Haylie and Matt first met in 2011 when her friend asked her to go see a band play at Chevelle’s Union. The plan was to set Haylie up with a guy, but after looking on Facebook, she was not interested. During the debate whether or not to go out, she looked up the band and right away noticed the cute guitarist in the photos—finally giving her the push to go and give the band a shot.

Apparently the guitarist thought I was cute too because he came down off the stage and started to dance with me. We were inseparable all night, and I managed to totally avoid the other guy.

Haylie first knew Matt was the one when she realized she could completely be herself around him.

“I never had to pretend to be something or someone I’m not, like I had done in the past.”       – Haylie

I can be silly, grumpy, awkward, sad, excited, and he will still love me and be right there beside me through it all.

There is one day that Haylie will always remember—when Matt took her out on a date with no makeup on and wearing pajamas.

This was a big deal to me, I was completely mortified and did not want to go out, but he still made me feel beautiful and eventually I forgot all about how I looked because I was having such a great time.

On January 1, 2017, Matt proposed by waking Haylie up, pulling her out of bed, and getting down on one knee right in their bedroom.

It was New Year’s Day, so needless to say, I was very tired and slightly hungover, and was sure I was still dreaming. It was a total surprise and the best way to start off the New Year!

As an avid listener to US99.5 radio station, Haylie had heard that Lisa Dent was getting married in Elgin and had to know where. Once she looked up The Haight, she knew that she herself would be getting married there some day.

It was absolutely perfect! The Haight is industrial, yet so romantic, and I felt like someone had redesigned it just for us.

I couldn’t believe this beautiful venue was less than five minutes from our home! The first thing Matt and I did after we got engaged was to attend an open house at The Haight. Upon hearing that there was only one Saturday left for the following summer, we booked it right away!

July 7^th was meant to be our date! We didn’t need to look anywhere else, and we’ve never regretted that decision. Not only is it a beautiful venue, but also the staff is awesome. Not once did I feel like I had to stress or worry about anything in the planning process or on the wedding day, and that really meant a lot to us. It was very effortless from booking day to wedding day.

One of Haylie’s favorite memories from the wedding day was when she was with all her girls getting ready in the bridal suite.

Matt and all the guys pulled up in front of The Haight and started yelling up to us. The girls opened the windows and all lined up to yell back down to them, while I hid against the wall between the windows. It was just a cute, heart-warming moment, to see our bridal party all joking around with each other and having fun with the day. It really reminded me how lucky Matt and I are to have such wonderful families and friends.

Haylie’s advice to newly engaged couples is to start planning as early as possible. There are always unexpected hurdles in the road, so by allowing yourselves plenty of extra time to problem solve, you alleviate a lot of unnecessary stress.

Take the time to enjoy every single step along the way, because it all goes by so fast!

Wedding Vendors

Photographer: The Still Life Photography

Flowers: Town & Country Gardens| Catering: Cuisine America | Cake & Sweets: The Sugar Path

 Ceremony Musician: Brian Kovacs | Cocktail Hour & Ceremony Musician: Steve Marshall

Late Night Snacks: Danny’s on Douglas Pizza

Hair & Makeup: Murphy’s Beauty Law

Alcohol: Drinks on Me Catering