Shawnda & Justin’s Unforgettable Fairlie Wedding

Shawnda and Justin met like so many couples do – they both swiped right on Hinge and the rest is history. As they spent more and more time together it became obvious that they were meant to be, and we were lucky enough to meet these two when Justin planned to propose to Shawnda at the lakefront in December 2024. Justin reached out to our friendors The Heart Bandits to plan the perfect surprise proposal for Shawnda. Conrad waited on the steps outside of the Shedd Aquarium and hopped into action just as Justin got down on one knee. It was such a sweet moment and we are just so thankful that Conrad was there to photograph their proposal! He came back from that shoot just raving about how incredibly kind and fun Shawnda and Justin are, and we were just thrilled when they decided to hire us to photograph their wedding!

After planning for over a year Shawnda and Justin’s wedding day finally arrived. We met up with Shawnda and her girlfriends and family at the Hyatt Wicker Park and everyone was in great spirits. The weather was beautiful for early April and we were excited to get Shawnda and her bridesmaids out onto the balcony for some fun champagne-soaked pics before Shawnda slipped into her chic Watters gown from Anthropologie. Shawnda looked radiant and was just beaming the entire day, it was such a joy to be around her and photograph each beautiful moment.

Shawnda and Justin wanted an elegant, classy and simply sophisticated wedding and found the perfect venue in the absolutely gorgeous Fairlie Chicago. The Fairlie’s website boasts of “unexpected splendor” and honestly we couldn’t think of a better way to describe this amazing venue. From the moment we walked into the Fairlie we fell completely in love, from their stunning bar to the exposed brick and dramatic staircase all the way down to the furnishings and light fixtures this venue checks every single box as the perfect place to celebrate a sophisticated Chicago wedding.

Shawnda and Justin chose to do their first look and exchange private vows at Fairlie in a quiet corner upstairs filled with beautiful natural light. Justin looked so dapper in his white tux jacket that he accessorized with the happiest smile that he wore from the moment he saw his gorgeous bride. Shawnda and Justin had asked their guests to wear all black to the wedding and the overall aesthetic was just perfection, everyone looked SO amazing and the photos turned out gorgeous!

After their first look we made our way to the river to take pictures by the Wrigley Building. Fate was smiling on these two as the sun peeked out just as the trolley pulled up and we had the place almost entirely to ourselves (super rare at one of the most popular locations in the city to for wedding photos!) We loved photographing their wedding party and immediate families (and even had some fun shooing away some nosy tourists who wanted to sneak phone photos and videos of the wedding party!) From there we went back to Fairlie and took a few photos by the bar before settling in for their ceremony.

The talented team at The Flower Girl Company had worked their magic while we were out taking photos and transformed the Fairlie into a magical wedding wonderland of greens and whites. They lit hundreds of candles along the aisle to create the most romantic backdrop for the ceremony. As Justin walked into the room the guests burst into joyful applause, the energy was just absolutely perfect. Shawnda’s brother Khalfani did a great job as their officiant and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room once Shawnda and Justin shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

Shawnda and Justin walked back down the aisle as newlyweds and happily jumped into Fairlie’s adorable rickshaw for a quick romantic ride together, it was just the cutest moment!! Once they came back inside the party really got started, it was the most unforgettable night! We are so thankful to have been a part of this perfect day, we only wish we could do it all over again!

Congratulations, Shawnda and Justin, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

To see all of Shawnda and Justin’s gorgeous wedding photos, click here

VENDOR DETAILS
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY
Something Blue

VENUE
Fairlie

FLORIST
The Flower Girl Company

CATERER
Chic Chef

HAIR & MAKEUP
Crystal Eyez

WEDDING DRESS
Watters by Anthropologie

WEDDING RINGS
Ethan Lord

BRIDAL SHOES
Dolce Vita

Nada & Rami’s Unforgettable Old Post Office Wedding

We first met Nada and Rami at the Lincoln Park Conservatory where Rami had planned the picture-perfect proposal. Nada was so sweetly surprised when Rami got down on one knee, it was such a joy for us to be there! He worked with his friends to set up a beautiful sitting area with sparkly lights and champagne ready to celebrate, it was just the best night.

