How This Chicago Wedding Came Together Across Five Locations
This wedding had everything: a classic downtown skyline, layered family connections, and, honestly, enough location shifts to make a logistics coordinator, a Chicago wedding photographer, and this former assistant director sweat. Maddie and Pat got ready at the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel, took portraits at the iconic Chicago Riverwalk, the Wrigley Building, and under the marquee at the Chicago Theater, said “I do” at the historic Immaculate Conception St. Joseph Church, and ended the night at Morgan Manufacturing.
As a Chicago wedding photographer, I’m no stranger to fast-moving timelines and multiple locations, but when I originally got Maddie and Pat’s photo location plan from their wedding coordinator, I was a little bit nervous. I was a little bit nervous because the plan didn’t seem exactly like them. There were a lot of locations and bus rides involved and the moving parts made me a little bit nervous. So I did what I do best, which is turn plans on their end and strongly suggest something a little bit more effecient: which included no buses and walking. It made the day a lot more streamlined, took a lot of stress out of our afternoon, and still give us the incredible views that Maddie and Pat wanted. In the end, all we needed was a little bit of trust, some teamwork, and a bride who handled a wrecked dress with grace, humor, and aplomb (more on that later).
Newest addition to my CV for this family: Chicago Wedding Photographer
Before Maddie, there was Julia. She hired me for her Edgewood Lake Tahoe wedding, and to this day I’ll be the first to joke that at the beginning, I had no idea why. Julia is the opposite of most of my couples. She is extremely Type A, very hands-on, and had a binder 200 pages long when I am generally very flexible and loosey-goosey in my approach to days. Then I met her, and not only did it all made sense, but I fell in love with her, her now husband Mark, and their entire large boisterous family.
Then there was Anna. Julia’s cousin and Maddie’s sister. Her wedding was in New Orleans, which is a place I already have strong ties to and that I was incredibly excited to photograph in. Some of the people I consider family live there including my late brother and his sister, my best friend. I have spent a lot of time in that city, and it holds a particular kind of energy for me. It POURED on their wedding day. We had to completely flip our day upside down and change all the formal photo locations. So much rain that I now consider keeping back up pants with me at weddings at all times (I do end up standing in the lake an awful lot). The wedding photos were perfect and incredibly New Orleans: the second line still rolled through the street, the band still played, and the dance party didn’t stop.
So when Maddie reached out, I knew what I was walking into. I knew the family, the rhythm, the emotional dynamic, and the sense of celebration that runs through every one of these weddings. I know all the sisters and in fact, I was recently on Izzy’s Podcast The Key to Connection and I can’t wait to share that with you when the episode drops!
Chicago Wedding Photographer Tip: Use the City Without Letting It Take Over
Chicago has no shortage of iconic backdrops. Couples (and/or their wedding planners) often come in with big ideas about how many places they want to hit, how to make the most of the skyline, and how to get “every Chicago thing” in the gallery. I understand the instinct, especially when the city means something personal to them. But what people don’t always think about is how long it takes to move a wedding party through the city. There are delays, loading times, parking issues, crowds, and the general unpredictability of downtown traffic on any weekend afternoon.
That is why I always recommend prioritizing a few quality locations that are both meaningful and close together. Y’all know that I love efficiency more than anything in the world and if there’s anything I want for your wedding day, it’s an abundance of time. I want our afternoon to feel leisurely so that we can actually take our time, shoot with intention, and stay relaxed, and most importantly, have fun together, instead of rushing just to check boxes. I don’t check boxes when I travel, so I certainly don’t check boxes when I shoot a wedding.
For Maddie and Pat, we stripped the plan down to three main stops, all within walking distance to their hotel, and it ended up serving the day really well:
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Chicago Theater — It’s a classic. We knew we didn’t need to spend more than a few minutes here and it was absolutely the perfect location for their first look. I wanted a few great shots with with the marquee in the background, and we were able to get it quickly without making it feel like a major production.
- Chicago Riverwalk — We started here because it was just steps from the front of their hotel. There are several easy access points that don’t involve a long walk, and the variety of light and background options along the river makes it an ideal place to work quickly without it looking repetitive. We did their family photos in the plaza directly across the street to minimize moving them (and all the kids) very far, and for the rest of the wedding party and Maddie and Pat’s portraits, we utilized the 1/2 mile walk to the Wrigley Building.
