The September 6 O.A.R. concert was especially memorable for Sara and Nick of Waukegan; it doubled as their wedding day, complete with ceremony and reception on Ravinia’s gorgeous lawn. Ravinia is a popular formal wedding venue, but this couple earned points for creativity by fashioning a wedding experience completely unique to themselves. We got in touch with the happy couple to learn more.
How did you two meet, and how long have you been together?
We met on a dating site in May 2014 and got engaged in April 2015.
Why and how did you choose to get married on the lawn?
Neither of us were wanting a large wedding, and we discussed the idea of eloping at some point. We planned that we would just pick a weekend along the way and decide that that was the time to go somewhere and get married. In the middle of the summer, I came up with the crazy, fun idea of getting married right before the concert, and Nick loved it. Nick was blindly trusting me that the venue would work well for what we wanted since this was going to be his first concert there. The weekend and idea was set from that moment. We envisioned ourselves having a small and short ceremony early in the evening and then relax with our guests, Nick’s mom, and our siblings, listening to amazing music and enjoying their company in a beautiful atmosphere. It turned out to be exactly what we wanted.
What impact did O.A.R. or Ravinia have on your relationship and your choice to get married on a show date?
We went to an O.A.R. concert on one of our first dates in 2014 at Summerfest in Milwaukee. We really enjoy their music, whether live in concert, shuffling around in the car, or at home. We’ve become bigger fans of theirs together. A lot of their songs have become our songs over the past year, so as soon as the Ravinia concert list was released this year, we knew that O.A.R. would be one that we for sure would be going to. The wedding idea came to mind because we wanted something simple, small, and different than more traditional weddings. We wanted it to be a snapshot of the fun times that our lives together as a married couple would be. Being able to have the ceremony before a concert of a great band that just happened to be one of our first fun times together was a perfect match for us.
What’s the next adventure for the married couple?
Building a house and enjoying each and every moment we have with each other, Nick’s daughter, and our family and friends!
