Illinois Valley Living_January 2026_Weddings

JANUARY 2026

VALLEY LIVING Weddings

ILLINOIS

Love in Full Bloom

Exploring Prairie Land

Event Center

Inside a courthouse wedding

Sparkle with Sasso Jewelry

A wedding at Centennial Farm on the Ridge

5

16

The

8

20

12

An

IV Living - Weddings

426 Second Street

La Salle, Illinois 61301

(815) 223-3200

(800) 892-6452

shawlocal.com/illinois-valley-living/

General Manager/ Advertising Director Jeanette Smith jmsmith@shawmedia.com

Niche Editor

Shannon Serpette sserpette@shawmedia.com

Writers

Katlyn Sanden

Alexia Serpette

Shannon Serpette

Photographer

Shannon Serpette

Designer Liz Klein

Let the good times roll

A crowd-pleasing back-to-back wedding and reception

LStory by Shannon Serpette

When Kyle Henson and Ashley (Slack) Henson of Dwight were married on June 7, 2025, they decided to have their wedding and reception held backto-back. That decision turned out to be enormously popular with their guests, and it’s one piece of advice Ashley recommends to other couples for their future weddings.

“Have the ceremony and reception back-to-back so guests aren’t wasting time or trying to find something to do in between. We have received many compliments regarding having our ceremony and reception at the same location,” Ashley said. “Take all of your pictures beforehand so you can enjoy being with all your guests, family, and bridal party.”

The venue the Hensons selected – Centennial Farm on the Ridge in Streator –was ideal for a back-to-back event.

“We had an outdoor ceremony, but the reception was held indoors in the venue’s brand-new Morton building. It was the third wedding held at this venue. After inquiring about many different wedding venues with a barn aspect, we decided to choose Centennial Farm on the Ridge due to the location being a central point for both of our families and friends,” Ashley said.

Ashley is originally from Ottawa, while her husband grew up in Dwight.

The Hensons’ wedding day was made easier by working with several local businesses.

“Our caterer, Hy-Vee, was a wonderful choice and so easy to work with. They helped bring our dream of having breakfast as our wedding dinner alive,” Ashley

said. “The Ottawa Bakery catered our breakfast hors d’oeuvres and couple’s cake. They helped make our cocktail hour a hit and were very easy to work with.”

The couple was also happy with the donuts supplied by Steve’s Bakery that were featured on their donut wall. They enjoyed working with Without a Hitch Event Décor Co.

“They were so helpful, and it was so easy working with them to bring all our visions to life,” she said.

One tip Ashley offers to couples who are in the planning stages of their upcoming wedding is this: “Renting all of the decor versus buying or DIYing it all was one of the best decisions we made for the day,” she said.

Ashley said she and her husband were surprised at how quickly their wedding passed by.

“For both of us, after the day was over, we were asked numerous times if we were glad it was all over, and our answer still to this day is no. It went by too fast, especially on the day of,” she said.

Weddings, Showers, Cocktail Parties, Reunions, Anniversaries, Business Events, Picnics...

Call Today!

Sullivan’s Foods

1102 Meriden St Mendota, IL

815.539.9341

125 E Backbone Rd Princeton, IL 815.879.7351

Open 6am to 9pm 7 Days a Week www.sullivansfoods.net

A breath of fresh air

Putnam County’s wedding venue is a natural beauty

Story and photos by Shannon Serpette

Couples who are looking for a wedding venue in the Illinois Valley area have one more option to consider – thanks to the vision of the Putnam County Conservation District (PCCD) Board and PCCD executive director Kristen Pantenburg. The Prairie Land Event Center, located at 4526 E. 1000th St., Hennepin, was finished in May of 2024 and has been a resounding success ever since.

For Pantenburg, the Prairie Land Event Center is more than a venue –it was her idea, and she worked on every step from start to finish.

“I designed this,” she said. “I wanted it to be very rustic.”

Almost everyone who worked on the building came from Putnam County, which was important to those at the PCCD. The venue has been a win-win situation for PCCD – they are generating more income and bringing more visitors to explore the site.

“We booked up every weekend this year. We’re getting a lot more people coming in,” Pantenburg said, adding that they’re drawing in people from all over Illinois. “The animals don’t seem to care.”

In addition to weddings, the venue can be booked for events like retirement parties, Christmas parties, baby showers, meetings, and more. A small deposit is required for booking the venue, and payments can be made.

Those who book the venue for weddings may be pleasantly surprised by the extras that are included.

“We have some decorations we can supply for weddings,” Pantenburg said.

The event center, which can accommodate up to 200 guests, has folding chairs for outdoor weddings – and PCCD staff will set them up and take them down.

Couples can choose between using the center’s round or rectangular tables, and there are tablecloths in multiple neutral colors so couples can find ones that go with their color scheme.

