Sitting down to chat with Care and Rick for the first time was incredibly fun. They met in the Peace Corps, were dating long distance ever since and had lots of fantastic travel stories. I was excited for their Ravenswood Event Center wedding since I had been there several times before yet never for a wedding.

Care reached out to me the week of their wedding because she was concerned about the weather and it looked like it was going to rain for the whole weekend. She really wanted to take photos outside so I suggested that she buy some umbrellas for the wedding party so that we could get some outdoor shots, even if it was pouring rain. They ended up being one of my favorite parts of the shoot since it rained the entire day!

I started getting ready with Care at the Trump International Hotel downtown which head great window light and even better city views.

After everyone was ready, we took a few shots along the Chicago River with the umbrellas before heading to the ceremony.

The ceremony was held in the Industrial Ballroom which gave a warm yet very urban feel to the event. I love the brick walls and massive 30′ ceiling that makes the space so unique.

After the ceremony, we headed outside for some portraits of everyone. I was so thankful that we were able to get some great shots in the rain and that not only was everyone okay with being outside, they were all in high spirits and made the portrait session such a joy.

After the cake cutting, the two shared their first dance. I always love shooting dancing since I have the opportunity to use my lights to create different effects and enhance specific parts of the reception space.

Dance party time! After shooting for a while, I was looking around for the groom but couldn’t find him. I asked around and found out that there was a rooftop at the event space and headed up there with my lighting assistant. Rick and a few of his friends were smoking cigars and I was able to get a fun night shot of the group together.