Earlier this summer, I was so lucky and honored to travel to Chicago, IL to photograph the wedding of Michelle + Stacy! It was not only fun to travel, and to photograph a super fun wedding, but also Michelle is an old friend of mine from college, and there were so many of our old friends in attendance, it was a little college reunion! Since we’ve all moved all over the country – Michelle and Stacy most recently moved to the west coast – we don’t get the chance to see one another very much anymore. But as it’s been a pretty long time now since those days, it was also wonderful to see Michelle’s more recent friends, especially those made since she returned to hometown of Chicago and met her future wife, Stacy.
Their day was full of meaning everywhere, and so many tributes to Michelle’s hometown and the city that brought them together. Their wedding festivities took place in Michelle’s hometown of Gurnee, about an hour outside Chicago. It was during Michelle’s return to Chicago after college, that she and Stacy met at synagogue – and so they were married by that same rabbi. And they chose to have their ceremony on the grounds of a memorial garden at a local school, dedicated to Michelle’s late father.
Their day was fun and laid-back, with Michelle and Stacy opting to do a first look and most portraits out of the way earlier in the day, but not before we staged a first look and they exchanged letters. After portraits, much of their family and friends gathered in the memorial garden as they signed their ketubah. Their ceremony followed under a tent, where Michelle and Stacy walked down the aisle together and recited vows they wrote to each other. At their reception down the road at Viking Dance Hall, guests enjoyed dinner, toasts, cake cutting, an exciting hora and a double bouquet toss! And then a custom cupcake bar to top it off! Michelle and Stacy even let me take them outside for a couple more portraits after Stacy’s outfit change. Mazel Tov ladies!!
