Chicago Downtown Urban Wedding

Written and Photgraphy by WS Photography

Anyone who knows Chicago, even just a little, has heard of the Rookery Building—a place with the most beautiful spiral staircase in the city.They wanted something special for their first look, and they chose this historic location. We planned carefully to decide where exactly everything should happen. First came the first look with her father, followed by the one with the groom. It was an emotional experience, and we picked two different spots—one for her father and another for the groom. After the first look, they read their vows to each other, which was incredibly touching. They didn’t have a videographer, but one of the photographers recorded it on a phone so they could have this beautiful moment captured on video as well.We love this location, and after the first look, we took some stunning photos on the beautiful staircase of the Rookery Building. The wedding party was waiting for us outside the building, right in front of the Board of Trade, where we continued our photography with them and the bridal party. The Board of Trade is always an inspiring backdrop for us. There was one moment when Allison’s veil blew away, and we managed to capture it perfectly. You can see that photo in the gallery below.Another iconic location we stopped by on our way to the venue was LaSalle Bridge, which provided us with some amazing photo opportunities. The sun was shining brightly, and we took full advantage of it. We love working with the sun, even though many photographers shy away from it and prefer shooting in the shade. The light added something special to the photos, making them even more beautiful.

Fairlie is a relatively new event space located in the industrial area just behind the Fulton Market District. The neighborhood has seen a rise in new venues recently, and Fairlie fits right in with its industrial design—brick walls and iron details. One practical advantage is that it has its own large parking lot. Allison and Aaron chose to have everything in one place, something Fairlie easily accommodates. That decision made the whole day feel more relaxed, with less time spent in transit and more time to enjoy the moments. A big part of the work was handled by the team of planners from Ohana Events. Everything went according to plan. There were so many details, and the couple truly put in a lot of effort to make sure everything was perfect. The ceremony was very emotional, with several speakers adding personal and touching moments. After the ceremony, guests moved on to cocktail hour while the team at Fairlie worked on setting up the space for the reception. The venue is spacious and well-suited for large celebrations, but from a photographer’s perspective, it’s quite challenging—it’s a very dark space and requires a strong command of additional lighting techniques to capture it well.Since that’s our specialty, you can see the results clearly in the photos in the gallery. After dinner, the live band—Bluewater Kings Band—took the stage, and they were absolutely fantastic. In our experience, a live band is always the best choice for wedding music. It may be more demanding and more expensive, but it’s truly worth it. And then—the party really started!