Khushbu and Jason were married at a beautiful wedding held at the Chicago Botanic Garden earlier this summer. I always love shooting weddings at the garden- there are so many scenic backdrops, the pictures practically take themselves. The day began, though, with a another beautiful sight: Khushbu’s henna design, seen here. It was just one of many details that she and her bridesmaids were attending to while they prepared at the Chicago North Shore Hotel. It was a blast hanging out with the bride and her girls, as the artists from Nika Vaughan Bridal Artists did their work.
When all the preparations were complete, we jumped into the limo and headed over to the garden, where Jason was waiting for his first look at his bride.
They met in the Circle Garden, just next to the garden’s entrance. After a few minutes of admiring each other and taking in the moment, we set out to explore the garden and take pre-cermeony portraits. As I said before, the pictures practically take themselves when you shoot at the Botanic Garden, and this day was no exception. The weather was perfect and the couple was all smiles as we walked the paths through the park. The following group of images are just a few of my favorites taken during this pre-ceremony session:
The ceremony was about to begin, and the bride and groom were happy to have a few seconds to kick back and relax before it all started.
While Jason and Khushbu gathered themselves, guests gathered at the ceremony site. I caught a few images of guests as they took their seats and waited for the proceedings to start.
Shortly thereafter, Khushbu took her place and the processional began. After the wedding party was situated, the music changed over and the bride walked the aisle with her parents. The siblings of the couple served as bridesmaids and groomsmen, and one of Jason’s brothers presided over the ceremony. Friends participated by sharing readings, and the couple honored their parents by giving them white roses. It was a perfect ceremony as you can see by the checking out the images below:
With rings and vows exchanged, Khushbu and Jason were pronounced husband and wife! Congratulations! While guests filtered into cocktail hour, the newlyweds had a moment with close friends and family. There was a lot of loved shared in these few minutes!
While Alyssa stayed with the guests to photograph cocktail hour, I headed into the McGinley Pavilion to take pictures of the details. Misha from Liven It Up Events served as day-of coordinator, and did an excellent job helping Khushbu and Jason make sure everything came together. As you can tell, it was a gorgeous event!
I love this photo of Khushbu as a little girl.
While guests finished their cocktails, Khushbu changed dresses. She and Jason joined their loved ones for one last round of drinks before moving with them into the pavilion for dinner. Once everyone was seated, the couple, their wedding party and their parents were introduced, and all guests enjoyed a delicious dinner, prepared by the Garden’s catering crew.
Speeches began with a heart-felt ‘thank-you’ from the newlyweds, and continued with toasts from Khushbu’s father and brother, as well as Jason’s two brothers and father. Plenty of advice, love and fond memories were shared!
With speeches wrapped up, Jason and Khushbu joined each other on the dance floor for their first dance as a married couple. After, they each enjoyed a dance with their parents, and then everyone else joined in. It was a celebration to remember, and some of my favorite images from the dance party are included below:
Congratulations on your marriage, Khushbu and Jason! Thank-you for sharing your day with me!