Bride on parade: Libertyville couple makes history
Paul Quinn and Tara Teschky, of Libertyville, address the crowd before their wedding ceremony as they make their way down the parade route of the Lake Villa St. Patrick’s Day Parade. (Candace H. Johnson – lcjedit@lakecountyjournal.com)
By CASSANDRA DOWELL
comp:00004f6587f8:000000214a:4def4
<script> jQuery.noConflict(); </script><script language='javascript'> function addElement() { jQuery('#photobox').append('<div id="gallery"><div id="gallerytease"><img src="http://ssm.nwherald.com/admin/includes/photo/gallery_button.jpg" class="button" /><div style="text-align:center;"><a href="http://ssm.nwherald.com/lakecountyjournal/photos/20120321-201612/news_all_0322_weddingF.jpg" rel="lightbox[gallery]" rev="St. Patrick\'s Day wedding" name="Candace H. Johnson - lcedit@lakecountyjournal.com Tara Teschky, of Libertyville, greets Dawn Fry, of Hickory Hills, before her wedding to Paul Quinn, during the Lake Villa St. Patrick\'s Day Parade. Fry was the wedding officiant and married the couple along the parade route. "><img src="http://ssm.nwherald.com/lakecountyjournal/photos/20120321-201612/thumbnails/news_all_0322_weddingF.jpg" class="thumb" /></a><a href="http://ssm.nwherald.com/lakecountyjournal/photos/20120321-201612/news_all_0322_weddingC.jpg" rel="lightbox[gallery]" rev="St. Patrick\'s Day wedding" name="Candace H. Johnson - lcedit@lakecountyjournal.com Meghan Quinn, 10, of Lindenhurst, daughter of the groom, and Margaret Van Etten, of Lake Villa, mother of the groom, watch as bride, Tara Teschky, compares shoes with good friend, Dawn Fry, of Hickory Hills, before her wedding to Paul Quinn, during the Lake Villa St. Patrick\'s Day Parade. Fry was the wedding officiant and married the couple along the parade route. "><img src="http://ssm.nwherald.com/lakecountyjournal/photos/20120321-201612/thumbnails/news_all_0322_weddingC.jpg" class="thumb" /></a><a href="http://ssm.nwherald.com/lakecountyjournal/photos/20120321-201612/news_all_0322_weddingH.jpg" rel="lightbox[gallery]" rev="St. Patrick\'s Day wedding" name="Candace H. Johnson - lcedit@lakecountyjournal.com Kathleen Johnston, of Arlington Heights, pins a Quinn family crest pin on the bride\'s dress, Tara Teschky, of Libertyville, before she marries Paul Quinn during the Lake Villa St. Patrick\'s Day Parade. Johnston is the groom\'s (Paul Quinn\'s) aunt and godmother and brought the pin back from Ireland. "><img src="http://ssm.nwherald.com/lakecountyjournal/photos/20120321-201612/thumbnails/news_all_0322_weddingH.jpg" class="thumb" /></a><a href="http://ssm.nwherald.com/lakecountyjournal/photos/20120321-201612/news_all_0322_weddingD.jpg" rel="lightbox[gallery]" rev="St. Patrick\'s Day wedding" name="Candace H. Johnson - lcedit@lakecountyjournal.com Patrick Quinn, of Plainfield, holds up a sign for his brother, Paul Quinn and future sister in-law, Tara Teschky, for the crowd to see before their wedding nuptials as they make their way along the parade route during the Lake Villa St. Patrick\'s Day Parade. "><img src="http://ssm.nwherald.com/lakecountyjournal/photos/20120321-201612/thumbnails/news_all_0322_weddingD.jpg" class="thumb" /></a><a href="http://ssm.nwherald.com/lakecountyjournal/photos/20120321-201612/news_all_0322_weddingG.jpg" rel="lightbox[gallery]" rev="St. Patrick\'s Day wedding" name="Candace H. Johnson - lcedit@lakecountyjournal.com Bride, Tara Teschky, of Libertyville, watch as dancers from the McNulty School of Irish Dance, perform for her before her wedding to Paul Quinn during the Lake Villa St. Patrick\'s Day Parade. The McNulty dancers danced alongside the wedding float during the parade. Teschky\'s father, Thomas Fellows, of Fishers, Indiana, stood close by. "></a><a href="http://ssm.nwherald.com/lakecountyjournal/photos/20120321-201612/news_all_0322_weddingB.jpg" rel="lightbox[gallery]" rev="St. Patrick\'s Day wedding" name="Candace H. Johnson - lcedit@lakecountyjournal.com Paul Quinn and Tara Teschky, of Libertyville, address the crowd before their wedding ceremony, as they make their way down the parade route of the Lake Villa St. Patrick\'s Day Parade. Quinn\'s son, Paul Quinn IV, 16, stood beside them. "></a><a href="http://ssm.nwherald.com/lakecountyjournal/photos/20120321-201612/news_all_0322_weddingA.jpg" rel="lightbox[gallery]" rev="St. Patrick\'s Day wedding" name="Candace H. Johnson - lcedit@lakecountyjournal.com Tara Teschky and Paul Quinn, wave to the crowd and give a thumbs up as newlyweds as they go down the parade route during the Lake Villa St. Patrick\'s Day Parade. "></a><a href="http://ssm.nwherald.com/lakecountyjournal/photos/20120321-201612/news_all_0322_weddingE.jpg" rel="lightbox[gallery]" rev="St. Patrick\'s Day wedding" name="Candace H. Johnson - lcedit@lakecountyjournal.com Paul Quinn and Tara Teschky, of Libertyville, address the media before getting married on a float during the Lake Villa St. Patrick\'s Day Parade. "></a><a href="http://ssm.nwherald.com/lakecountyjournal/photos/20120321-201612/news_all_0322_weddingI.jpg" rel="lightbox[gallery]" rev="St. Patrick\'s Day wedding" name="Candace H. Johnson - lcedit@lakecountyjournal.com Sandy Hile, of Round Lake, takes a photo his cousin, Tara Teschky, with her future husband, Paul Quinn, before they were married on a float during the Lake Villa St. Patrick\'s Day Parade. "></a><p>View 9 more photos in a photo gallery.