Jessica and Eli | Jeremy Lawson Photography

The final touches were falling into place for Jessica and her fiancee Eli’s (whose last name is Share- they incorporated it into the invitations!) wedding.

Jessica’s mom and event planner Beth Bernstein of SQN Events were making sure the dress was perfect.

And Eli had sent a lovely bouquet the night before, sending lots of love and reminding Jessica to get a good night’s sleep.

Erin and Sarah from Rebel Run Studio double checked Jessica’s veil as they finished with her hair.

Jessica’s dad popped his head in to see how the preparations were going.

The bridesmaids wanted a look, too.

Finished! Jessica was beaming with happiness and excitement. Everything was a go for her and Eli’s big moment.

Meanwhile, on the party bus, Eli and his groomsmen were getting ready, too.

Eli put on his hat and went to the riverfront for his first meeting with Jessica.

They hugged and shared a few words…

…and then headed out for pictures.

One of the groomsmen helped Jessica up on this loading dock for our first group picture.

They had a huge wedding party. 8 groomsmen and 8 bridesmaids.

And everyone was helping each other out.

Eli got a little frisky while we were at the Kinzie Street Bridge.

And one of the groomsmen got adventurous by trying to climb the bridge.

When we wrapped up on the bridge, the whole gang climbed on the party bus.

Everyone’s blood sugar was getting a little low… maybe a snack was in order.

Then someone had a great idea…

Starfruit!!!

The bridesmaids created something for Jessica and Eli while they waited for their treats.

Jessica and her girls love going to Starfruit.

It’s one of their favorite treats.

And we didn’t leave until the bowls were empty.

Another one of Jessica and Eli’s favorite food joints is Wiener Circle. As we pulled up in front, a group on a scavenger hunt was forming a congo line. The wedding party jumped in!

Jessica and Eli would frequent the Wiener Circle after late nights out.

Their favorite was a hot dog and cheese fries.

Jessica would have Eli order for them because she was afraid the staff would yell at her! Check out this website to see what she was afraid of! (Don’t watch it at work or in front of kids, though!)

The maid of honor was performing her duties by reminding people to be careful. “No stains!” she reminded everyone.

Everybody finished up their hot dog…

…and we moved on from The Wiener’s Circle…

…to The Lincoln Tap Room.

Jessica and Eli have a history with this place as well.

The couple had originally met their Junior year in college when they were paired to dance together for a Mom’s Day event.

Years later, after college, they were reconnected through mutual friends.

One of Jessica’s roommates was friends with one of Eli’s roommates.

They met up again at The Lincoln Tap at a happy hour. The rest is history!

Two of the bridesmaids found one of my favorite things…

…a photobooth. Everybody took their turns in the booth, and then it was time to hit it to the Ravenswood Event Center for the ceremony.

First up was the ketubah signing.

All their family and wedding party were present on the outside balcony for the signing.

Jessica’s grandpa couldn’t have been prouder.

Jessica’s dad and Eli checked out the chuppah which is steeped in family history. Eli’s great-great-grandmother brought the chuppah topper over from Russia in the 1800’s.

The year that it was made is stitched in the middle. Eli reports that it was used as a tablecloth for many years until someone realized that it was meant to be used for a chuppah. Since then, many of Eli’s family members have gotten married under it, including his cousins and his sister.