Venue – Creek Bend Nature Center

Photography – Missy at Elite Photo

Floral Design – Paragon Flowers

Reception Coordinator – Cindy Kliem

Caterer – Moveable Feast

Hair and Make-up – Kristen at Montage Salon

DJ – Terry Surges

If you are looking for a wedding venue with a beautiful view, unique ceremony site, and wonderful and charming staff, you need to check out the weddings at Creek Bend Nature Center in St. Charles, Illinois.  Make your wedding your own at this beautiful, off the beaten path, reception location.

Elizabeth and Billy were married under a giant Oak Tree on a very pretty day in July.  They did not have a wedding party and chose to forgo the traditional walk down the aisle with the officiate or parents and instead, they walked themselves to their ceremony together, hand in hand.  Their guests applauded as they arrived and applauded as they left.  It was an intimate, one-of-a-kind day.  As friends and family walked to their seats before the nuptials, each guest received a single, lavender rose delivered by the two flower girls.

After the ceremony, guests had a short stroll across a sprawling lawn to a beautiful, white tent and the patio cocktail hour.  Taste buds were tantalized by cocktails and cuisine from Moveable Feast of Geneva, Il.  Side note:  This is one of my very favorite places to visit, shop, and eat in Geneva, Il.  They have a new selection of fresh items to choose from each day, a juice bar, coffee bar, sweets, and much more.  You have to visit.  The menu at this wedding included oysters, a beautiful veggie and cheese bar, and their sweet potato cakes, among much more.  Floral decor by Paragon Flowers decorated the tables and Billy’s friend, Terry, spun the tunes under a big, silver disco ball into the evening.

For pictures, the couple chose an intimate first look before the ceremony.  They wanted to do formal pictures with their families and take advantage of the beautiful grounds of the venue, but also wanted to be there for all of their cocktail hour.  A first look about two and a half hours before the ceremony allowed for some relaxed, fun pictures beforehand and a super relaxed, fun wedding the rest of the day.  We also snuck out briefly after dinner to take advantage of the sweet sunset in the field.  LOVED THIS DAY!!

Thank you to this couple for choosing Elite Photo to photograph this intimate Creek Bend Nature Center wedding.  Enjoy your memories!

From the Bride and Groom

Describe 2-3 details of this event that were extra special to you.

We loved our simple ceremony outside under a gigantic and majestic oak tree on the most beautiful day of the summer.  We simply walked up to the ceremony from the house to join our friends and family, and said our vows with the help of our friend, who officiated the wedding.

 We were so happy with the presentation (and taste!) of all of the food at our wedding provided by Moveable Feast. Even the simplest appetizers were a work of art, like the bouquet of brightly colored vegetables to accompany the cheese and fruit during cocktail hour. So many of our guests said it was the best food they’d ever had at a wedding. 

What 2-3 pieces of advice you can share with couples that are still in the planning process?

Try to think about what is really important to you about your wedding day before you start planning, instead of just doing all the stuff you think you are supposed to do.  It’s nice to just focus on a few aspects and make them really nice rather than getting overwhelmed with everything. We chose to keep our guest list and wedding ceremony small and simple so we could spend more money on an excellent caterer so everyone would remember it, and it worked! 

Do you have a story you would like to share about your wedding day?

 When we were taking our break to have our pictures taken, my new husband whispered in my ear that our friend was going to surprise his girlfriend (who is also my very good friend) with a proposal the next day.  He couldn’t contain his secret so he had to tell Billy, who had to tell me! We were so excited for them and we felt like our wedding was spreading love everywhere!

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Contact Missy at Elite Photo today to book your Creek Bend Nature Center wedding.  Wedding photography in St. Charles, Geneva, Elburn, Batavia, and beyond.  Want a wedding out-of-town, out-of-state, or out of the country?  We do that too.

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