</p></div></div>'); } Event.observe(window, 'load', function(event) { addElement(); });</script>
When Tara Teschky and Paul Quinn III’s eyes met across the room of a local dive bar more than four years ago, it was like magic.
“I never thought that could happen in my life,” Tara said of the instant sparks that flew between the Libertyville couple.
Tara, 36, and Paul, 40, realized that magic by saying "I do" on a float in front of hundreds of cheering family, friends and community members March 17 during Lake Villa's annual St. Patrick's Day parade.
They are the first couple to get married in the parade, which is the only St. Patrick's Day parade in Lake County.
“Paul and I are a cute, green-eyed Irish couple who are as giddy as ever to be married,” Tara said before the big day.
While the wedding was a reflection of the couple’s fun-loving and outgoing character, it was also a way for the couple to celebrate their heritage and, most importantly, blend their two families.
When exchanging their vows, the two addressed each others’ children. Tara has one daughter, Kendal, 7, from a previous relationship and Paul has four children from a previous marriage: Ryan, 8, Meghan, 10, Griffin, 13, and Paul IV, 16.
Tara said speaking to Paul’s children was one of the most memorable moments of the ceremony.
“I started crying when I got to say my vows to Paul’s children,” she said. “I vowed to support them, see them through life just as I would my own daughter. We all joined hands and had a big family hug. The whole wedding was all about joining the family, not just a couple.”
“We want the kids involved,” said Paul, who is the executive chef of The Lodge of Antioch. “The hair stands on my neck just thinking about it.”
"I think it's really great," Kendal said before stepping on the float. "I'm going to have a stepdad."
Tara was illuminated in a white, strapless wedding dress with green trim and the groom donned a traditional Irish kilt with a white shirt with a green bow tie.
“He looked so handsome,” Tara said.
The two exchanged vows atop an elegantly decorated float, featuring flowers donated by Jan Buss of Buss Flower Shop in Libertyville.
Bells of Ireland, Apple Blossom and Casa Blanca Lilies, as well as other flowers, accentuated the nearly two dozen satin-covered seats, which were filled by intimate family members. Other family members walked behind the float holding signs encouraging parade goers to give a round of applause for the newly married couple.
“Once the parade hit the street, the sky opened up and the sun came out,” said Dawn Fry, Tara’s friend of more than 10 years and officiant to the wedding ceremony. “The weather was perfect.”
While Tara said it was easy to tune out the crowd and focus on her vows, Paul admitted the fanfare was slightly distracting.
“I’m a people person,” Paul said. “The entertainment part of me really enjoyed it.”
As the float turned the corner onto Cedar Avenue as part of the parade route, the two coincidentally exchanged “I dos” right in front of the couple’s old apartment in Lake Villa.
“It was surreal,” Tara said. “The timing of it was so down to the second. We had just put the rings on our finger.”
The couple said the wedding would not have been possible without the outpouring of support from community members and local businesses who donated their goods and services.
“It’s a community effort,” Tara said, adding that the idea to wed in the parade was a spontaneous one. “[Family members] didn’t believe me at first when I mentioned doing this. But, it came together.”
“I always tell people, ‘You think you’ve heard everything’ ... [Tara] called me with the idea,” said Lake Villa Mayor Frank Loffredo. “It’s perfect given their ethnic heritage to do this. It’s an exciting parade.”
“Everything turned out perfect without a hitch,” said Tara’s mother, Cathleen Rodgers-Wickman. “It wasn’t just us cheering them on, it was everybody on the street that made it all the more exciting. They were rooting for Tara and Paul as well.”
“Nothing can top this,” said Tara, who has taken the last name of Quinn. “We made history.”
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