Night at the Museum: Stephanie & Joseph

Elaina Bernstein Elaina Bernstein | April 24, 2023 | Wedding Features,

STEPHANIE BASARABA & JOSEPH DIFRANCO

September 3, 2022

Field Museum

Photographed by Sally O'Donnell Photography

THE COUPLE Stephanie Basaraba and Joseph DiFranco were in the same class at Indiana University but didn’t meet until they were all the way across the pond, studying abroad in London. “By Thanksgiving, we were ‘official,’ and by February, we said our first ‘I love yous,’ Stephanie remembers. Five years later, Joseph got down on one knee.

THE DETAILS The couple wanted their big day to feel timeless, opting for a palette of white, blush and green. “In the museum’s Stanley Field Hall, the largest hanging garden served as the ‘centerpiece’ of the reception,” Stephanie says. “It brought warmth and coziness to the grand space.” Four living wisteria trees lined the dining area, and a candlelit path led guests past the dinosaur from cocktail hour to reception.

THE PARTY BKO from BeatMix Music kept the crowd of 170 on the dance floor all night long. “Their talent was truly the icing on the whole evening,” the bride says. The couple also followed a Romanian tradition of “stealing” the bride—and Joseph broke out some of his best dance moves to “win” Stephanie back. The bride says with a laugh, “I did not know he could handstand into the worm!”

linens had a subtle raised texture; Stephanie walked down the aisle in a Matthew Christopher gown and crystal-edged cathedral veil.