Ovation Chicago Wedding Venue | Elizabeth + Alex | Chicago Wedding Photographer
Ovation Chicago Wedding Venue | Elizabeth + Alex | Moody Chicago Wedding Photographer
This beautiful wedding day started in one of my favorite cities, Chicago,
and ended at one of my favorite wedding venues, Ovation Chicago.
Elizabeth started her day by getting ready in a beautiful loft downtown with her mother, sister and best friends. After meeting Alex for a private first look on a the quaint street below, we headed to the West Loop to take their bridal portraits before the ceremony. I always love looking for interesting light whenever roaming around Chicago or really any destination that I travel to for weddings. The harsh shadows, the light from around a corner, the crisp of sunlight always get me really excited to capture the couple in a unique way! Light is always changing, so you have to be really flexible and knowledgeable on the times of the year and times of the day that you shooting. That’s why it’s always best to make sure your photographer knows about light, because then they can look for it anywhere.
For Photographers, training your eye takes some time, but is so worth it to be able to work with soft or harsh natural light at any time of the day, so that you can create the best portraits for your couple. And what is great is that you don’t have to wait for a wedding day to to practice shooting in harsh light, any sunny day, just wake up to shoot for sunrise, then shoot for mid day, and then shoot at sunset. Find the light in and around your home and city and you’ll be able to practice your exposure settings anytime! And if you want to chat more about this, feel free to reach out to me about a Mentor Session Here!
Now back to this lovely wedding day! After the portraits we headed straight over to Ovation Chicago. Elizabeth and Alex’s wedding day was filled with so many beautiful Jewish traditions. They signed the Ketubah first amongst the intimacy of just their families, which really solidifies their union as one and husband and wife in the Jewish culture. They also did the candle lighting ceremony during this time as well. The formal wedding ceremony was then held with all of the wedding guests in the grand open floor plan, naturally lit, ceremony space of Ovation Chicago. The florist, EcoWilde Flower Co, did such a beautiful job with the archway for the wedding ceremony, as well as Elizabeth’s wedding bouquet and the gorgeous sprinkling of greenery on the elegant family style tables for the reception. The food was catered by Big Delicious Planet, and wow, was it delicious! Their name choice is definitely an accurate one.
And to end the night, there was endless dancing! What I love most about Ovation, is that they always have the DJ’s from Style Matters, and man, are they GOOD! The guys themselves are just a joy to be around and truly just bring life to the event with their music selection. They really know how to read a room and always bring the whole party to the dance floor. Truly, this was such a great day of celebrating Elizabeth and Alex’s love as everyone welcomed them into the the start of their next season of life together!
Wedding Planning + Design - Naturally Yours Events, Lauren West @nyeventschicago / Florist - EcoWilde Flower Co. Emily Neumann / Make-up + Hair Artist - Lerin Johnson Bridal Beauty / Makeup - Lerin Johnson Artistry / Hair - Lerin Johnson Bridal Beauty / Wedding Dress Designer - Rivini from Bella Bianca / Shoes - Anny 70mm in nude by Stuart Weitzman / Bride + Groom Rings - Ruth Hendleman / Ceremony + Reception Venue - Ovation Chicago / Cocktail Hour, Reception Caterer + Desserts - Big Delicious Planet / Reception DJ - Style Matters / Wedding Filmmaker - Aaron Bean
If you’d like me to capture your wedding day or see if your wedding date is available for 2020 or 2021,
fill out the form at the link below and I would love to create something beautiful with you!
Room 1520 | West Loop Wedding Venue | Chicago Wedding Photographer
Room 1520 Wedding Venue | Chicago Wedding Photographer
Keep your eyes open.
Keep your heart open too.
You never who you’re going to
meet and what they will mean to you.
- mhn
Clair and Michael. These two adventurous souls met in the most exciting meet-cute ever, standing in line at a club in Italy. They are both such beautiful humans, inside and out, with the style and sass to match! More than any couple I have ever met, they dance like no one else is watching. I absolutely loved this day and all of the uniquely modern details that made their wedding truly one to remember.
