Liz Schrenk 2/1/26 Liz Schrenk 2/1/26

Kristen & Zach’s Beautiful Concorde Banquets Wedding

Kristen and Zach first met in high school in 2013 via a mutual friend – they dated for two years before they broke up, but remained friends and in each other's lives. They rekindled their love in the Summer of 2018 and have been together ever since. Kristen and Zach share such a beautiful connection, they are supportive, silly and ultimately so loving with one another. In October 2024 they took a trip together to Mackinac Island where Zach proposed and they started planning their wedding together!

I loved meeting Kristen and Zach and was so looking forward to their engagement session last Spring, but the chaos of life (and an early morning fender-bender) meant that Conrad was the one who got to connect with Kristen and Zach to take their photos at Wilder Mansion. We were all looking forward to Kristen and Zach’s big day, it was our last wedding of 2025 and we just knew it would be gorgeous!

The temperature on Kristen and Zach’s wedding day was unbearably cold, but after their sweet first look we convinced them to dash outside of the hotel for a few quick photos before leaving for the venue. We are SO glad we did, the snow and tall grasses made for such gorgeous wintry photos! Christy, Conrad and I worked quickly and took a lot of pretty pictures before we all felt almost completely frozen, we were happy then to spend the rest of the day cozy inside at the Concorde. It looked beautiful in their lobby with all the holiday decor set up! We took plenty of pictures of Kristen, Zach and their wedding party before moving upstairs for their ceremony.

After Kristen and Zach said “I do” everyone was ready to celebrate. The room looked gorgeous thanks to their talented vendor team, and we all had so much fun dancing the night away. It was the perfect Winter wedding and we were so grateful to have been a part of it!

Congratulations, Kristen and Zach, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

To see all of Kristen and Zach’s beautiful wedding photos, click here

VENDOR DETAILS
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY
Something Blue

VENUE
Concorde Banquets

FLORIST
JSW Floral

HAIR
The Beauty Team

MAKEUP
Hairs 2 the Bride

DJ
DJ Luniks

BRIDESMAIDS’ DRESSES
Azazie

MENSWEAR
Mr. Tux

WEDDING CAKE
The Baking Institute

Liz Schrenk 8/11/23 Liz Schrenk 8/11/23

Jenni & Dan’s Romantic Wilder Mansion Wedding

Jenni and Dan are both teachers, they were on the same middle school “team” and quickly became close friends. One day Dan asked Jenni to go bowling with him after work, after she reluctantly said yes that game started a long streak of Dan beating Jenni at just about everything from bowling to mini golf (with the exception of volleyball!) Their strong and natural connection they have kept them close through the ups and downs of life. After 7 years of teaching together, approximately 700 of the same students taught and 5 years of dating Dan got down on one knee in downtown Chicago and asked Jenni to marry him. She enthusiastically said ‘yes!’ and their adventure toward becoming husband and wife began!

I got to know Jenni and Dan at their beautiful engagement session last Summer at Lake Katherine Nature Center. It was easy and fun to explore with Jenni and Dan, they share a quiet devotion to one another that is truly a joy to witness. Leading up to their wedding day, we asked Jenni and Dan to answer the question “what moment of your wedding day are you most looking forward to?” Their answer says so much about who these two are as a couple, they said “The little alone time we will have with one another to soak in the moment.”

When their wedding day arrived, we met up with Jenni and her bridesmaids at the gorgeous Wilder Mansion in Elmhurst. Christy and I joked that we could shoot at Wilder Mansion every single weekend and be thrilled, this beautiful historic home is filled with tons of natural light and one big empty room after another! It’s like a giant and gorgeous photo studio! Jenni looked radiant as she got ready for her “first look” with Dan – he was a little nervous but once he saw his gorgeous bride that all seemed to disappear.

Jenni and Dan exchanged private vows right after their first look (one of our favorite “new” traditions!) We had the best time taking pictures of Jenni and Dan and their wedding party at Wilder Mansion before and after their beautiful rose garden ceremony. Before long we loaded up and moved the celebration to Drury Lane where their guests were all waiting to start the party. We loved every moment of this romantic day, it was an honor to be alongside Jenni and Dan as they began their married lives together!