Text: Merry Mayer
Photography: Becky Hill Photography
Three years ago, Sarah Morsbach first saw Thomas "Graham" Honaker at a friend's wedding in Lexington, Kentucky. "Graham was a groomsman and I noticed his adorable red hair as soon as I walked into the church," remembers Sarah.
At the reception, Sarah noticed him looking at her (and of course, she was looking at him). She asked her friend to introduce her. "Within five minutes we had gone to another room to talk," she says.
But there didn't seem to be much future for the two. Graham lived in Louisville, Kentucky, and Sarah was in Columbia, South Carolina working towards a doctorate in Clinical Psychology. "I never imagined that night that he was the person I would spend my life with," says Sarah. "He didn't even ask for my contact information!"
But Graham had asked their friends about how to contact Sarah. After the two had talked on the phone, Graham said he would like to see her when he was visiting relatives in the Carolinas. After several more phone calls and another weekend meeting, Sarah realized she had found someone special.
A year later he proposed, placing on Sarah's hand a ring that held great meaning for her. "The diamond has been in my family since the 1850s--first given to my great great grandmother," says Sarah.
Planning a wedding soon became a family affair. "My mother was very involved. She married my father in the 1970s in a small ceremony with the reception featuring a pig on a roast at our family vacation home. I think she paid $30 for her dress!" says Sarah. Now her mother could indulge herself helping to plan her only daughter's wedding.
They decided to share the job. "She was in charge of flowers and food and I made decisions about stationary and music," says Sarah. To help the planning along,--especially since Sarah was planning a Chicago wedding from Louisville—the couple hired Wedding Planner Ali Phillips. "She did a great job of referring great vendors, setting up meetings, and advising us when we had questions," says Sarah.
When it came to the ceremony site, Sarah knew she wanted it at Rockefeller Chapel in Hyde Park. "I graduated from high school there, was in Christmas pageants there as a child, etc. I also wanted my guests to see another part of Chicago besides the downtown. Hyde Park is a unique and beautiful area yet one that most tourists don't see," says Sarah.
For the reception, however, the couple was at a loss. That is, until they saw Café Brauer in Lincoln Park. "We walked into Brauer and I knew that was where I wanted to have my reception. The view of the park and the skyline along with the gorgeous prairie style architecture made it a perfect site," says Sarah.
Making the night particularly special, Sarah says was having her dad walk her down the aisle. "My father had a heart attack when I was in high school and a stroke when I was in college…[I] did not take for granted the fact that he was there to walk me down the aisle."
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CEREMONY SITE
Rockefeller Chapel at University of Chicago
RECEPTION SITE
Café Brauer 312-742-2400
PHOTOGRAPHY
Becky Hill Photography 312-671-9792 beckyhillphoto.com
OFFICIANT
Bride’s Uncle Bob Traer from San Francisco, CA
WEDDING CONSULTANT
Ali Phillips, Engaging Events by Ali, Inc Chicago Illinois 773-777-2299 engagingeventsbyali.com
BRIDE’S GOWN
Eva’s Bridal, Oak Lawn IL 708-422-5599
VEIL
Weddings 826 (Boutique on Armitage)
JEWELRY
Earrings purchased at Macy’s
SHOES
James Ciccotti, Bridal Shoes & Accessories, 773-525-4280
HAIR
Kiva Salon, Scott 312-840-8120
MAKEUP
Kiva Salon 312-840-8120
BRIDESMAID’S DRESSES
Rebecca’s Bridal Boutique, Louisville KY
FORMALWEAR
Formally Modern Tuxedos 773-975-7700
INVITATIONS
Flourish Invitations, Jenna Plonka 773-501-9830 flourishinvitations.com
FLOWERS
Blumen, Amy Krum, 312-666-7304
MENU/CATERING
Blue Plate Catering, Michael Meuer, 312-421-6666
MUSIC/ENTERTAINMENT
Larry King Orchestra: Jazz Trio with Bethany Pickens (during the cocktail hour)
WEDDING CAKE
Dessert Gourmet 847-215-7474
FAVORS
Red Cross donation
TRANSPORTATION
Aries Charter Transportation, Inc. 888-305-8700 (Buses), M&M Limo
GUEST ACCOMMODATIONS
Chicago Marriott Downtown, Club Quarters, The Quadrangle Club (for relatives who wanted to stay near my parents in Hyde Park)
WEDDING NIGHT ACCOMODATIONS
Club Quarters tower suite
HONEYMOON
Paula’s World of Travel, Louisville KY
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