Mr. & Mrs. Melisi: A Danada House Wedding in Wheaton, Illinois

Friends, I don’t think I’ve ever been so excited to share a blog post! You see, Mr. and Mrs. Melisi’s wedding day has been a long time coming. 

Grace and Joe originally planned their wedding for October 2020, but due to COVID and in order to keep their loved ones safe, this sweet couple was forced to postpone their celebration by 363 days. (They couldn’t wait to get married, though, and still became husband and wife on October 31, 2020!) 

Grace and Joe were—of course—disappointed that their originally planned wedding had to be delayed. But, I now think it’s safe to say that the wait only made Grace, Joe, and their loved ones even more thankful for both Grace and Joe’s marriage and for the opportunity to get together to celebrate. 

I’ve been waiting a full year to say this, but I’m now so excited to share Grace and Joe Melisi’s Danada House wedding in Wheaton, Illinois on the blog!

Grace & Joe are one of the sweetest, most thoughtful VRP couples I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with.

Now, there are countless things that need to be highlighted about Grace and Joe’s Danada House wedding, and we’ll get to that with the photos below. However, as wonderful as their wedding day was, Grace and Joe are even more wonderful both as a couple and as individuals. 

As a wedding photographer, I’ve worked with a lot of couples over the years and many during the COVID era. And, while I’ve been blessed with sweet and kind brides and grooms, Grace and Joe Melisi are just in a league of their own. 

Between Grace earning her PhD, Grace and Joe making multiple cross-country moves, a global pandemic, having to plan and replan their wedding three times, and Joe’s mama battling cancer, Grace and Joe have faced and overcome more in the last few years than many couples face in a lifetime. Yet, they’ve done it while (1) always rooting for one another, (2) usually putting others’ needs and wants before their own, and (3) showing friends, family, and even their wedding vendors nothing but kindness. 

Grace and Joe could’ve easily been angry about the situation COVID put them in, but instead, they graciously postponed their wedding by a year to protect their loved ones, based their new wedding date on the availability of their vendors so that their vendors didn’t have to lose income, paid balances early to help their vendors through 2020, and required all in attendance for their big celebration to be vaccinated to keep everyone safe. 

On top of all of this, I’m pretty sure I heard Grace and Joe say, “Thank you,” at least 1,000 times on their big day! From thanking guests for coming to thanking their vendors for their work, Grace and Joe were nothing but complimentary and gracious to others on a day that was about them. 

Long story short, their wedding day was beautiful and fun, but Grace and Joe are truly some of the most kind and thoughtful people I’ve ever met. 

Congratulations, Mr. & Mrs. Melisi!

Grace and Joe, you’ve been husband and wife for a full year now, but—and I know your friends and family will agree—your love certainly deserved an epic celebration. And, I’m so glad that that was finally able to happen! 

From the bottom of my heart, thank you for (1) being so wonderful to work with and (2) for trusting me to be your wedding photographer. 

Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Melisi! I hope you love these previews from your Danada House wedding in Wheaton, Illinois!

Would you believe we took these photos by the hotel’s indoor pool?! With rain coming down heavily on the morning of Grace and Joe’s wedding day, there wasn’t enough natural light in the hotel room to take great detail photos. The staff at Courtyard Chicago Naperville were so kind and graciously allowed us to use the pool room, which had great light. I’m eternally grateful to Manager Lucy and her team! While Grace and Joe became husband and wife with a small celebration in 2020, Grace wore a different dress and saved her original wedding dress for their wedding day. And, based on Joe’s reaction, this was obviously a great decision! It was SO great to see Becky, Gabriela, and Izabela again! Grace, Gabriella, and Iza were bridesmaids in Bruce and Becky’s wedding in 2019, and they all remembered all the posing things! While it rained almost all day, we got the perfect gap for bridal party and bride and groom photos, and the groomsmen certainly made the best of our clear umbrellas! Are you wanting a wedding full of fall colors? Take a note for Grace and Joe! The Midwest is green for most of October, but typically, the fall colors emerge the last week of October and last through the first week of November. As a result, Grace and Joe’s October 29, 2021 wedding date was literally perfect for fall colors! If you’re looking for a wedding venue in the Naperville area of Chicago suburbs, Danada House is truly amazing! Between the beautiful grounds, gorgeous house, and atrium reception space, it’s a dream! I can’t imagine a better way to end the 2021 wedding season than getting to witness Grace and Joe live it up on the dance floor with the people they love! Want to see more of Grace and Joe? Check out their engagement photos at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign!

Creative Team

Ceremony Venue: Our Lady of Mercy Catholic Church

Reception Venue: Danada House

Wedding Dress Boutique: Eleganza Tuxedo and Bridal Gallery

Hair Stylist and Makeup Artist: Makeup by Traci

Bridesmaid Dresses: Azazie

Tuxedos: The Black Tux Rental

Caterer: Angeli’s

DJ:  Sounds Abound, Michael Lang DJ

Rings: Georgetown Jewelers

Videographer: Rhys Ladhani Media

Photographer: Victoria Rayburn Photography