard Wedding
Amanda and Dylan’s wedding may have been muddy and rain-soaked, but they wouldn’t have had it any other way. With surprise showers rolling in and out throughout the day, the couple embraced the weather in stride. What could have been a soggy setback instead became the heartbeat of the celebration, turning every raindrop into part of their story.
One of Amanda’s earliest memories with Dylan goes back to when he invited her to a pool party at his family’s home in Lemont. Pulling up to the red brick house, she was instantly smitten by the property’s idyllic green fields and white horses grazing nearby. “At that moment I knew that I wanted to get married there. Maybe not to Dylan, but I wanted to get married in that field,” Amanda joked. She ended up lightheartedly telling Dylan she wanted to get married there, and even teased that she’d invite him. Neither of them could have predicted that just two years later, that very dream would come true.
Along with this perfect setting, Amanda had always dreamed of being a June bride. She imagined sunshine, bright colors and picture-perfect weather. But sometimes even the best laid plans come with a few storm clouds. But rather than letting the rain dampen their spirits, Amanda and Dylan leaned into the moment. Guests donned plastic shoe coverings to trek across the field, umbrellas dotted the ceremony crowd and the couple read vows from damp paper before sealing it all with a kiss straight out of The Notebook.
The reception took place under a tent, offering some relief from the weather — but the elements still had their say. The black-and-white checkered dance floor quickly became a mud-slicked canvas, while tables and chairs sank into the softened ground. Guests in heels eventually gave up on them altogether to avoid sinking into the mud. Amanda, meanwhile, had her own clever wardrobe solution. To make it easier to dance and move through the muddy terrain, she cut her Fifi’s Bridal gown above the ankle during the reception.
When it came to the elements they could control, Amanda and Dylan focused on creating a personal and nontraditional wedding. Amanda, who is half Greek and half Syrian, and Dylan, who comes from a rural American background, wanted to weave together threads of all three cultures. Their shared love of cooking, fishing, farming, canning and hosting dinner parties inspired them to design a day that felt like one big family feast.
By the end of the night, mud clung to guests’ clothes, and some even slipped into various states of undress. And the smiles couldn’t have been bigger. What started as a may couple’s nightmare scenario, turned into the main attraction. Expectations for what a wedding “should” be were tossed aside and everyone embraced the chaos. “My biggest advice to brides is to not fixate on anything,” shared Amanda. “Life can be messy (literally), and you just have to roll with it.”
Vendors
PHOTOGRAPHER Joined Purposefully Photography
VIDEOGRAPHER Avant-Garde Videography
VENUE Private Residence
PLANNER Anemone Events
FLORAL Fifi Papadopoulos (bride’s mother)
BRIDE’S BOUQUET Little Leaf, Inc
HAIR Katyaslad Hair
MAKEUP Dori Mae Makeup
BRIDE’S GOWN & ALTERATIONS Casablanca Bridal from Fifi’s Bridal & Custom Tailoring
GROOM’S FORMALWEAR Suitsupply
STATIONERY Minted
CAKE Chicago Sweet Connection Bakery
ENTERTAINMENT Impulse Entertainment DJs
CONTENT CREATOR Social Brides Collective
