Well that was amazing… I had no idea that when I came up for the concept for this shoot that it would be this stunning!

I met Katie a few years ago, while I was working in the office of Prairie Vista Elementary School. She was a Kindergarten teacher there and was always smiling, full of energy and excitement. She was getting married that July 1st but had already booked her wedding photographer… no biggie.

About a year later, I came to her with this idea of an encore shoot in the city. She and Steve had since moved to Chicago because Steve got into DePauw Law School. Katie immediately said yes and off we went…

I wanted to make this session as perfect and unique as possible. I reached out to my fellow Michiana Wedding Network vendors (and friends), Chalee Jozeiak of Always N Bloom and Nidia Herzberg of Blushing Beauty.

Katie did not love her make up on the day of her wedding so I knew Nidia was the perfect person to pamper her and make sure she loved every aspect of her look. Nidia arrived early, explained everything she was doing and made sure that Katie was thrilled with her hair and make up before leaving. She did an incredible job!!

For flowers, I wanted a large bouquet that didn’t look like your typical wedding bouquet. I asked Chalee to create a fall inspired bouquet that incorporated darker fall colors that would really pop in the photos. She handed me this stunning silk bouquet that you would never know wasn’t real flowers unless you actually touched it. The glitter accent and burgundy ribbon pulled it all together! Thank you Chalee!

For locations, I wanted to incorporate some of the iconic Chicago sites BUT in a way no one else had. We traveled to the Art Institute and shot on the front steps with crowds of people walking around us. It was the high contrast of the old architecture with modern, busy streets.

We walked to the Bean and parts of Millennium Park. The Bean is always crowded but that’s okay with us… the more the merrier. The flowers were still very much in bloom even though it was 32 degrees outside and we could all see our breath. I shot Katie and Steve in the park by the gorgeous flowers with the skyscrapers behind them. It created these leading lines and also the contrast of the gorgeous flowers and couple next to the harsh, cold city and people everywhere.

Then, you guessed it, Wrigleyville! You don’t photograph 2 hard core Cubs fans and not go to Wrigleyville. We tried to get in the stadium but had to settle for outside. No worries, we were able to shoot in front of the iconic red sign in the middle of the street, (my usual place for couples to stand haha). We then walked to Sluggers bar and grabbed some food and drinks before shooting in their dueling piano bar upstairs. Katie used her gorgeous charm on the owner who opened it just for us. He allowed us to do and use whatever we wanted. What a great guy! My vision here was a dark, old tavern with this 1920’s couple standing by the bar at the end of the night. Katie & Steve killed it!! They also wanted a picture on top of the dueling pianos because apparently Katie is quite a regular there. 😉

Last but certainly not least, North Ave Beach. The best spot in town to get the whole skyline without tons of people and cars in your photos. We did a few individuals shots first and then got out all the lighting gear. Katie & Steve were real troopers… it was freezing by this point but they didn’t care, they let me do my thing without ever once complaining. 🙂 As a result, we now have this AMAZING shot at night that is not only stunning but absolutely no one else has. I’d say that’s worth a few cold fingers ;).

I want to say thank you to Katie & Steve for helping me bring this vision to life and being such great sports during the long process of planning, traveling and the cold. I hope you love these photos as much as I do! A HUGE thank you to Lisa, Katie’s mom, who drove us around the city so we didn’t have to pay for parking or have to walk everywhere. You are a god-sent. 🙂 Thank you to Lara for assisting me and taking some great bts shots and videos! Thank you Nidia for coming all the way to Chicago and doing a spectacular job on Katie’s hair and make up, she LOVED it! And last but certainly not least, thank you Chalee for providing us with this stunning bouquet that incorporated the colors and feel that I wanted for this shoot. It really is a work of ART!

For the full gallery, click here.

Photography: Sarah Sage Photography LLC

HMA: Blushing Beauty

Florist: Always N Bloom