Couples Archives | Page 2 of 2 | Michael & Kristin Photo + Video

Crystal Gardens Navy Pier Wedding | Savannah + Eric

Savannah and Eric planned their wedding celebration at the Crystal Gardens on Navy Pier! These two knew they wanted a beautiful setting for an amazing party. Although they met 7.5 years before getting engaged, for the past 5 years they had been curating their wedding playlist for their big day. As two people who are passionate about music, Savannah and Eric knew that capturing the dance floor and getting to celebrate with their loved ones was the most important things to them on their wedding day!

Be sure to watch in 1080p (click the gear on the bottom right of the video).

But don't be fooled. The details of this wedding were beyond gorgeous. Savannah left no leaf unturned and transformed the Crystal Gardens into a floral paradise. We made sure to showcase all of the stunning details that were clearly carefully planned. They perfectly showcased Chicago while doing portraits at Olive Park, their reception at Navy Pier and even late night hotdogs and deep dish pizza!

When it came to Savannah & Eric's wedding video, we knew that incorporating their family and friends as much as possible in the film was the most important thing. We jam packed their wedding film with speeches and special in-between moments that showed the sheer joy that everyone shared on their wedding day!

Lots of laughs and sweet moments were shared on this amazing wedding day.

And of course, Eric and Savannah's incredible, curated playlist was the star of the night. Everyone was on the dance floor getting down. One of our favorite moments was getting to step outside and watch the fireworks go off at the end of the pier at the end of the night. The fireworks were the perfect transition to late night snacks and dancing the night away. We just loved getting to help these two remember the night of their lives at this Crystal Gardens wedding! Cheers to you, Savannah and Eric!

~ Wedding Planner: Liven It Up ~ Florist: Flowers by Stem ~ Stylist: Remarked Hair Salon ~ Make-Up Artist: Joanna B Artistry ~ Wedding Dress: Alice in Ivory ~ Bridesmaids Dresses: Azazie ~ Jewelry: Steve Quick Jewelers, Etsy, James Allen, BHLDN, & Nordstrom ~ Stationery: Minted, Vistaprint, Shutterfly, & Zola ~ Catering: Stefani Group ~ Bakery: Sweet Temptations Bakery ~ DJ: Music by Design ~ Shuttle Service: Windy City Limousine

Tags: Couples

Outdoor Wedding near Chicago | Carissa + Caleb

Everyone came together to make Carissa + Caleb’s wedding day everything they dreamed it would be!

North Avenue Beach Engagement Photos | Olivia + Dave

These North Avenue Beach engagement photos started long before this day! Dave and Olivia met in a whirlwind while they were on vacation. Not together - but separately! They both found themselves in France while traveling and hit it off right away! Dave ended up meeting Olivia back in Greece at the tail end of her vacation and they never looked back! Although they lived in two different places back in the states, their long distance relationship quickly turned into a forever romance. Dave moved to Chicago and the two started their life together.

When we booked these two for their wedding, they knew they wanted engagement photos to capture this moment in time - their time of engagement! As we talked through what they did for fun and how we could customize their session they mentioned that one of their favorite things was spending time together with their two dogs! So we headed down to South Pond near Lincoln Park Zoo and went on a walk with Olivia, Dave and their two sweet pups! It was the perfect start to this gorgeous session!

Olivia texted me the day before her engagement session with somewhat of a crisis! She had a wardrobe malfunction and needed something new to wear. I walked her through what would look best for her session based on where we were going and she settle on the classic white top with navy skirt for their formal part of the session.

It was the perfect compliment to the colors of the lake and skyline! Once the pups headed home, we headed down to the pier for the rest of the photos. We got the most gorgeous view of the skyline and captured those save the date photos. It was the perfect ending for these North Avenue Beach engagement photos!

Tags: Couples

Pilsen Engagement Photos | Diana + Jarrett

These Pilsen Engagement photos were at Jarrett and Diana's first home together in this cozy art-filled loft in their favorite neighborhood.

