Olivia & Dan’s Sweet Spring Georgio's Banquets Wedding
Olivia and Dan both grew up on the South side and knew each other’s families for years, but they didn’t meet until July 2020 at a block party. That night they stayed out together until 5am and then started hanging out every weekend after that. . .
Olivia and Dan both grew up on the South side and knew each other’s families for years, but they didn’t meet until July 2020 at a block party. That night they stayed out together until 5am and then started hanging out every weekend after that. Olivia said that they just “always loved each other and knew they were going to get married.” And that’s really the way it feels to be around Olivia and Dan – their love is so natural and perfect it just feels like they were made for each other. They got engaged at their favorite restaurant on their 3 year anniversary and celebrated with friends and family at a party afterwards.
I loved getting to know Olivia and Dan while taking their engagement photos last Summer at the Indiana Dunes. Olivia looked SO good in her white engagement dress and I couldn’t get over how striking Dan’s eyes are, but the real beauty of this couple is in the connection they share with one another. It was just so easy to be with them and to take their photos, I was beyond excited to see them again this Spring for their wedding!
Conrad, Lindsay and I made the trip to the South side of Chicago on a sunny Spring day for “getting ready” photos at Olivia’s childhood home. Their family’s adorable husky was there watching over the controlled chaos and was happy to get pets from the bridesmaids and us whenever possible! Olivia’s textured ponytail by Marlo Salon was the perfect fit for her sleek gown from Eva’s International, and her makeup was on-point thanks to the talented Caroline Olenick. Once Olivia was dressed and ready we did a sweet reveal with her bridesmaids and Dad before heading to Water’s Edge for the “first look” and pictures with the wedding party.
Olivia rode separately to Water’s Edge but stopped in with her girls on the trolley for a fun quick dance party before heading out to see Dan. Dan looked a little bit nervous when we met up with him, but those nerves quickly went away as soon as he saw his gorgeous bride. His expression after seeing Olivia was priceless!! After their first look Olivia and Dan were inseparable for the rest of the day.
Once we finished with wedding party and family photos at Water’s Edge we made the trip to St. Christina’s for Olivia and Dan’s ceremony. This was our fourth wedding at St. Christina’s and we just LOVE shooting at this gorgeous church – the light inside of the sanctuary is always stunning thanks to the abundant stained glass and reflective marble surfaces. Olivia and Dan chose to celebrate with a short ceremony, and once they were pronounced husband and wife we made time to take some beautiful photographs of them with that striking prismatic light.
After finishing with pictures at St. Christina’s we made our way to Georgios Banquets to celebrate the newlyweds. The party was packed and the reception hall was bursting with love – Olivia and Dan gave the sweetest welcome speech and remarked on just how amazing it was for so many of their friends and family to be gathered together to celebrate their love. It was truly just the perfect day, we were so honored to be there in honor of Olivia and Dan!
Congratulations, Olivia and Dan, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!
To see all of Olivia and Dan’s beautiful wedding photos, click here
VENDOR DETAILS
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY
Something Blue
VENUE
Georgios Banquets
FLORIST
Redberry Floral
HAIR
Marlo Salon
MAKEUP
Caroline Olenick
WEDDING GOWN
Eva’s Bridal International
BRIDAL SHOES
Elegant Park
BRIDESMAIDS’ DRESSES
Azazie
MENSWEAR
Boss Formal Wear
WEDDING RINGS
Martin & Martin
WEDDING CAKE
Nova’s Bakery
Callie & Mark’s Perfect Heritage Prairie Farm Wedding
Callie and Mark met in high school through their close mutual friend, Something Blue’s very own Conrad. Conrad had a feeling way back then that these two would be perfect for each other, and it turns out that . . .
Callie and Mark met in high school through their close mutual friend, Something Blue’s very own Conrad. Conrad had a feeling way back then that these two would be perfect for each other, and it turns out that he was right all along. As Callie and Mark’s high school friendship grew into flirtation in college they started a long-distance relationship in 2015.
After dating long-distance for five years Callie and Mark finally moved in together in February 2021 to an apartment in Uptown Chicago with their beloved dog Buzz. A few years later they decided to buy Mark’s parent’s house – in preparing to move Callie asked Conrad if he would come capture some photos of her and Mark at their first apartment together before their lease ended. Little did Callie know that Mark and Conrad had hatched a plan for the photoshoot to be extra special, and Mark proposed outside their first apartment with Conrad there to capture the moment.
Over the years I have loved spending time with Callie and Mark through Conrad, and I was beyond excited to hear that they got engaged and wanted Something Blue to capture their wedding. We planned to do their engagement session in Chicago, starting first at the lakefront and ending in Uptown to honor the time they spent living together there. I really loved getting to know Callie and Mark better at their engagement session, they are so in-sync and their love feels like it is the most natural thing in the world.
