An unforgettable celebration of love, family, and heritage, filled with vibrant florals, heartfelt moments, and a little unexpected rain. We were honored to capture this intimate farm wedding.
Some weddings are beautiful because of the details. Others stay with you because of the stories behind them. Alexander and Gorden’s wedding at their private estate in Barrington, Illinois, was one of those celebrations where every detail held a deeper meaning.
From a chance encounter in a small Italian bar to exchanging vows beside a pond on the same property where Gorden’s parents were married, their wedding was a celebration of seven years of love, resilience, and the life they had built together.
As a Chicago luxury wedding photographer, I have the privilege of documenting celebrations in extraordinary places around the world. But there is something incredibly special about photographing a wedding in a place that already holds generations of family history.
And Alexander and Gorden’s wedding was exactly that.
A Love Story That Began in Verona, Italy
“Ciao, parli inglese?”
Those were the first words Alexander spoke to Gorden when their paths crossed in a small bar in Verona, Italy, in the spring of 2019.
Gorden laughed and answered that yes, he spoke English. In fact, he was American, too.
What started as a simple conversation became the beginning of a love story neither of them could have anticipated.
At the time, both were living abroad, pursuing completely different experiences.
Gorden had spent the previous year traveling and volunteering around the world. His experiences included training communities in Kenya on epilepsy response, teaching English at an orphanage in Myanmar, helping at a safari in Malawi, and working as an au pair in northern Italy.
Alexander had been living in Italy for two years, completing his MBA while working with CIMBA, the University of Iowa’s international business program.
As they talked, they discovered something remarkable. Both were preparing to move back to the United States within days of each other.
Even more unexpectedly, they were both moving to Iowa City.
What were the chances?
Seven years later, that conversation in Verona had become a lifetime together.
Finding Forever in the Most Unexpected Season
Every couple has a moment when they realize they’ve found their person. For Alexander and Gorden, that realization came during one of the most challenging chapters of their relationship.
After returning to the United States, they moved into a tiny studio apartment and began searching for jobs, excited to build their future together.
Then the pandemic happened.
Like so many people, they faced uncertainty, financial stress, and the challenges of beginning their careers during an unprecedented time. At one point, Alexander had to sell his camera equipment to help make rent.
They had very little, and suddenly, they had an extraordinary amount of time together.
But something meaningful happened in that small apartment.
They learned how to navigate life as partners. They discovered each other’s quirks, recognized how their individual strengths complemented one another, and realized that even when life was difficult, they genuinely loved sharing it.
As they reflected on that chapter, they shared something that beautifully captures the foundation of their relationship:
“We knew we didn’t need life to be perfect to be happy together.”
Eventually, they both found jobs and began new career paths. Over the following years, they built careers they were proud of, traveled together, created a home, and filled their lives with animals and experiences.
The life they share today would have seemed almost unimaginable to the two people sitting in that little studio apartment.
And yet, that was where they learned what mattered most.
A Romantic Proposal at Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve
After six years together, Alexander planned an anniversary celebration that Gorden would never forget.
Following a romantic dinner, Alexander suggested a walk through Cuba Marsh Forest Preserve.
As they made their way along the boardwalk, surrounded by the peaceful landscape, Alexander surprised Gorden with a question that would change their lives.
Would he spend the rest of his life with him?
After everything they had experienced together, from their first meeting in Italy to the life they had created in Illinois, they were ready for their next chapter.
And this time, they would begin it as husbands.
A Colorful Garden Wedding at Their Private Barrington Estate
<em>A celebration of love, family, and generations of history.</em>
When it came time to plan their wedding, Alexander and Gorden knew they wanted something deeply personal.
Their home in Barrington, Illinois, became the setting for a romantic outdoor garden wedding filled with colorful flowers, meaningful details, and the people they loved most.
But the property held a significance far beyond its beautiful gardens and picturesque pond.
Years before it became Alexander and Gorden’s home, Gorden’s parents had celebrated their own wedding on that very same land.
Gorden lost his mother, Sonya, when he was young. Choosing to marry Alexander on the property where his parents had begun their marriage allowed him to honor her memory in a way that celebrated love, family, and the continuation of their story.
It was a decision that made their wedding incredibly meaningful.
Over the years, Alexander and Gorden had devoted themselves to restoring the property, caring for the gardens, planting countless flowers, and creating a home that reflected the life they shared.
Their wedding was the culmination of that work.
Every garden bed, every carefully tended landscape, and every corner of the property had become part of their story.
And on their wedding day, they opened that home to their closest family and friends.
The ceremony took place beside the pond, surrounded by lush greenery and the natural beauty of their estate. Vibrant florals brought color throughout the celebration, while a beautiful sailcloth tent created an inviting setting for the reception.
The atmosphere was romantic and full of life, with thoughtful details that felt completely authentic to the couple.
For Alexander and Gorden, the day was about sharing the place they had built together with everyone who had been part of their journey.
A Wedding Ceremony Filled With Family History
There are moments during a wedding day when the emotional significance of a location becomes impossible to overlook.
