Garfield Park Conservatory Wedding

These soulmates were finally able to say “I do” at their Garfield Park Conservatory wedding surrounded by their immediate family.

Their Story

“We met freshmen year of college while we were both studying nursing,” Hailee told me. “And we quickly became best friends. After five years of friendship, one night we finally kissed. We never looked back! We are so excited to be getting married on our 4th dating anniversary, 11/11/22.”

Getting Ready + Portraits

Hailee + Corey got ready for their big day in their super gorgeous apartment in Avondale. I arrived just as the moms were finishing up their hair + makeup. The furry, four-legged bridesmaid Luna was running around and checking in on Hailee whenever she got the chance! We made sure to put her in the bedroom with Corey as Hailee put on her dress in their guest room. Once she was good to go and Corey’s mom put on his boutonniere, the couple had their first look together. We took some portraits outside with Luna before heading off to their ceremony venue.

Garfield Park Conservatory Wedding

Because it was the middle of November, we only had so much time before the sun dipped down. We made sure to get as many portraits in the Garfield Park Conservatory as possible before setting up for their wedding ceremony. They were married by Kari Thirsk (one of my favorite officiants in Chicago). Because Hailee + Corey couldn’t decide who would say their vows first, they decided to rock-paper-scissors in front of everyone to see what the order would be. Since Corey won, Hailee ended up going first. Both of them, however, read through their vows as tears rolled down their faces. In all my years of being a wedding photographer, I’ve never seen this much raw emotion during a ceremony… and I loved every second of it. Even their families getting emotional listening to them talk about their enduring love for each other. After their big kiss, we took a few family photos and left for their reception venue.

Revolution Brewing Reception

Without revealing too much about the backend of things, Hailee + Corey had dealt with a number of issues with their original venue. Less than a month before their wedding day, I had suggested Revolution as an alternative because of the problems they were having. The event team at Revolution never ceases to amaze me! They helped Hailee + Corey put together a gorgeous reception for them to celebrate their wedding with friends after their ceremony. To quote Hailee, “The professionalism and promptness of the staff at Revolution has been amazing to say the least!”

The newlyweds made their entrance upstairs at Revolution and greeted friends + family. After some mingling, everyone made their way to the buffet and listened to the couple give a speech. They cut their cake, danced together, and took lots of photos with friends.