Ami & Conrad’s Dreamy Garfield Park Conservatory Wedding

I first met Conrad when he was just seventeen years old, finishing high school and willing to come alongside my burgeoning business to help me photograph weddings and edit photos. Little did I know then that I was meeting my best friend, someone who would help carry the weight of this business in ways I could have never imagined. Conrad is the most loyal, steadfast and supportive person I have ever known and I truly cannot imagine how Something Blue Photography could exist without him.

I first met Ami in 2019, not long after I left the hospital following my traumatic MS diagnosis. I was using a walker and felt vulnerable and weak, but Conrad invited me and my husband on a double-date with his new girlfriend Ami. Meeting Ami was a revelation, and for all the love I have for Conrad I knew after being with Ami for just one night that my friend had found his forever person. I knew that night that we had just met Conrad’s future wife, and I couldn’t be happier for my friend.

Ami and Conrad share an easy and peaceful connection that is rooted in shared respect and an appreciation for the good things in life. It has been so wonderful to be friends with these two over the years, they are like family to us and I am so thankful for all the memories we have together.

When Conrad was planning to propose to Ami he had the idea to pop the question in Paris, because truly what could be romantic than that?! He set the bar high and picked the most gorgeous ring for Ami, and Christy and I decided that we could use their proposal as the perfect excuse to get away to Europe for a week to photograph this moment for our dear friends. We tried to be sneaky and plan the proposal with Conrad over text and FaceTime but Ami caught a glimpse of us seconds before Conrad popped the question – even so it was the most beautiful and romantic moment watching Conrad ask Ami to marry him with the Eiffel Tower in the background. We celebrated together with wine and cheese (and pickles!) under the Eiffel Tower, and then woke up super early the next morning to take more pictures while the sun rose over Paris. Christy shot one of our favorite photographs EVER as Ami and Conrad happily strolled together along the Trocadéro while a flock of birds took flight all around them. This trip and these moments will forever be so special to us, we are so grateful for the opportunity to have celebrated Ami and Conrad’s proposal in Paris with them.

Ami and Conrad decided to take their time planning their wedding and over the next two years they chose to celebrate their marriage quietly with family and friends around the country. The last stop of their wedding celebration tour was Chicago, and they chose the gorgeous Garfield Park Conservatory for their wedding ceremony. Ami looked beautiful in her simple sheath from Anthropologie while Conrad chose a crisp brown suit and a floral tie that we jokingly said looked like upholstery from a vintage Grandma couch – they both looked amazing and very “them.” Their first look was so sweet, Conrad was so happy to see his beautiful bride and from that moment on they did not leave one another’s side.

The talented team at Flowers for Dreams set up the most gorgeous chuppah to serve as the perfect backdrop for Ami and Conrad’s ceremony. Ami’s Dad David served as their officiant and had us all laughing and crying simultaneously as he lovingly spoke about his daughter and new son during their ceremony. Finally the moment arrived and Ami and Conrad were officially pronounced husband and wife, we were just all so happy for them!! After taking pictures in the Conservatory we celebrated with an intimate dinner in Logan Square, and the next day we came back downtown for another round of pictures before enjoying their bigger party at Lonesome Rose. All along the way we felt so happy for Ami and Conrad and grateful to be a part of these beautiful celebrations!

The only way we could really properly capture Ami and Conrad’s wedding weekend was by shooting with film cameras, Christy and I had lots of fun snapping 35mm shots of each big moment throughout the weekend! I’m sort of obsessed with how these all turned out, I just love that film is having a moment right now!

We love you so much and wish you a lifetime of happiness together, Ami and Conrad!! Thank you for sharing your wedding memories with us!

To see all of Ami and Conrad’s beautiful wedding photos, click here

VENDOR DETAILS
PHOTOGRAPHY
Something Blue

CEREMONY VENUE
Garfield Park Conservatory

FLORIST
Flowers for Dreams

WEDDING DRESS
Anthropologie

SPECIAL THANKS
Quality Time Bar
Red Hot Ranch

Ami & Conrad’s Proposal in Paris

Conrad and I have worked together for ten years now, and in that time I have come to love him as a brother / business partner / best friend. I first met his girlfriend Ami in the Spring of 2019, I had just gotten out of the hospital and was using a walker while recovering from my onset of multiple sclerosis. Imagine a double-date with your boyfriend’s boss / best friend – an old married couple with four kids and two people in their early twenties who had just started dating. I was self-conscious about the double-date and deep-down convinced that no one could ever be “good enough” for my best friend.

After about five minutes I realized that Ami is absolutely perfect for my best friend.

I knew after that double-date that Conrad and Ami would get married some day. As I grew to know Ami better I would tell Conrad that if he messed anything up with her I was choosing to stick with her LOL. Over the years Conrad and Ami grew closer and moved in together, and before long Conrad was talking to me about proposing.

When Conrad first told me about the European trip he was planning with Ami I was overjoyed for my friend. He was so happy and excited to propose to Ami!! I had been wanting to take a girls’ trip with our fellow photographer Christy so this all seemed like the PERFECT trip – I was able to get away for a week to Paris with a girl friend AND photograph my best friend’s proposal, it was truly the trip of a lifetime!!

After lots of planning and scheming Christy and I worked out the perfect spot for Conrad to propose to Ami. We chose the quiet riverbank at the base of the Trocodero and hid there while Conrad and Ami made their way to the spot. I was hiding behind a garbage can (lol) and came out just a split-second too early (I blame the nerves! And Ami taking off her sunglasses at the last possible second!) and Ami saw me just before Conrad got down on one knee. But all in all it was still the perfect moment, and in the end my best friend got engaged!! We celebrated with cheese and wine and phone calls home, Ami’s ring looked perfect on her and Conrad was so happy to be engaged to this wonderful woman.

The next morning we met at Trocodero before the sun rose for an engagement session with the Eiffel Tower in the backdrop. Ami wore a beautiful dress that Conrad had surprised her with, and Ami brought along Underbergs for good measure. It was a picture-perfect morning (punctuated by some incredibly cooperative pigeons who helped make for an amazing moment)! It was a trip that we will never forget, photographing in Paris was a dream come true. But even better was celebrating Ami and Conrad taking this next step together, we could not be happier for them!

We love you so much, Ami and Conrad, thank you for letting us share in this unforgettable adventure. We would joyfully go back to Europe with you ANY time!

To see all of Ami and Conrad’s gorgeous engagement photos, click here