Couples can also use the banquet tables, a photo backdrop, a wedding arch, a nine-foot

See PCCD, page 11

PAGE 9

portable bar, bar coolers, refrigeration, and a small kitchenette with no stove. Ice can be purchased for a small fee per bag.

“People can use any catering they want. They can use any DJ or band,” Pantenburg said.

Depending on the size of the wedding, PCCD will supply one to three staff members to help. The venue coordinator will help with maintenance, such as moving tables, cleaning restrooms, stocking ice, and coordinating in the weeks and months leading up to the ceremony and reception.

Couples will have access to the venue the day before their wedding or reception, so they aren’t scrambling to get everything done at the last minute.

“We let them come on the day before for set up,” Pantenburg

said. “We’re pretty flexible. We try to take some of the stress off of them. We really do go above and beyond.”

An outdoor area with lighting is located adjacent to the Prairie Land Event Center, so guests can move between inside and outside during the reception. There is an outside outlet for food trucks, if couples wish to hire them for the big day.

“We have had their food trucks pull up right to the shelter,” Pantenburg said. “People can use any catering they want. They can use any DJ or band.”

An outstanding venue for outdoor photos, PCCD has a gazebo right behind the event center, a nearby pond, and more. Plus, those who want an outdoor wedding ceremony will find multiple options, including the gazebo, a beautiful spot under the huge oak trees, or by the pond and primitive cabin.

“We can pretty much do anything,” Pantenburg said.

To get ready for her big moment, a bride may use the bridal suite, located in the office building near the Prairie Land Event Center. It offers heat, air conditioning, a full-length mirror, a makeup table, and plenty of seating for friends, family, or guests who are there to help the bride with her preparations.

Randi Trumpinski, a former Putnam County resident who now lives in Tonica, is the wedding coordinator, and she enjoys working at the Prairie Land Event Center.

“I love everything about it. It’s new. It’s very easy to keep maintained,” Trumpinski said.

At night, with the romantic lighting, rustic setting, and adjacent outdoor area all lit up, the Prairie Land Event Center comes to life.

“It’s absolutely gorgeous,” Pantenburg said.

Love is in the air

Josie Kampwerth and Kyle Quick knew, when planning their May wedding, that holding the ceremony at that time of year gave them plenty of options.

“We decided to have our ceremony outdoors because we knew that May would be a beautiful month for the weather and flowers,” Josie Quick said. “We chose Senica’s (Senica’s Oak Ridge) because we knew that we could have a beautiful outdoor ceremony and reception all at one location. With having a bigger wedding, we did not want our guests to have to

so the couple, who now reside in Mark, used many local businesses for their wedding, some of which included Guys on the Radio, Petals by Peyton, Kelsey’s Kakes, Sasso Jewelry and Gifts, and Marien Mae Bridal Boutique.

Josie still remembers the “overwhelming feeling of love” she felt on her May 24, 2025, wedding day.

“To have everyone that means the most to you in one room to celebrate you is such a wonderful feeling,” she said.

She recalled two particularly special moments from that day.

“I recorded a message to be played for my husband before I walked down the aisle. Only a few people knew I was doing this, and the remarks that I heard from those in the crowd was that it was one of the most special things they had witnessed at a wedding. Plus, it made my husband tear up, which was my goal,” Josie said. “Second, was that I included cousins on both our sides to be our Something Blue girls. I asked the girls to wear blue that day and hand out programs before the wedding.

See

, page 14

BY ASHLEY AND ABI MEDINA

“My advice to other couples who are in the planning process would be do whatever you want to do because it is your day. I know that is a lot easier said than done, but I wish that I would have taken that advice a little more during my planning process. ...”

Josie Quick

They then walked down the aisle together before the bridal party.”

Josie knows firsthand how stressful wedding planning can be and shares what she wishes she had done differently while planning her wedding.

“While there is not one thing that I would have changed from that day, I think I would have liked to have a lot more things

done leading up to that last week. I felt like we did a lot of last-minute things, which got a little stressful, but we made it work,” she said.

For brides who are in the wedding planning phase now, Josie offers some advice.

“My advice to other couples who are in the planning process would be do whatever you want to do because it is your day. I know that is a lot easier said than done, but I wish that I would have taken that advice

a little more during my planning process. There are always going to be a lot of outside opinions and comments, and what it boils down to is this day is about you and your future husband starting your lives together,” she said.

“If that means that you want it to be a five-minute ceremony and a party after, or if you want a 10-course meal and fireworks, that is your choice as a couple and no one else’s. Do what makes you happy,” she added.

Where Dream Homes Become Real Homes

At WoodHarbor, we don’t just build custom cabinetry we build the backdrop for life’s most meaningful moments. With every detail carefully considered, WoodHarbor delivers custom cabinetry that blends exquisite design with enduring quality.

