A Planner’s Own Wedding: Kristin and Karl

On the 95-acre grounds of Q Center in St. Charles, Kristin and Karl said their “I dos.”

“To say I have been dreaming about my wedding my whole life would be an understatement,” said the bride, owner of wedding and event planning company, Besher Events.

Touches of garden elegance infused with a bit of something for everyone brought this wedding together. The day focused on a lot of personal details the bride said she didn’t see at every wedding. And she’s seen quite a few weddings!

The first step came with selecting a venue. The couple opted for the Q Center, as it was a one stop show. Kristin noted she prefers when wedding venues don’t need to be flipped over and used for multiple functions. Q Center provided an outdoor pavilion, an atrium with floor-to-ceiling windows, a huge, open ballroom and an on-site hotel. The venue was a one stop shop and the couple loved that their guests didn’t have to drive anywhere throughout the festivities.

The ceremony was held outdoors at the Q Center’s pavilion overlooking a fountained pond. Illuminated by string lights and anchored by a statement fireplace, this setting was as romantic as they come. Since it was a summer wedding, the couple wanted to ensure their guests were comfortable during the ceremony. One way to do this, they had water-filled test tubes with individual lemonade and tea stir-in packets tied on with a “love is sweet” note on a ribbon.

Having seen a lot of ceremonies in her line of work, Kristin was well prepared to write their entire ceremony herself. Instead of just writing custom vows, she took it to the next level and crafted a custom ceremony. You can’t get more personalized and romantic than that!

Keeping with the theme of sentimental details, a thread spun throughout the wedding was paying respects to lost loved-ones. Kristin honored her late father by walking down the aisle to “Annie’s Song” by John Denver, who was one of her dad’s favorite musicians. In Kristin’s bouquet, she included a sprig of white mums to honor her late little brother (who passed away three years ago), as an ode to his nickname for her, “Chrysanthemum.” It is common in weddings to have a memorial table, in which couples can honor their passed loved ones. So instead of a table, the couple honored their loved ones with a saved dedicated seat, complete with a name card and prayer card.

Another thing you won’t find at many weddings? A full costumed and choreographed dance performed by the bride and 17 of her friends, bridesmaids and cousins. This dance was in place of the bride’s father-daughter dance, as her father passed away in 2016. Complete with professional choreography, costumes, lighting and video, the DJ played “Livin’ La Vida Loca” by Ricky Martin and the crew lit up the room with this planned display. And the fun on the dance floor didn’t stop there – a cameo from a dancing inflatable dinosaur kept the laughter and fun energy flowing.

All that dancing and laughter needed some fuel to back it up. Sure you’ve heard to late night snack bars, but Kristin and Karl put a twist on that take with a peanut butter and jelly bar. There were six kinds of bread, six peanut butter options and six jelly options that guests could make their own sandwich from. They even had cookie cutters to make them crustless and easy to eat.

This was truly an event that could only be achieved by a wedding planner herself. The security guard at Q Center summarized it best, calling it, “the wedding of the century.”

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