You may remember the images from Katie and Shawn’s Rehearsal Dinner that I posted a few weeks back. Well, there was a wedding the following day, and I’m happy to share the images from the celebration with you now!
The day started off in Katie’s bridal suite, where the dress was hung and waiting for the bride. Her make-up artist had finished and Julia Patton had just styled Katie’s hair. With the help of her bridesmaids, Katie slid into her dress… and what a gorgeous dress it was, too!
Katie was beaming from ear to ear as we left the hotel to go meet up with Shawn.
The groom was waiting for his first look at his bride at A New Leaf, where they hosted their ceremony and reception. Shawn was more than ready to get a good look at Katie and begin the day’s festivities.
Katie and Shawn took a few minutes to themselves, admiring each other in their wedding day attire. After more than a few hugs and kisses, we gathered up the wedding party and began pre-ceremony portraits around the venue… and A New Leaf is an excellent place to take photos! There are tons of green backdrops and weathered furniture to pose with. I could shoot there all day!
It was time to hit the road! We called a few Uber cabs to pick us all up and after passing the flask around, we arrived at our first stop.
We started out on a subterranean level, with wedding party pictures under the street. We eventually worked our way up and stopped for a few group shots on the Kinzie Street Bridge. It had begun to drizzle a little bit, but spirits weren’t dampened one bit as we snapped away.
Our next stop was the garden at the Art Institute, which was glistening and lovely after a brief rainstorm. We took full advantage of the space, setting up group portraits in front of the fountain and on the terrace.
A congratulatory belly bump was in order as we wrapped up our time at the Art Institute garden! It was time to head back to A New Leaf, where family members were waiting for their turn in front of the camera.
Shawn took a quick pull from the flask as I arranged the family for a portrait.
I also took a moment to take a picture of Katie’s gorgeous bouquet, which was designed by team at A New Leaf. Fantastic work, as always!
Katie and Shawn’s mothers kept each other company in-between pictures.
Soon enough, it was time for the ceremony to begin. Shawn took a peek around the corner to see how many guests had arrived. We were good to go! Moments later, Katie was being escorted down the aisle by both her father and her best friend. The couple joined hands at the front of the room as a friend of theirs presided over the ceremony. It was a beautiful, meaningful service, and some of my favorite pictures from this portion of the day follow:
After rings, vows and a first kiss were exchanged, Katie and Shawn were announced to be husband and wife. Congratulations!
The newlyweds exited the ceremony site and were soon joined by members of their wedding party, all offering their love and congratulations.
Cocktail hour was absolutely lovely, as guests mingled and enjoyed cocktails and appetizers prepared by Entertaining Company. A New Leaf is a perfect place for a wedding reception- beautiful and dream-like.
It was hard to keep walking past the croquembouche and not take a taste! It looked amazing.
The newlyweds made their big entrance on the balcony overlooking the guests. Everyone listened as Katie and Shawn’s friends and families offered up toasts, words of advice and treasured memories of the couple.
Katie’s mom gave a speech, and then Katie and Shawn took the microphone, thanking everyone for their love and support.
Dancing was started by the newlyweds, as they took to the floor to share their first dance as husband and wife.
Then all bets were off as the dance party began!
DJ Greg Corner played the dance hits that got everyone up on their feet… and kept them there! And it was an amazing dance party, at that, as you can see in this collection of pictures from the dance floor:
Katie and Shawn also had a whiskey and cigar bar set up in the courtyard for guests to enjoy during dancing. Cheers to that!
While the party raged on, I had Katie and Shawn join me outside for one last round of pictures. It was the perfect way to end my time with them.
Congratulations on your marriage, Katie and Shawn! Thank-you for sharing the day with me!