Get engaged with Sasso Jewelry

Story by Katlyn Sanden

Sasso Jewelry & Gifts, located in downtown LaSalle, is no stranger to the Illinois Valley. The shop has been part of families’ big moments for the last 30 years.

“We’re not a typical jewelry store,” said owner Becca Barto. “I want anyone that comes to the door to feel super comfortable. We’re a laid-back environment and find exactly what the couple wants. I enjoy it so much because we laugh with these couples and share happy tears because they’re

so happy and excited with how things went. I’ve really enjoyed being a part of that.”

In addition to engagement rings and wedding sets, Sasso Jewelry & Gifts offers fine jewelry, costume jewelry, home accessories, home décor, kitchen serving pieces, candles, jewelry cleaner, home fragrance, and a selection of children’s gifts.

“We do bridal registries,” Barto said. “We have the perfect engagement gifts for couples. We can do personalized

cutting boards with their new last name. One of our most popular is a cutting board with ‘Mr. & Mrs.’ on it. We have catch-all trays for the bride to put her new ring in and a selection of pretty wine glasses and barware. Typically, people can come in and find something perfect for an engagement gift.”

But if you’re coming in for an engagement ring, Barto says it’s best to allow one month, although she’s been able to pull off surprises in two weeks. She said they deal in loose stones.

budget they want. I can pretty much find anything – from simple solitaire to diamonds on the band.”

What’s really neat about her job, Barto said, is seeing repeat customers, especially different generations of the same family, or having referrals from loyal customers.

“People send in family and friends all the time. I really enjoy being a part of this process with all these great couples.”

Becca Barto, owner

“People come in and pick out their center stone,” said Barto. “They tell me what size, shape, mounting, and

“That’s what’s great about our small community – word travels fast,” said Barto. “People send in family and friends all the time. I really enjoy being a part of this process with all these great couples. I can meet privately with couples if they don’t want to come in with a store full of people. I want to make it as easy and as stressfree as possible for them.”

A no-stress wedding

A courthouse ceremony saves money and time

hile many couples dream of lavish weddings, Carter and Angela (Bernardoni) Coble of LaSalle had another plan in mind for their wedding on July 30th, 2025. Instead of spending thousands of dollars, their ideal ceremony was a small courthouse wedding that cost them just $40, according to Angela.

“We are the kind of people who don’t like to have extra attention drawn to us. I am also a wedding vendor myself and work on bridal parties almost every

See COBLE, page 22

“Our favorite thing about our wedding day was having our daughter, Fay, present. We held her in our arms during our ceremony, and it was such a precious memory that neither of us will forget.”

Angela Coble

Carter and Angela Coble were able to hold their daughter, Fay,

PHOTO BY TESSA SHYMANSKI

weekend. I wanted to have my wedding be something different and special in comparison to what I’m used to seeing when I’m working,” said Angela, who works as a hairstylist.

Angela, originally from Leonore, and Carter, who is from Peru, decided to have their wedding at the Ottawa Courthouse. The newlyweds were surprised by “how easy and effortless it was to pull together in four days,” said Angela. The only planning the couple had to do was to check availability and schedule their date, she added.

According to Angela, there are definite benefits to having a courthouse wedding.

“We saved thousands of dollars doing it this way. We were also able to share our love for one another privately with our families, who mean the most to us. We didn’t have to worry about weather, guests, timelines, etc., and it was amazing. We got to focus on each other all day long,” she said.

Having a simple, small wedding did mean that some people close to the couple were excluded.

“Our immediate families were there with us. Of course, people

were left out due to the simplicity of it. However, they all have been so understanding and supportive of us and our decision to have it our way, which we are so grateful for,” she said. “So many of our family and friends try to talk us into having a big reception in the future. We are perfectly content without.”

Angela shared what her favorite moment was from her courthouse wedding.

“Our favorite thing about our wedding day was having our daughter, Fay, present. We held her in our arms during our ceremony, and it was such a precious memory that neither of us will forget,” she said.

Avoiding a big wedding will allow the couple to use their savings in ways that make them happy.

“We are hoping to buy our dream home together with the money we’ve saved, then fill it with more babies,” she said.

Angela offered advice to other couples planning their wedding – whether it’s an intimate courthouse ceremony or a big, fancy extravaganza.

“Do what works for you as a couple, rather than what you think everyone else wants you to do. In 30 years from now, the two of you will look back on your wedding day and feel grateful that you had it exactly how you wanted,” she said.

BEEF OR CHICKEN

3 tacos, served with rice and beans. ADD lettuce and cheese 50¢ more per item.

STEAK OR CHICKEN served with tortillas

STEAK OR CHICKEN