Watching Alexander and Gorden exchange vows beside the pond was one of those moments.
On the same property where Gorden’s parents had once celebrated their marriage, a new generation was beginning its own.
Sonya’s memory was woven into the day through the very place they had chosen to marry.
Rather than focusing on her absence, Alexander and Gorden created a celebration that honored the love and family history she had helped establish.
There was something incredibly moving about that.
The couple had spent years transforming their property into a home, and now they stood together, surrounded by their favorite people, promising to continue building their future.
It was intimate, emotional, and deeply personal.
When the Rain Became One of Their Favorite Wedding Memories
Planning an entirely outdoor wedding in Illinois comes with one particularly unpredictable detail.
The weather.
For Alexander and Gorden, it was easily their biggest source of anxiety leading up to the wedding.
They had spent years caring for the property and months preparing the grounds specifically for their celebration. With the ceremony beside the pond, an outdoor cocktail hour, and a sailcloth reception tent, they hoped to enjoy every part of the estate.
And the forecast seemed determined to keep them guessing.
As the ceremony approached, the possibility of rain remained.
But somehow, the skies held.
Alexander and Gorden exchanged their vows beside the pond and walked back down the aisle as husbands without a single drop of rain.
Then, shortly afterward, the rain began.
For approximately fifteen minutes, guests gathered beneath trees, opened parasols, and embraced the unexpected change in weather.
And something wonderful happened.
All the anxiety surrounding the forecast disappeared.
After months of planning and worrying about every detail, the couple realized that the most important part of the day had already happened.
They were married.
The rain became an unexpectedly beautiful moment of the celebration.
For Alexander and Gorden, it carried an even deeper meaning.
As the rain fell shortly after their ceremony, they couldn’t help but imagine Sonya sharing a few happy tears with them.
It was a touching thought that made the moment even more memorable.
And then, almost as quickly as it had arrived, the rain stopped.
The clouds parted, the sunlight returned, and the evening ended with a breathtaking sunset over their Barrington property.
Of everything they had worried about leading up to their wedding, the rain became one of their most cherished memories.
And they wouldn’t change a thing.
A Romantic Sailcloth Tent Reception Under the Illinois Sky
With the rain behind them and the sun returning, the celebration continued beneath a beautiful sailcloth tent.
The reception embraced the same romantic garden aesthetic that had inspired the entire wedding.
Colorful flowers, the surrounding landscape, and the warmth of their closest family and friends created a setting that felt personal and welcoming.
As the evening unfolded, the sunset provided an incredible backdrop for portraits across the estate.
For me, these are some of my favorite moments to photograph.
The anticipation of the ceremony has passed. The formalities begin to fade. Couples have a chance to spend a few quiet minutes together, taking in everything that has happened.
For Alexander and Gorden, those moments were particularly special.
After seven years together, an international love story, a pandemic, new careers, and years spent creating their home, they were finally celebrating their marriage in the very place that meant so much to them.
Alexander and Gorden’s Advice for Future Couples
After planning such a meaningful celebration, Alexander and Gorden shared a perspective that I think every engaged couple deserves to hear.
Remember what your wedding day is actually about.
Wedding planning has a way of becoming focused on everyone and everything around you.
Guest experiences, seating arrangements, food, flowers, family expectations, timelines, and weather forecasts can quickly take over.
But Alexander and Gorden encourage couples to remember the commitment at the center of it all.
Plan a wedding that reflects who you are. Make decisions because they hold meaning for your relationship, rather than because tradition or expectations say you should.
And when your wedding day arrives, take time to look at each other.
Be present.
Allow yourself to experience the moments you’ve spent so long planning.
Not everything will happen exactly as expected, and sometimes those unexpected moments become the memories you treasure most.
As Alexander and Gorden so beautifully put it:
“At the end of the night, you are married to the person you love. That’s the part that lasts.”
An Unforgettable Barrington, Illinois Wedding
Alexander and Gorden’s wedding was a beautiful reminder of why I love photographing weddings.
The vibrant florals, romantic garden setting, sailcloth tent, and golden evening light were extraordinary.
But what made this celebration unforgettable was the meaning behind it.
A chance meeting in Verona. A tiny studio apartment during the pandemic. A proposal on a quiet boardwalk. A home lovingly restored over years. And finally, two people standing beside a pond, exchanging vows on the same land where a previous generation had celebrated their own love.
Every part of their day reflected the life they had created together.
Alexander and Gorden, thank you for trusting me to document such a personal chapter of your story. Being welcomed into your home and witnessing the love surrounding you both was an incredible honor.
Your wedding was everything a celebration should be, deeply meaningful, full of joy, and entirely your own.
We Would Love to be Your Wedding Photographer
It would be an honor to become a part of your wedding team. We create that timeless keepsake of your big day you’ll love forever. Myself and my team of wedding photographers at videographers at Lauren Ashley Studios will go above and beyond to capture the atmosphere of your special occasion, and share it with passion and authenticity.
