Liz Schrenk 8/15/25 Liz Schrenk 8/15/25

Jessie & Andy’s Unforgettable Mae District Wedding

Jessie and Andy met at a dance festival in Atlanta in 2022. On the last night of the event, they danced together for two hours! Jessie had a crush right away and wrote a long, heartfelt Instagram post about the grounding, safe, and caring space Andy created during their dance. They started texting, but Andy was still unsure if he was romantically interested. At another Brazilian Zouk event in Chicago two weeks later, Jessie asked Andy to join her for dinner and boldly asked him to let her know if he was ever interested in a non-dance connection. They saw each other at two more events in December and kept having 1-2 hour long dances. Just as Jessie was about to give up and move on, Andy caught the feels at the Interfusion Festival in January. Suddenly, he couldn't stop imagining what it would be like to be together! Now, the tables were turned. Andy was 100% in (and in full puppy-dog mode) and Jessie was wary and surprised by his change of heart. But, they started having 3-5 hour phone calls every day, and they were both struck by how easy it was to communicate with one another, and how much their values were aligned. Jessie visited Andy in February for a dance weekend, and Andy asked if he could introduce her as his girlfriend. They went back and forth between Chicago and St Louis for several months, creating fun memories of Summer in Chicago and friends' weddings in California and Alaska. Jessie "imported" Andy to St. Louis in August. One year later, during their trip to Europe, Andy proposed on a mountaintop near Lucerne, Switzerland! Andy read Jessie a beautiful proposal card. She said yes, and strangers applauded as they looked on!

When I first met Jessie and Andy in person for their engagement session in Lincoln Park I was struck by their warmth and the intensity of their connection. As we walked and talked and took photos they seemed to be continually intertwined, holding tight to one another both physically and emotionally. Jessie and Andy love out loud and it’s beautiful. I will always remember that warm evening that I spent with them (and their adorable Pom Kumara!) along the lakefront – I was truly looking forward to Jessie and Andy’s wedding after their memorable engagement session!

On their wedding day, Christy and I arrived at the Marriott Marquis to take getting ready photos and were surprised to find Jessie and Andy in the hotel room together – they were each visiting and getting ready with friends and family in separate areas of the suite. When they needed to move in the space they coordinated and turned so that they wouldn’t see one another, it was this lovely little “dance” that spoke to the respect and love that they share. Once Jessie slipped into her beautiful sparkly seafoam Andrea & Leo gown we made our way to the hotel lobby for their “first look.” Jessie and Andy joyfully embraced once they saw each other and their wedding dance began, the rest of the day and night they were happily swirling together.

We braved the heat and Chicago traffic to take beautiful pictures at both Olive Park and the Wrigley Building. Once we finished we made our way to the historic Mae District where we essentially walked right into their wedding ceremony, we made it there with only a few minutes to spare before it was time for Jessie to walk down the aisle! Their emotional ceremony was officiated by Jessie’s close friend from Australia, and after their first kiss their guests shared greetings of love and well-wishes by tossing a turquoise ball of yarn to one another, creating a beautiful web for Jessie and Andy to walk under as they joyfully made their way back down the aisle.

Jessie and Andy’s reception was intimate and unique; during cocktail hour Jessie serenaded her groom with two stunning operatic pieces leaving the entire room speechless. Then guests were treated to a Zouk lesson, which came in handy later once the room exploded into dancing after dinner! But for me one of the most powerfully memorable things about Jessie and Andy’s wedding was the speech that her Mother gave during dinner. She shared about her journey to have Jessie and the story was just amazing, and the love she has for her daughter was something I will always feel touched by. This was truly the most unforgettable wedding, we were deeply honored to be a part of Jessie and Andy’s celebration!

Congratulations, Jessie and Andy, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

To see all of Jessie and Andy’s beautiful wedding photos, click here

VENDOR DETAILS
PHOTOGRAPHY
Something Blue

VENUE
Mae District

FLORIST
Flora

DJ
Elijah Armstead

HAIR + MAKEUP
Pin Me Up Chicago

WEDDING CAKE
Alice and Friends

ENGAGEMENT RING
Earth's Treasury

BRIDAL SHOES
Adriana Gronow

GROOM’S SUIT
Indochino

Liz Schrenk 12/13/21 Liz Schrenk 12/13/21

Patrice & Kevin’s Gorgeous Cafe Brauer Chicago Wedding

Patrice and Kevin’s relationship was built upon a strong foundation of friendship. They first met in high school and loved spending time together with mutual friends. But it wasn’t long before they realized that there was something more . . .

I met Patrice years ago at a shoot for a group of realtors. She immediately struck me as incredibly beautiful but also unassuming and kind-hearted. I was honored when she reached out after getting engaged to ask me to photograph her wedding.

After waiting a bit longer than expected thanks to Covid, we were all so excited when Patrice and Kevin’s wedding day arrived. We met Patrice and her bridesmaids at the beautiful Gold Coast Salon downtown where they were glammed up by the sweetest team of hair and makeup artists. From there we went to the stunning St. James Chapel on Rush, our absolute favorite church for a traditional ceremony in Chicago. After Patrice put on her gorgeous Haley Paige gown she had the sweetest “first look” moments with her niece and Dad before walking down the aisle to marry Kevin. Kevin was so sweet when he saw Patrice for the first time as a bride and he could not take his eyes off of her for the rest of the day!

Following their beautiful ceremony we went to some of our favorite spots in the city for photos. First we stopped at the Wrigley Building for wedding party photos before heading on the trolley to North Avenue Beach. As we got close to the lake and set up for a full wedding party picture a flock of geese took off flying TOO close to everyone’s heads, it was an absolutely hilarious moment!

We finished photos and settled in at the absolutely stunning Cafe Brauer at the Lincoln Park Zoo. It was a dream to shoot there, the space looked absolutely perfect thanks to the help and guidance of the amazing Michelle of NORA Events Chicago. After a delicious meal and some hilarious toasts the guests were treated to a rocking performance by Rod Tuffcurls and the Benchpress that had EVERYONE dancing. It was truly the perfect wedding, a day we won’t soon forget.