Kristina: “I admired his drive and independence.”

Kristina and Thomas

Aug. 1, 2015

Elmwood Park, Ill.

Thomas and I met at work. We both worked for a non for profit organization during our college years. For our first date, we went to a driving range in Lincoln Park. Thomas definitely wanted to show off his golf game! 🙂

I knew Thomas was “the one” almost immediately when we started dating. I admired his drive and independence. He was relaxed and calm, and didn’t get angry easily or jealous. I loved his sense of humor and adventure. We shared the same beliefs, which was extremely important to me. He became interested in learning about my culture and traditions, which I LOVED. My family adored him the second they met him. Thomas inspired me to further my career. Needless to say, I instantly fell head over heels for Thomas and I’ve never looked back since.

As for our engagement, Thomas took me to a romantic fondue themed restaurant called Gejas Cafe. After dinner, Thomas wanted to go for a walk. I quickly realized that we were walking to all the significant places in Lincoln Park that were special moments in our relationship. My heart started beating rapidly because I thought, “What is happening…could it be… Oh my GOD!” Our walk ended by the lakefront where Thomas got down on one knee and proposed! It was so magical.

The best part about planning our wedding was finding our venue. Once you have that, everything else will fall into place. The worst  part about planning a wedding are other people’s opinions. If you don’t want to hear it, don’t share it. When people ask, kindly remind others that it is YOUR day and that it is all a surprise! 😉 Our wedding was at the beautiful Chateau Bu-Sche in Alsip. Our wedding song was “At Last” by Etta James.

My advice for brides is not to rely on others or expect people to come through for you. A bride could have all the bridesmaids in the world, but at the end of the day, your wedding is not their priority, it’s YOUR priority. At the time, I felt like my bridesmaids didn’t help much with anything but I realized that they had busy lives, as well.

My other advice would be to lock down your venue early on and make sure it has great reviews. Also, make sure to find your dress early on in the planning process because it will take several months for your dress to be custom made. To make sure wedding crashers don’t ruin your day, provide your door man with a guest list. Most importantly, enjoy the day and have fun!