As Nada and Rami worked to plan their wedding we followed along with their adventures on Instagram. We were thrilled to be asked to photograph their wedding at the stunning Old Post Office downtown. After getting to know Leah and the Old Post Office through our Love is Essential wedding earlier this year we were so happy to have another gorgeous wedding to celebrate at this unforgettable venue!

Conrad caught up with Nada and Rami for an amazing sunflower field engagement session just before their wedding. These two share such a beautiful love together and their connection was on full display at their engagement session and then again on their wedding day.

Nada looked amazing thanks to her glam squad, Rami’s reaction when seeing his bride on the rooftop of The Old Post Office was so incredibly sweet. After their first look Nada and Rami happily walked arm in arm around the city with us as we took photos of just the two of them together. We had so much fun exploring and making beautiful photographs, it was a dream wedding. When we returned to the Old Post Office the celebration officially began with their amazing rooftop zaffe ceremony followed by endless music and dancing. It was a night we will never forget (scroll all the way down to see Rami being tossed INSANELY high in the air by his buddies during the reception!) We had the most amazing time celebrating these two and are thankful to have been there to celebrate their love.

Congratulations, Nada and Rami, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

To see all of Nada and Rami’s gorgeous wedding photos, click here

VENDOR DETAILS
PHOTOGRAPHY
Something Blue

VENUE
The Old Post Office

FLORIST
Flowers by Sprinkles

BRIDAL MAKEUP
Makeup by Reem

BRIDAL HAIR
Zaid Tannous

WEDDING CAKE
Sabreena’s Sweets

Tessa and Piotr’s Loyola Engagement Session

Tessa and Piotr met their first week at Loyola University and have been inseparable since. They both lived at the Simpson Center and fell in love while studying – she became a teacher and he is now in his residency. I was so happy to meet these two at the place where they fell in love for their engagement session. It’s always so beautiful to take engagement photos at a location that means something to a couple – I love imagining that someday they can show their grandchildren these photos and retell their love story through them. We had such a lovely time exploring Loyola’s campus together before heading to Lincoln Park for more photos. Tessa and Piotr are a wonderful couple and I can’t wait to celebrate their wedding with them this summer!!

Nada and Rami’s Romantic Lincoln Park Proposal

We first got a call at the studio from Rami’s cousin, she was helping him plan the PERFECT surprise proposal for his girlfriend, Nada. From that first conversation with his sweet cousin to the moment he dropped to one knee we had butterflies for this beautiful couple! Rami worked SO hard to make sure every detail was perfect before proposing to his gorgeous girlfriend. He enlisted friends from work to set up a romantic boho-backdrop overlooking the water and skyline at the Lincoln Park Nature Conservatory. While his coworkers scrambled to set the stunning scene, Rami and Nada walked the boardwalk hand in hand and saw several other couples get engaged. Nada wondered to herself if Rami might be ready to ask too, but figured that their moment had not yet come.

As the sun started to set and his squad put the finishing touches on the vignette, Rami asked Nada if she wanted to take a selfie by the pretty backdrop. In that moment he dropped to one knee and asked the love of his life to be his wife. It was a happy blur of tears and laughter and hugs, and in the chaos Rami mistakenly slid the gorgeous solitaire by European Jewelry Inc. onto Nada’s right hand instead of her left. Of course she said yes and was completely blown away by her new fiancé’s thoughtfulness in pulling off the perfect surprise. They could not stop smiling as they popped open a bottle of champagne, high-fived his coworkers and snuggled together against their beautiful backdrop. It was just magical, the most romantic proposal, Conrad and I were completely honored and overjoyed to be there to witness this new chapter in Nada and Rami’s life together. We can’t wait to follow their love story as they now excitedly plan to become husband and wife!!

Congratulations, Nada and Rami, and thank you for letting us be a part of this unforgettable moment!! We wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

To see all of Nada and Rami’s romantic proposal pictures, click here