- The Wrigley Building — This is always a reliable choice. The light stone exterior bounces light in ways that are flattering even during mid-day, and the surrounding architecture gives just enough texture to feel timeless without being overwhelming. It also gave us incredibly perfect views of the Chicago waterfront and it’s iconic buildings in the background for the wedding party.
Had we tried to stick to the original plan, which involved multiple bus pickups and more ambitious travel, we would have spent more time in motion than actually taking photos. Instead, we were able to slow down, have fun, and got incredible images in the interim. We knocked out ALL of their family photos ahead of time, which in my world is an incredible feat indeed. That made a real difference in their energy throughout the afternoon and allowed us to not feel rushed, which we absolutely would have been had we left those images for after the ceremony.
Maddie’s Dress vs. the City of Chicago
We had Maddie’s dress bustled for portraits so she could move through the city more easily. While getting dressed, Maddie casually mentioned to us offhandedly, “The seamstress was mad I didn’t have the shoes I planned to wear with the dress at the fitting.” I didn’t think much of it at the time. I can tell you, with certainty, that a comment like that will never escape my register again. Cut to photo time: we walked EVERYWHERE. All along the Riverwalk, across bridges, through crowds, under the theater marquee, up onto the El. It was maybe two hours of walking for photos between first looks, wedding party portraits, family formals and Maddie and Pat’s couples photos.
By the time we got to the church, we realized the part of the dress that had been folded into the bustle had picked up everything the city had to offer. There was a full ring of black grime around the hem. It was very very incredibly horrifically dirty. Cue 👀.
I don’t believe anything that happens on your wedding day defines it: not weather, not traffic, and in this case, not a dirty dress. What defines the day is how you respond to the things you didn’t plan for and honestly, Maddie handled it with total calm. She was gracious, composed, and slightly unfazed. Julia was on her hands and knees trying to clean it with sprite. We collectively decided to just keep the dress bustled for the ceremony and Maddie didn’t seem to let it rattle her.
Were the photos worth it? We think so.
Did we still get a beautiful dress shot? We absolutely did thanks to a little inspiration from Julia.
Is the dress clean now? It is.
Sometimes the dress gets dirty but that’s not this wedding’s headline. Will I ever forget it? No.
A Chicago Wedding Photographer on Ceremony to Reception Transitions: From Tradition to Modern Celebration
The ceremony was held at Immaculate Conception St. Joseph Church, presided over by Pat’s longtime family (and childhood) priest. It is a very simple Catholic Church with clean symmetry, a very long narrow nave, a grand sanctuary, but overall a great amount of simplicity.
Later, we moved to Morgan Manufacturing for the reception. I had never photographed there before, and I did not know exactly what I was walking into. What I found was a full tonal shift from the church with an interior that felt modern, elevated, with a clear industrial backbone that was softened by warm finishes and a bit of leftover cascading sunlight from the western side as the sun set. It was still a factory at its core, but one that had been adapted for celebration.
It gave the reception a formal party mood. After such a traditional and sacred ceremony space, Morgan Manufacturing felt like a completely different chapter of the day, and that contrast served the story really well. The decor was elegant and grand and with a full band (I think it was 9 pieces) the entire party went off in the way that I would expect from any of this family’s events.
Looking for a Chicago Wedding Photographer? Let’s Talk.
My goal is never just to deliver a folder full of images. My goal is always to create something that helps you remember what the day actually felt like. I am so incredibly grateful that I had my dear friend and frequent work associate Lisa Hause with me. We work together incredibly well and are adept at making sure that we’re always covering different things during each event in different ways, allowing you to have a well rounded gallery full of images of the people you love most.
If you have worked with me before, you already know this. If you haven’t, here is what I can promise. I work quickly, I stay steady, and I know how to adapt without overstepping, or am also willing to overstep when I think someone needs to take charge and make decisions under stress. I am there to document what is real and meaningful, and to get out of your way, or, sometimes, in your way, while I do it. The tl:dr is that I’m going to read the room, assess the personalities, and do what I think is going to solve the problem or attune the energy.
If you are looking for a Chicago wedding photographer who knows how to work with the city, who can handle unexpected shifts without losing focus, and who cares about telling the story with intention, I would love to hear from you.
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