Garfield Park Conservatory Intimate Wedding

It always blows my mind that I get to travel the world documenting so many different love stories. This particular love story is Maggie and Wes. I was able to fly out to Chicago to capture their wedding day and it was more than I could have ever imagined. Being a Michigan native, Chicago is an old familiar friend of mine. So it was nice being able to head back up North to capture a beautiful love story. You may also recognize Maggie and Wes from their engagement session I shot a while back. You can see that here! This may come as a shock to you, but Maggie and Wes are actually already married. One year ago from this wedding date, Maggie and Wes tied the knot at the courthouse. However, they wanted to have a moment to celebrate with friends and family hence their Garfield Park Conservatory Intimate Wedding in Chicago.

For Maggie and Wes, the celebrations started on a Thursday evening at the Garfield Park Conservatory to meet up with their wedding guests. At the time however, it just so happened that the majority of Maggie and Wes's wedding guests' flights were delayed so it just so happened to be the happy couple, me, the wedding planner, and their two friends. Not our original plan, but we made it work! We were able to spend this time walking around the conservatory and even headed to Lou Malnati's for some of that Chicago famous deep-dish pizza (where the rest of the family and friends could make it!). I can really appreciate my time with Wes and Maggie because they really made me feel integrated within their day, not just their wedding photographer, which brings so much warmth to my heart.

Fast forward to the next day and it was wedding time! We started off by meeting up with Maggie and Wes at the Pendry Chicago as they got ready. Set inside a 1929 Art Deco Building, The Pendry Chicago is a modern-day luxury hotel that brings together a blend of contemporary and historic touches. If you're looking for an elevated wedding experience with the perfect twist on past and present, then I would highly suggest checking out the Pendry Chicago.

Maggie and Wes had rented out their hotel room on the 34th floor, which essentially only had two rooms on that one floor. Everything seemed ginormous and was definitely a glamorous way to get ready for such a special occasion. While the Pendry Hotel may give you Shinola Hotel vibes, if I'm being honest the Pendry may have them beat. I arrived and Maggie and already gotten her hair & makeup done. She looked like a real-life doll, so stunning and I wish I could have spent hours just photographing how amazing she looked. Alas, the show must go on and the rest of the wedding day must be documented.

I have to say though, that this first look was a beautiful one. As I mentioned before, Maggie looked like a real-life doll. A princess even, and having this moment where Wes was completely taken by surprise just confirmed all of my thoughts of how amazing Maggie looked. Wes looked very dashing as well and together these two looked like the ultimate power couple.

After spending some time at the hotel having some celebratory shots, we gathered up all of the wedding guests, headed to the party bus, and made our way to the Garfield Park Conservatory for the ceremony! When we arrived, the Garfield Park Conservatory had not yet been closed to the public. No worries though, we were able to make it work and took some wedding party photos while we waited for guests to arrive. At this point, the public had been cleared out and the ceremony officially began. Maggie and Wes had a violinist playing for their ceremony which made this ceremony extremely romantic and beautiful.

After the ceremony, Maggie and Wes had their cocktail hour still at the Garfield Park Conservatory. With live music playing and a moment to mingle with their guests, this was definitely a moment that everyone seemed to have been looking forward to. They even did some special dances with each other and with their parents <3

Piled onto the party bus we went. The ceremony was over, cocktail hour was done and it was time to celebrate over food at RLM Studio. RLM Studio is a perfect event space for intimate weddings, which was amazing for this day celebrating Maggie and Wes. Upon entering the space, tables were set up and a candle-lit dinner was made in celebration of such a beautiful occasion. Maggie and Wes hired Vendador Chicago to make a luxury home-cooked 7 course meal for their reception which was absolutely divine. Not to mention that every course came with its own wine pairing! Because of this intimate dinner setting, the dinner ended up being 3 1/2 hours long. While it was a long dinner, it didn't feel like it at all since the food was delicious and we were surrounded by good company.