A Summer Chicago Celebration: The Real Wedding of Melissa and Nicholas Reyes

Over one summer in their teenage years, Melissa and Nicholas both worked at the same summer camp. They met and discovered they had feelings for each other and the rest is history! Years later, in the winter of 2021, Nicholas took Melissa to a light display before Christmas Eve and popped the question!
 

To find the right dress for her, Melissa checked out a trunk show for Essence of Australia. "I tried on a lot of dresses, and this was the last one I tried," Melissa shares. "Once I saw the tag with the model on it, I realized that I had pinned it on my Pinterest board, and I loved how I felt/looked in it." We love this beautiful gown and the stunning lace on it!
 

Luckily for Melissa, her sister was married in October of 2021. "A lot of my vendors were recommended by my sister," Melissa explains. Other vendors were recommended by their high school friends and wedding coordinator. We think they brought together the perfect team of creatives to make their summery wedding vision a reality!
 

Every time Melissa and Nicholas visited her aunt and uncle, they passed the venue where they would eventually host their reception. Melissa recalls, "My sister’s original shower venue canceled, and we stopped there around Christmas 2020 when we were dropping off gifts by my uncle’s house." They took some time to check out the venue, and fell in love with it!
 

 

What we Love

Their reception venue isn't the only thing that had meaning to Melissa and Nicholas. "We got married at my family's Catholic church. My parents were married there in 1988, and my sister was in 2021," Melissa gushes. "I made all of my sacraments there, and my husband went through RCIA and made the rest of his sacraments there." The ceremony space has been the place of many happy memories for Melissa's family, so it made perfect sense to have this happy moment shared there as well!
 

 

Advice from the couple

Melissa and Nicholas advise, "Your wedding day is about you and your partner. Do not listen to unsolicited advice. The people that want to make it to your wedding will be there, no matter what."
 

 

 

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