Liz Schrenk 7/5/26 Liz Schrenk 7/5/26

Allison & Ian’s Gorgeous and Unforgettable Wedding at The Crawford

Every now and again we are lucky enough to photograph a wedding that is truly unforgettable. Allison and Ian’s wedding day was just so fun and filled with joyful moments it hardly felt like work to be there . . .

Allison and Ian met at Clemson University during their Sophomore year. They moved to Minnesota following college graduation and got engaged the following Spring. Ian managed to pull off a complete surprise when proposing to Allison and invited some friends from college to join them in Minnesota to help celebrate. Their Clemson friends mean a lot to Allison and Ian and were so much fun to celebrate with on their wedding day! We got to know the Clemson fight song pretty well by the end of their reception!

Leading up to their May wedding, we had only connected with Allison and Ian over Zoom. When the big day finally arrived it was just wonderful to meet them both in person. Allison and Ian are both incredibly kind, easy-going, fun and silly – these two were made for one another and being around them is truly just a joy. We met Allison and her bridesmaids and Mom at Marquiz Salon in Wheaton for “getting ready” photos before making the short trip to the beautiful St. Michael Church in Wheaton for their traditional Catholic ceremony. St. Michael is such a gorgeous church, we were really happy to be able to shoot there!

Allison looked amazing in her appliquéd gown from The Crystal Bride, we were obsessed with the three-dimensional floral details on her wedding dress. She was excited to show off the pockets in her dress when she did a sweet “reveal” with her bridesmaids and made sure to show Ian the pockets as well after their ceremony. Ian was nervous leading up to the ceremony but all of that melted away once the two of them were together. It was really special to watch Ian as Allison walked down the aisle with her Dad. As they exchanged their vows the church was filled with love and joy to honor the love between Allison and Ian!

Following the ceremony we made our way to St. James Farm for pictures with Allison and Ian’s wedding party and immediate families. We just love shooting there, it’s such a special place with its rows of mature trees and pretty barn buildings. Allison and Ian had one of the nicest and most fun wedding parties we have had the pleasure of working with, we were all laughing and having the best time together at St. James Farm! Ian used to run cross country and was familiar with the sprawling property of St. James Farm so once the wedding party went back on the party bus he took us to a special pond for a few photos of just the newlyweds together.

We finished with pictures at St. James Farm and then settled in at The Crawford in Naperville. Conrad and I were excited to see that this venue space (formerly Noah’s) had been reimagined and was more beautiful than ever to host unforgettable wedding receptions! Allison and Ian arrived and went straight for the pool table, one of our favorite moments from their day was shooting while they played billiards at The Crawford. The playful energy between Allison and Ian is infectious and it was so much fun capturing those moments around the pool table!

The rest of the night was a dream – we loved eating the always delicious meal provided by our friends at My Chef Catering and watching Allison and Ian practice their first dance during dinner. Once the dance floor opened and Sounds Abound started doing their thing it was immediately filled with friends who came to party – this truly was an unforgettable day!