When the Friday arrived for Callie and Mark’s wedding I was so nervous and excited to head to Heritage Prairie Farm with Christy to capture the day. We truly believe that Heritage Prairie Farm is THE perfect venue – it’s so welcoming and beautiful there and the food is without question the best wedding food we have ever experienced. It was a beautiful September Friday and so much fun to see so many friends when we arrived – having Conrad there as a groomsman and guest was definitely a wild experience! And it was so special seeing his fiancé Ami and friends Eve, Doyle and Pat not to mention the many guests that were there to celebrate Callie and Mark. We love all of these people and were so thankful to spend this time with them at our favorite place!!
Callie looked absolutely gorgeous, which Mark sweetly told her the second he saw her at their First Look. He didn’t take his eyes off her for the rest of the day, and he later delivered perhaps the most touching and romantic vows we have ever heard from a groom. As we all wiped away tears Callie and Mark kissed and joyfully toasted their signature drinks outside in the sunshine. And of course everyone then had to toast an Underberg together (those reaction shots might be some of my favorites from the day!)
The tent at Heritage Prairie Farm looked extra beautiful thanks to the talented floral team at Purple Rose. After giving a beautiful and heartfelt speech Conrad took a few moments out of enjoying dinner to fly his drone for some stunning sunset photos of Callie and Mark. Once the sun set we gathered together and “sent off” the newlyweds with sparklers (well, we took some fun pictures and then headed back to the tent for dancing and rejoicing!) Our friend Karen came along to create a beautiful live painting of Callie and Mark’s first dance – they danced to Phoebe Bridgers’ beautiful version of “Friday I’m in Love” that may just be my new favorite because it reminds me of Callie and Mark’s perfect love. This was truly the best day, what an honor and joy to be there to celebrate Callie and Mark!!
Congratulations, Callie and Mark, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!
To see all of Callie and Mark’s beautiful wedding photos click here
VENDOR DETAILS
PHOTOGRAPHY
Something Blue
FLORIST
Purple Rose
HAIR + MAKEUP
Hair’s 2 the Bride
LIVE PAINTER
Karen Sako
ENGAGEMENT RING
Brilliant Earth
BRIDAL GOWN BOUTIQUE
Altar Bridal
BRIDESMAIDS’ DRESSES
Birdy Grey
MENSWEAR
Men’s Wearhouse
Michelle & Nolan’s Salvage One Engagement Session
We first connected with Michelle and Nolan when she scheduled an Extended Family session for her family. Michelle is a ray of light and after Christy photographed her family she had such a great time meeting this sweet couple . . .
We first connected with Michelle and Nolan when she scheduled an Extended Family session for her family. Michelle is a ray of light and after Christy photographed her family she had such a great time meeting this sweet couple she recommended we connect to talk about their wedding plans for next year. Well, within about thirty seconds of meeting Michelle and Nolan I was in love, this couple has such a warmth to them and a natural connection. I was overjoyed when they hired us to photograph their wedding at Salvage One for next September!!
I was so excited when Michelle and Nolan asked if I would come downtown to Salvage One for their engagement session, I always feel inspired when I am in this amazing space! I had the idea to invite Conrad to join us and shoot some film on his vintage cameras, film photography and Salvage One seem felt like a match made in heaven. So he loaded up some color and BW rolls in his Minolta TC-1 point-and-shoot, his Leica M6 and Mamiya RZ67 and went with me to shoot this engagement session on film. After he sent off Michelle and Nolan’s rolls to The Darkroom and got the scans back we were SO excited about these images, can we just shoot EVERYTHING on film please??! I mean, how stunning are all of these?
Conrad’s film scans are so gorgeous I can’t help but feel tempted to shoot every session on film now! But I think these digital images that I shot are pretty good too :) It was SO much fun to photograph these two at Salvage One, honestly this was such a dreamy afternoon!!
Thank you, Michelle and Nolan, for inviting us to share in your love story. We are beyond excited to celebrate your wedding next Fall!!
To see all of Michelle and Nolan’s gorgeous engagement photos click here
Michelle and Andrew’s Glam Chicago Riverwalk Engagement Session
Michelle and Andrew met through mutual friends in college. And while they didn’t attend the same school their connection grew stronger and their long-distance relationship soon became something more. Next summer . . .
Michelle and Andrew met through mutual friends in college. And while they didn’t attend the same school their connection grew stronger and their long-distance relationship soon became something more. Next summer these two will say “I do” at the River Forest Country Club, and after getting to know them both at this perfect engagement session I am SO excited to celebrate their love next year!!
To see all of Michelle and Andrew’s gorgeous engagement photos, click here