Natalie and Grant married on 14 June 2025 in Libertyville, Illinois, with a Catholic ceremony at St Joseph Church before welcoming 150 guests to the spectacular Cuneo Mansion and Gardens , an Italian villa-style home designed by architect Benjamin Marshall and filled with frescoes, neoclassical statuary, burnished gold and the decorative excess of America’s Gilded Age.
Versailles provided the starting point for the reception, though the result was never intended as a literal recreation. Instead, Kim and Kristie of K & K Celebrates worked with the mansion’s richly furnished rooms and formal gardens, bringing in chandeliers, generous floral design, shimmering drapery and a printed dance floor for an evening that made full use of the scale and splendour of the setting.
Natalie wore a customised Netta BenShabu gown from Mira Couture in Chicago, while Sara Meyers Photography documented the ceremony, portraits throughout the house and gardens and the celebrations that followed.
Natalie shares the more personal decisions behind the church, her dress and her beautiful wedding day…
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The Venue & Location
Cuneo Mansion and Gardens was Designed by renowned architect Benjamin Marshall, the historic pinkish-salmon villa was inspired by Italian and Tuscan countrysides. It embodies an aesthetic of Gilded Age opulence, combining Italian Renaissance/Meditrranean-style architecture with lush, romantic landscapes.
We also hired Kim and Kristie of K&K Celebrates to help us plan our wedding.
The Dress
Netta BenShabu Elite Couture
I purchased my dress, veil, and most of my bridal jewellery from Mira Couture. They did a fantastic job bringing my vision to life and piecing together different pieces of different styles and dresses to create the ultimate vision of a dress. It was perfection!
I first was introduced to Mira Couture when my aunt had a custom gown made for her wedding in 2019. As soon as I walked into the boutique I knew I would be back one day for my own wedding.
After I got engaged, I went on a bridal walk sponsored by Modern luxury, through the Gold Coast neighborhood in Chicago. One stop was to Mira Couture – when I walked in I saw the most beautiful dress I have ever seen. I tried it on and was sold. I came back when they had a Netta BenShabu trunk show and tried on lots of dresses to compare. The first dress still was the standout. We then customised from there to add removable sleeves, a belt, more sparkle etc.
The most special piece from the day was the bow from my mother’s wedding dress that we added to the back of my wedding dress. It was incorporated flawlessly and added a meaningful touch to a beautifully crafted dress. I wanted to feel sophisticated yet dramatic. The corset bodice made me feel sleek while the skirt and sparkle made me feel like the centre of attention!
I wore a veil covered in pearls. It was even longer than my train so when I walked down the aisle it draped beautifully behind me and made my dress look like it was never ending.
My shoes were Badgley Mischka white tulle and satin two inch heels!
I had a religious charm from the Vatican (given to me by my aunt) sewn into my dress. I carried a handkerchief from my grandma (who passed before the wedding), I had a cross charm from a mother in laws bracelet that my sister in law gave me (my mother in law passed in 2024).
Hair was styled by Juan Jose and makeup was by Dani Garcia.
My bridesmaids wore navy dresses from Alfred Sung. They were chic and were able to reflect their own personalities. Groomsmen wore black tuxes from Men’s Warehouse and pocket squares from Tie Bar. They also wore jewels from Evereve, bouquets from Yanni Design
Grant wore a custom navy striped tuxedo from TieBar and shoes from Bloomingdales. He also wore a pair of custom cufflinks with our dog’s face engraved on them.
The Ceremony
We chose to get married at St. Josephs church, because it was where my parents got married over thirty years ago and we had a traditional catholic blessing and ceremony which was officiated by Father Emmanuel.
We decided to light a unity candle during the ceremony that symbolised the joining of our families. We also lit a candle in honor of Grant’s mother who passed.
Our readings included Old Testament OT-4, Tobit 7:6-14 New Testament NT-6, Ephesians 4:1-6.
Our photographer, Sara Meyers, perfectly captured the elegant and whimsical aesthetic we were searching for.
Sara Meyers Photography
How They Met
We met in 2019 in Chicago. I had just graduated from college and Grant was working in the city. It was a super old fashion meeting…on Hinge. Our connection grew as we traveled together, adopted our beloved dog Riggy, and enjoyed living together in the city.
We were engaged in 2023 on a beautiful morning in Paris, France. We planned our wedding for two years with lots of celebrations along the way.
The Reception
We knew we wanted to have our reception at the Cuneo due to its gorgeous gardens, historic and opulent appearance. The church was right down the street from the Cuneo so we knew it was meant to be! The Cuneo was also the filming location for the wedding in the film My Best Friends Wedding (which I love)!
We used chandeliers, sparkly pipe and drape, lounge furniture, and a beautiful printed dance floor to style the space. Soft lighting and beautiful tablescapes also added to the decor.
Our floral designer was Yanni Design Studio – we wanted an opulent yet classic feel. They did a wonderful job taking our aesthetic and expanded it to be cohesive across all pieces and places.
Catering was provided by Catered by Design and our cake was from Deerfields Bakery and we had a small customized statue of our dog that was from Etsy.
All our stationery was from Minted.
Notes From The Wedding Planner
K&K Weddings
The vision our bride Natalie brought to us was immediately inspiring – regal, decadent, elevated, opulent.
She wanted their cocktail hour to feel like a regal garden party, where the guests felt like they were walking into the Palace of Versailles. French excess, British hosting, and a decadent reception space dripping in gold.
The combination of decadent luxury and exclusivity with warm welcome is absolutely our approach (not to mention that we are suckers for anything regal or regency)!
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A traditional ceremony off-site preceded their celebrations, which played out at Cuneo Mansion and Gardens. This historic mansion, filled with neo classical statuary, is a monument to Old World elegance in the Venetian style, with rich frescoes and burnished gold at every turn.
Alongside 150 of their loved ones invited to celebrate with them, Natalie and Grant roamed the Cuneo’s gardens and took private tours of this museum filled with fine art and furnishings (which was also the film location for the movie, ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’). To complement the luminous and sublime bride in her bespoke Mira Couture gown, we designed a reception of warmth, elegant decadence, and golden opulence – one where guests enjoyed dancing the night away with Go-Go dancers, filled with exuberance and energy until the very last. What an absolute pleasure.
Words of Wedded Wisdom
Enjoy every season of life you are in. Dating is wonderful, being engaged is exciting, and being married is the best, but don’t rush it and soak it all in!
I also would have stressed less. Everything ultimately comes together!
The original budget was $70k and we were close to $200k at the end.
Our gift registry was through Bloomingdales and featured on our Knot website. Bloomingdales gave us a luxury experience curating our registry filled with gifts that will be life long momentos.
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