I hadn’t photographed an Art Institute of Chicago wedding before but it’s one of my favorite places in the city and I couldn’t wait for Yao and Sei Hei’s event this June. They really wanted some nice, documentary images of their wedding so we were a perfect fit!

I started with Yao, her family and friends in their beautiful downtown apartment. Yao is a bit shy so it was good to spend a little time with her before we started shooting portraits. After a little time together, I could tell she was getting much more comfortable in front of the camera!

We headed to Lurie Garden after everyone was ready to meet Sai Hei for the first look. It’s one of my favorite places in the city to shoot and I love the juxtaposition of the nature and urban views.

After portraits outside, we were able to photograph in some areas of the museum which was really fun! It was pretty busy that afternoon so I decided to incorporate some of the guests into their portraits to give a better sense of place in their images.