Wicker Park Engagement Photos | Mia + Blake

These Wicker Park engagement photos featured the best of Wicker including it's namesake park, the cute surrounding neighborhoods and the iconic six corners!

Intimate Wedding in Chicago | Margherita + Charlie

Margherita and Charlie met while working together at Eataly in downtown Chicago. Margherita is actually originally from Turin, Italy where the store Eataly was first built and came to help teach the culture and ways of the company to the US market. Charlie and Margherita quickly fell in love and knew they wanted to build a life together here in Chicago. They held their intimate wedding in Chicago at Charlie's childhood home.

Intimate weddings are so much fun because you can really center the day around what is most important to you. For Margherita and Charlie, that was being surrounded by family. Margherita got ready with her mom and sister who came all the way from Italy to celebrate. They set up a tent in the gorgeous backyard that was surrounded by trees and created a rustic, Italian-esque setting for their reception. And of course, they had to incorporate Margherita and Charlie's favorite food, traditional Italian pizza. They brought an Italian brick oven to the backyard and had individual pizzas served to all of their guests!

The simple details created an elegant setting to let the joy of the day shine through. Margherita and Charlie were beaming as they sat around the family table with their family from Illinois and their family from Italy. We did some simple portraits right in the backyard so that these two could spend every moment they could with their loved ones.

They finished off the afternoon with some traditional Turin, Italy desert and of course a bottle of Ferrari Champagne. This intimate wedding in Chicago celebrated all of who Margherita and Charlie are as individuals and as a couple along with their closest family and friends. It's the beauty of intimate weddings - the ability to really focus in on your loved ones and spend time with them.

catering - Zero Ottantuno

Tags: Couples

Rooftop Engagement Photos | Surprise Engagement

Be sure to watch in 1080p (click the gear on the bottom right of the video).

We are just LOVING the fact that Mark wanted to do a proposal video to help remember such a special day in this sweet couple's lives! With a few white lies we pulled off some stealth filming before the moment Mark proposed (after a plane flew by asking the big question)! Jaclyn & Mark were surrounded by their friends and family and the day couldn't have been more perfect. These rooftop engagement photos and video are going to be so much fun to look back on for years to come!

We couldn't be more excited for you two!

Tags: Couples

Lake Michigan Engagement Photos

Chicago is one of the most iconic cities in the U.S. and possibly the world. There is a variety of landscapes from stunning forests and wildflowers to the city skyline and of course the beautiful Lake Michigan. Lake Michigan for engagement photos just can't be beat and is a favorite spot of ours and many of our couples! Doing engagement photos at Lake Michigan not only highlights the natural wonder that is this lake but the Chicago skyline is always peaking through at almost any spot you choose which makes for a stunning backdrop and a way to commemorate this amazing city for your engagement photos!

When picking a spot for Lake Michigan Engagement session photos there are a couple of things to consider. Lake Michigan runs the entirety of the Chicago city limits on the Eastern-side so there are making choices you can make from a classic view from near the Planetarium to the bustling neighborhood of Lincoln Park to the industrial areas on the South Shore. Every spot is unique and can capture exactly who you are as a couple.

Lake Michigan provides the perfect backdrop for most outfits because of its fairly neutral color palette that allows you to really let your outfits shine! We love getting to play around with whites and reds like these two chose to do along the deep blue of the water. The city skyline shines in the backdrop and even on a clear day is silhouetted in a way that let's you be the star of the photo while letting the skyline speak for itself.

You can also have fun with your Lake Michigan engagement photos by doing what many do along the Lakeshore - running! This solidified Jill + Matt's relationship and we just had to capture some fun photos of them doing what they love to do together.

Of course, we can't forget to mention the amazing sunsets that happen over Lake Michigan in the summer evenings. The deep blues turn to beautiful shades of pink, orange and purple. Lake Michigan engagement photos are some of the most iconic in the city and definitely worth considering!

Still not sure where you want your engagement session to be? Head to our post about How To Pick and Engagement Session Location

Tags: Couples