Have you ever attended a wedding weekend? It’s a beautiful experience filled with love, laughter, and treasured memories. From the welcome dinner to the wedding day, you are surrounded by family and friends who are excited to celebrate the union of two individuals. It’s a time when emotions run high, and everyone wears their hearts on their sleeves.

One of the highlights of Margot + Jeff’s Chicago wedding weekend is the sweet and sentimental ceremony at Cheney Mansion in Oak Park, IL. You could feel the love in the air as Margot cried her way down the aisle to their friends singing “The Luckiest,” and Jeff surprising her with the closing line, “I am…the luckiest.” The couple exchanged their vows under the chuppah that Jeff built. As a photographer, capturing these heartfelt moments is truly special. 

Wedding weekends are also all about the connections and love shared between family and friends, and there was a lot of love going around at this delightful Chicago wedding. The hugs, the tears, and the laughter were all part of the experience. 

Between the ceremony and reception, Margot and Jeff asked to stop at their favorite hole-in-the-wall ice cream shop. In fact, the email she sent me about it had the subject line “Important questions about ice cream.” I gave them an enthusiastic “YES” as we made our plans to stop for ice cream. I loved that they chose to use their portrait time to do something that felt familiar to them.

After the ceremony, we moved the party over to FitzGerald’s, a local favorite bar frequented by the couple. A family-style BBQ dinner added to the warmth and intimacy of the occasion, where the couples’ loved ones gathered around to share food, stories, and laughter. Cocktail hour and after-dinner speeches were a gold mine for beautiful, heartfelt photos. From showing off their rings to crying and laughing through their father’s toasts to taking the iconic shot of Malort as only Chicagoans do, I was on my toes photographing every special moment. 

Next up, a live band! Music added a whole new dimension to this wedding weekend. Gussied Band kept the dance floor packed all night long. Music was so important to Jeff + Margot! Margot’s sister sang for the couple’s first dance, and Jeff and his best man sang for the father daughter dance. All evening, guests busted out their best dance moves, twirling each other around the dance floor, laughing and celebrating together.

After a few hours of dancing and singing, the party was coming to a close. I watched Margot + Jeff exit their wedding festivities through a tunnel formed by guests with outstretched hands. Hot, tired, and sweaty, they ran out from the dimly lit dive bar into the golden hour light. They walked themselves home and ended their celebration with some quiet, private time together.

In the end, wedding photography is about more than just taking pictures. It’s about creating photos that feel lived in, evidence of a life well lived and well loved. I’m grateful for the opportunities to travel the Midwest, photographing wedding weekends and meeting incredible couples and their precious loved ones. If you’re looking for a Chicago wedding photographer, I’ll be there in a heartbeat.

PS: if you liked this wedding weekend, you may also like Maddie + Caleb’s wedding weekend celebration!