Venue - Room 1520 | Dress - Alyssa Kristin Dress | Tux - The Black Tux | Hair + MUA - Nika Vaughan Bridal Artists | Event Planner - Urban Allure Events | Florist - Bouk Bridal | Caterer - Zullo’s Catering | DJ - Toast & Jam |
For anyone reading this that is in your engaged season of life, Room 1520 is one of the loveliest wedding venues in Chicago that I have ever captured a wedding in. As anyone can see from my photographs I share on my website and social media, I tend to be drawn to the more neutral or black and white palette. Room 1520 is one of my favorite venues in Chicago because it is a blank space. It is completely painted in white. The floors are white and the old tile windows give it a modern and clean edge. If you are looking for an industrial venue in the heart of the West Loop, just a mile from downtown, you will love Room 1520. The location, the staff, the elegant transitions from foyer, to bar area, to the wide open ceremony and reception space, It’s definitely a space for anyone looking for a blank slate to visit to see if this the wedding venue for you. I just love raving about wedding venues in Chicago that I love and Room 1520 has definitely become a favorite of mine. I have shot multiple weddings in the West Loop, and as lovely as they all are, Room 1520 has the upper hand when it comes to space, since it’s on the outskirts of the West Loop and has a slightly larger square footage then most of the West Loop wedding venues. So you can invite more of your friends and family to celebrate with you! So all in all, Room 1520 is in my opinion one of the best wedding venues in Chicago. So cheers to hopefully helping your Chicago wedding venue search just a little bit and I truly hope you can enjoy your season of planning, and most importantly, enjoy this time with the love of your life!
Lauren + Nick | City View Loft Wedding
City View Loft Wedding Venue | Chicago Wedding Photographer
It was an incredibly beautiful and snowy day in Chicago for Lauren and Nick's stunning Chicago wedding. From the weather to their endless smiles, I couldn't get over how much joy there was! I think smiles are incredibly underrated. I love when a couple can't have serious faces because they are just so filled with laughter and joy from looking at each other! It's just so beautiful to see.
It's so refreshing to second shoot in between my own clients' weddings. (And not just because it's super fun and enjoyable to work with friends!) When you second shoot, you get to spend more time with the groom, usually, and I always gain so much appreciation for them. Some grooms party beforehand, some need their alone time, some are pumped for the day, and others are incredibly emotional or solemn. I really love being able to document the groom's side. Now I make it a point, even in my own weddings, to document the bride and groom equally, because it's just as special a day for him as it is for her.
I captured this wedding day at City View Loft alongside my sweet and talented friend Alisha, from ATS Photography, and we couldn't have enjoyed ourselves (or danced) more!
Venue City View Loft // Getting Ready Location VRBO // Video Eric Floberg // Hair Emily Grisso // Dress Sarah Seven // Suit Sarar
Seriously, if you are still searching for a Chicago wedding venue close to downtown and the lakefront, City View Loft is your venue! City View Loft has so many spaces for you to create your own feel and such great views of Chicago. I love shooting wedding photos at City View Loft! And if you’d like to see if I’m available to capture your unique wedding day, please reach out on my contact page at the link below! I’d love to create something beautiful with you!
Minimalist Wedding | Chicago , IL
Minimalist Wedding Inspiration | Warehouse Wedding Venue | Chicago Wedding Photographer
I started this minimalist wedding day shooting David getting ready at their Wicker Park flat (which is the best neighborhood, and I'm not just biased because it's my neighborhood too! Well, maybe I am.) Their vibrant personalities were scattered all over their two-story loft. And of course, Fleetwood Mac had to be played on their record player. Couldn’t have been a better start to a wedding day! Then I captured their first look alongside my friend and lead photographer Kat, from Deepend Imagery.
We wandered around some industrial areas of Chicago before heading to the venue, which is a renovated warehouse itself. It was the perfect blank and minimal slate wedding venue for these two lovely individuals! It's now a stunning, naturally lit space that just makes you want to shoot there over and over again. It's probably one of my favorite warehouse wedding venues in Chicago. If you’re looking for a minimalist wedding venue in your city, you should always go to the more industrial areas, because many warehouses have become very minimal wedding venues. Their open floor plans and bare bones tend to make the perfect blank slate to create your dream minimalist wedding day. I love seeing walls, floors and piping all turned to white, so couples have a fresh slate to turn the wedding venue into something that is unique to them in the most minimal of ways. I truly love warehouse and minimal wedding venues.
Needless to say, Amanda and David's night ended with the most lively dancing and tons of joy! That is always one of my favorite ways to end a wedding day. Celebrating love with those that you love! Cheers to another beautiful, minimalist wedding day in my lovely city of Chicago!
If you’d like to Inquire about me capturing your wedding day or see if your date is available?
Fill out the form below and I would love to help you create something beautiful together!