Good Day, Sunshine

By
October 2021 View more

After their engagement, Kirsten Krauth and Cody Ludwig visited Ashley Farm in Yorkville and fell in love with the picturesque garden ceremony site and its stone path leading to a romantic pergola. Though their original plans to marry on September 12, 2020, were delayed to June 12, 2021, because of the pandemic, they were excited to be able to finally celebrate. But when the day arrived, it rained—and rained, and rained.

“There were tornado watches, hail, lightning—it was a huge thunderstorm. I didn’t even look outside,” says Kirsten, 29, who grew up in Naperville and works as a registered nurse at Edward Hospital. Just as they were about to move the ceremony indoors, the weather cleared. “The storm went south and there were blue skies and a beautiful breeze,” she says.

The sun beamed down on Cody as he nervously waited for Kirstin to appear on the garden path. “I’m not a fan of the ‘first look’ photos,” says the groom, 33, who grew up in Manhattan, Illinois, and works as an electrician. “I said, I don’t want to see her until she walks down the aisle. And when I turned around and saw her, it was pretty incredible. It was worth the wait,” he says.

After dinner, cake, and dancing, the night was coming to a close—but it turned out that Kirsten’s maid of honor and Cody’s best man had a late-night surprise in store. They begged the DJ to remove “The Chicken Dance” from the do-not-play list so they could take the dance floor in inflatable chicken costumes. “I’m a chicken mom,” says Kirsten, who tends to her 11 hens in a backyard coop at the couple’s Lemont home. “It’s just a running joke and people love to poke fun at it.” Though they didn’t see it coming, the antics did end their farm wedding on a memorable, laugh-filled note. 

Vendors

Venue and catering
Ashley Farm, Yorkville

Bride’s attire
Gown from Here Comes the Bride, Glendale Heights; alterations by Brookdale Tailoring, Naperville

Bride’s hair and makeup
Total Image, Oakbrook Terrace

Groom’s and groomsmen’s attire
Black Tie Formalwear, Orland Park

Cake
Nothing Bundt Cakes, Shorewood

Florist
La-la Faux Florals, New Lenox

DJ
Tone Productions, Plainfield

Rings
Jared, Bolingbrook

Photographer
John Foley Photography