A Family Affair | Alexa & Nikko 2021

WEDDING STORIES

Apr 3

Written By GoLive

couple kisses surrounded by their entire wedding wedding and flowers

So few couples can say they’ve known each other for most of their lives. Alexandra & Nikko are one of those few! They are family friends who grew up together but they didn’t start dating until much later. How cute is that?!

Alexandra made our job easy as she had been very meticulous with her planning and knew exactly what she wanted!

Their wedding party was one of the largest we had this season and we loved it! The party included 7 pairs of bridesmaids and groomsmen, parents, grandparents, 2 flower girls, 2 ring bearers, 2 readers, and 11 pairs of sponsors. Everyone in the wedding party played a role in the traditional Filipino Catholic ceremony which was held at the couple’s family church. The Father who officiated the wedding had seen both of them grow up and cracked everyone up at the ceremony with countless childhood stories of the two of them!

bride is veiled at her traditional wedding ceremony

large family and wedding party at traditional wedding ceremony

After the ceremony, the newlyweds and their bridesmaids and groomsmen had their photos taken at the Morton Arboretum while everyone headed to the DoubleTree in Oakbrook for cocktail hour.

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It was very important to Alexandra & Nikko that their family and friends not only played a role in their ceremony but were also celebrated at their reception. They displayed their favorite photos with family and friends at their cocktail hour. Their DJ and florist were family friends, the florist was also the same one that did the florals for Alexandra’s mom’s wedding. Another family friend made the cake pops that were served during cocktail hour which were both delicious and adorable! For dessert, there was a spread of traditional Filipino candies and desserts, courtesy of Alexandra’s grandma, that were gone almost as soon as they were set out. Lastly, friends and family were invited to take portraits with the bride and groom after dinner which is such a sweet gesture!

whole family jumps into one photo at wedding reception

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The reception was super fun, it was nice to see the bride and groom finally relax after a busy morning! We had karaoke, as is a tradition at Filipino weddings, and tables got very competitive! The dance floor was opened with several line dances and a conga line which were both a big hit. Later in the night, everyone wanted a chance to dance with the bride and groom, so they all lined up and pinned cash on them for the Dollar Dance. Someone even paid with money crowns, we hope they got more time to dance with them because of it! The dance floor was rarely empty up until the very last moment!