Dar & David’s Emotional Garfield Park Conservatory Wedding
Dar and David met on Bumble, where what was supposed to be a simple first date quickly turned into hours of effortless conversation about life, travel, and backpacking. By the third date, David apparently already knew he was going to marry Dar . . .
Dar and David met on Bumble, where what was supposed to be a simple first date quickly turned into hours of effortless conversation about life, travel, and backpacking. By the third date, David apparently already knew he was going to marry Dar — or at least that’s the story he tells. Dar took just a little longer to come around. Since then, they’ve built a life full of adventures together, from Greece, Israel, and the French and Italian Alps to the wildly glamorous backpacking trails of the Michigan and Wisconsin coasts. Along the way, they beautifully blended their homes (and chaos) with Cow, the cat, and Ulla, the dog, and are now so excited to welcome a new little adventure to the family this September! David proposed to Dar on a hike in the Santa Cruz redwoods — in very David fashion, probably at the absolute worst possible moment — but somehow it was also perfectly sweet, real, and beautiful.
Dar and David discovered us through a Google search that turned up the blog post and photos from our dear friends Ami and Conrad’s wedding at the Garfield Park Conservatory last Summer. The first time I spoke with Dar and David over the phone I was immediately struck by how genuine and kind they were, I felt like we immediately connected and was truly excited to be a part of their wedding day.
Photographing at the Garfield Park Conservatory is always a treat, but being there just after Conrad and Ami celebrated their first anniversary was really something special. It’s just magical there, the plants and architecture and atmosphere is so romantic. Dar is expecting and looked radiant as she (and her cute bump!) walked down the aisle to meet David. He carefully covered his bride’s face with her veil and then they walked together to their chuppah. They celebrated the traditional Jewish marriage rites under their pretty chuppah surrounded by their loved ones and covered in sunshine, it was just such a beautiful evening.
After taking pictures at the Conservatory we made our way to Bar Avec for the reception. Dar’s family worked hard to incorporate her traditional Jewish/Moroccan culture with beautiful costumes and sweets (and some wild late-night belly dancing!) that filled the gorgeous rooftop at Bar Avec and made their night that much more special. We truly loved being there to celebrate with these two (and their cute little bump!) and wish them all a lifetime of happiness together!
Dar and David also asked that we take some vintage 35mm film photographs on their wedding day, we just LOVE when couples want to include that in their wedding packages! Film is so beautiful and unpredictable and just FUN, you really never know what you’re going to get! If you want to read about WHY we love film photography visit this link. We loved pulling out the film cameras during Dar and David’s wedding, there were so many fun moments when it just made sense to snap a quick film photo, we are really glad that we did! These are some of our favorites:
Congratulations, Dar and David, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!
To see all of Dar and David’s beautiful (digital) wedding photos, click here
And to see all of Dar and David’s beautiful film photos click here
VENDOR DETAILS
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY
Something Blue
WEDDING CEREMONY
Garfield Park Conservatory
WEDDING RECEPTION
Bar Avec
WEDDING RINGS
Jordan Mantzke, Modern Goldsmith
WEDDING DRESS
Jenny Yoo for Anthropologie
BRIDAL SHOES
Sezane
Joanne and Casey’s Gorgeous Garden Wedding
Joanne and Casey were friends before realizing there could be something more to their relationship. After her divorce, Casey would help Joanne with projects around her house, and eventually their friendship grew into a loving relationship. They are both avid gardeners and worked tirelessly to make their yard perfect for their beautiful garden wedding. Casey is proud of the different types of conifers he has in their yard, while Joanne is always in the garden and worked very hard to have it perfectly manicured for their wedding. Casey joked she would be weeding in her wedding dress!
Lindsay loved photographing all of the many details that made Joanne and Casey’s garden wedding unique. Casey made homemade wine for the wedding – red and white – while Joanne’s daughter created the beautiful labels. Joanne asked her caterer (Dave’s Specialities in Mount Prospect) to use some of her own delicious recipes. The flowers by The Eiffel Flower in Arlington Heights were gorgeous, they worked closely with Joanne to create her dream garden wedding.
Congratulations, Joanne and Casey, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!
To see all of Joanne and Casey’s beautiful wedding photos, click here
Isabel + Nik’s Garden Wedding
Conrad and I walk together almost every day. We wander the streets of Arlington Heights talking about important work things, important life things. These walks keep us healthy and grounded. Our favorite walks happen close to home, we love exploring our Scarsdale neighborhood just beyond the parking lot of our studio. There are so many beautiful homes and friendly faces in our neighborhood.
In April I received a phone call from Jane, a neighbor who saw our studio (well, our adorable Happy Blue Camper) on her own walk through Scarsdale. From that first phone call I knew that Jane would not only be a client but become a friend. And that is why I love this job. Because in the dealings of business I am blessed to meet amazing friends along the way.
Jane called me looking for someone to document her daughter’s wedding in June. Isabel and Nik had originally planned to get married abroad, but Covid-19 had other plans. So in the swirling chaos of this spring Jane worked to give her daughter a wedding to remember. And we were blessed to be a part of it. This micro wedding was attended only by Jane’s immediate family but we streamed the whole affair so that Nik’s family in Germany and Isabel’s friends in the states could be there.
This small, intimate backyard wedding was filled with big, beautiful moments. Bursting with love that carried across the Atlantic. It was such an honor and joy to witness this wedding, and now every time we walk past Jane’s beautiful home we will always wave at our new friends and smile remembering this unforgettable day.
Congratulations, Isabel and Nik, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!
To see all of Isabel and Nik’s gorgeous wedding photos, click here
Gorgeous floral design by Twigs and Blooms
Melissa + Tyler’s Garden Wedding
Melissa and Tyler had planned a big wedding at The Royal Melbourne at the end of May. All of their plans came to a screeching halt when Covid-19 and the shelter in place hit this spring. Like so many of our Something Blue couples, Melissa and Tyler were faced with the difficult reality of replanning their wedding. It has been humbling and beautiful watching our couples navigate this difficult time with grace and love. We can only begin to imagine how hard this has been for so many of you. Melissa and Tyler chose to still get married on their original wedding date but hold a big celebration in 2021. And I was truly honored to come alongside them (from a safe social distance, of course!) to photograph their beautiful and intimate garden wedding.
Tyler is my cousin, one of the few Versgroves left in the world. I adore Tyler, he has a gentle spirit and I have loved spending time with him since we were kids. Melissa is the perfect match for him - kind, loving, spirited, beautiful - and getting to know her better as she prepared to marry the love of her life was such a joy.
After Melissa got ready at my Aunt Debbie’s house (and ring-bearer Henry snuck in some epic trampoline bounces!) we headed to my Uncle Bill’s house for the ceremony. Bill and Theresa transformed their backyard into such a magical and romantic site for this intimate wedding. That moment when Melissa walked down the aisle and Tyler saw his gorgeous bride for the first time was beyond beautiful.
After officiant (and father of the ring-bearer!) Chris made it official, we all got ready to CELEBRATE! We feasted on Nothing But Bundt cakes, danced on the patio and welcomed guests who drove by to share their well-wishes with the newlyweds.
My Uncle Bill is an avid golfer, I loved that one of his golf carts was decked out and fancy for the newlyweds!
Congratulations, Melissa and Tyler, I love you and wish you both a lifetime of happiness together!! 💙
To see all of Melissa and Tyler’s beautiful wedding photos, click here
Florals by Wildrose Floral Design
Gown by Essense of Australia : purchased at Genevieve’s Bridal Couture