Liz Schrenk 7/29/26 Liz Schrenk 7/29/26

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 — 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

DJ
Toast and Jam

WEDDING RINGS
Jordan Mantzke, Modern Goldsmith

WEDDING DRESS
Jenny Yoo for Anthropologie

BRIDAL SHOES
Sezane

Liz Schrenk 6/27/20 Liz Schrenk 6/27/20

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.