Lauren + Collin's fall Chicago wedding pictures were everything we (yes, all three of us) could've dreamed of.
After seemingly endless changes to their original wedding plan, Lauren and Collin figured out the perfect plan for their wedding day on the most popular wedding date of all of 2020, October 10th.
Fall colors were peaking, the weather was a glorious 70 degrees and sunny, and love was in the aiiiirrrrr! Lauren and her dad drove to the ceremony together in a vintage white Bentley so she and Collin wouldn't see each other until down-the-aisle at Soul City Church for a heartfelt and comedic ceremony, where all the guests and myself got to hear 10 things they each loved about the other that they hadn't said before. Common themes included cooking-related comments and keeping each other grounded.
After the ceremony, Lauren + Collin took a lap in the same Bentley before passing it off to Lauren's parents for the evening, and I headed to North Avenue Beach with the whole wedding party and the newlyweds for a few wedding pictures with the Chicago skyline as the star (well, guest-star...L + C and their gorgeous friends were the stars).
Both Lauren and Collin had a second dress/suit for the reception, which we were lucky enough to head to before the day got started so we could get the beautiful empty venue + all the natural light filtering through the huge windows. Consider me a fan!
Lauren brought her A-game when it came to the detail photos, and I loved being able to capture her grandma's perfume bottle, Collin's cufflinks with the wedding date, and of course all the pretty fun things like their rings, her Jimmy Choos, and the bling from her super long veil. Steve's Flower Market was so awesome to give me almost a whole second bouquet to tear apart and play around with. Once we were done with these detail shots, we even used more flower petals for some fun pictures of the girls in their getting-ready outfits.
Although these weren't the vows they read to each other in church, Lauren and Collin did write vows to each other, which they read separately on their wedding day while getting ready.
Even if you can't write your own vows for your ceremony, there's still a way to tell your loved one all the things you feel about them and promise to them for life. Plus, it's the perfect "card" to put along with your wedding-day gifts to each other.
While Collin's mom helped him get ready and his groomsmen were betting on cards, Lauren and her girls were making it rain flower petals and gushing over Lauren's first look with them.
Lauren's mom helped her put on her grandmother's perfume, and two of her closest bridesmaids helped get her garter on. Not to mention the special touches like her dance teacher helping with her lipstick and another dear friend putting on the final touches of hairspray!
Instead of doing a first look with her groom, Lauren opted for a first look with all her bridesmaids and another one with her father.
First looks are SUCH a fun way to feel like the start of the day--because as the bride or groom, you ARE! Not everyone wants to do a first look with their soon-to-be spouse, but you can totally do one with parents, wedding party members, or anyone else want.
Not sure if you should have a first look? Read about them here!
And of course, a little paparazzi moment from Grandma before dad's first look!
Lauren and her dad headed on their way to the church in a vintage white Bentley, which makes a few more appearances during the day.
Meanwhile, I hopped on the party bus with everyone else where the card betting resumed.
Before we knew it, ceremony time was here! It was full of laughter, commitments, and happy tears from both our lovely bride and groom (and the parents, of course).
After a quick lap in the Bentley, Lauren and Collin hopped on the trolley to dance the time away before more pictures. Lauren's parents anniversary was just a few days prior to her wedding, so the parents got the Bentley to head back to the reception site, but not without a quick picture with a 49-year-anniversary sign! What a fantastic milestone!
North Avenue Beach is once of my favorite Chicago wedding picture locations...or ya know, for proposals, engagements pictures...really anything.
But WOW this crew made it look good!!! As many times as I've shot there, I never had a whole wedding crew, so it was such a blast for me to get to do wedding party pictures and bridals at North Avenue Beach. I get lucky with awesome clients, but I also get lucky with really beautiful clients on the inside and out. All of L + C's friends looked like they belonged on the red carpet, the runway, you name it--all while showering the bride and groom in compliments. I guess the pier is one big run-way, in a sense. I'm still speechless over it.
Love North Avenue Beach champagne pops? Check out Hayley and Mike's here.
Of course we had to get those vibrant fall colors in their Chicago wedding pictures, just like we did for their engagement pictures at Purdue in 2019!
We ended our day together with some Wrigley Building wedding pictures that looked straight off a magazine cover.
I mean.....if they don't frame this one and plaster it all over their walls...I will!!!!
The Wrigley Building is another super popular location for wedding pictures in Chicago, and another one of my couples Kari and Brad did their engagement pictures here.
Lauren and Collin's day was full of all the feels.
Between replanning their wedding every time Covid restrictions changed, all the summer wedding postponements, and a few stunning locations for wedding pictures in Chicago, this day made me feel like ME again. I missed shooting weddings, I missed my incredible clients, I missed the energy of the days where everyone looks amazing, is having such a good time, and celebrating something that not everyone gets to celebrate, all with friends and family by their side. Blogging this session was a chance to re-live it and remember it all again, and I hope that you got the same feeling just by scrolling through.
Congrats to the Serens! Your day was truly one for the books in a year filled with history--and you MADE 10-10-2020 HAPPEN!!! Here's to a long life together, and holding up a "just married - 49 years" sign in October of 2069 :)
Looking for your own Chicago wedding photographer?
Hey! I'm Alana, a colorful and light Chicago wedding photographer. I got your back, even when years like 2020 come around and your wedding plans change every month, even when you're not sure where to take photos or how to pose in them, and especially when you want someone who you know you can trust to go above and beyond for your wedding day expectations.
