Ok y’all, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. If you’re willing to brave the cold, the hazy winter light in Chicago cannot be beat!! As a Chicagoan, you’re trained to loathe winter and spend all 5 months of it (yes, it’s that long here) counting down the days til summer. But as a photographer, I have to be honest and say I think I’m starting to love winter portraits more than summer. Even though sub-zero temps may have been a smidge chillier than Alex and Sean had been hoping, they braved the weather like absolute champs.

This wedding was an absolute dream for me on so many levels. The first being the intimate nature of this wedding. I’ve got a future blog post coming on this, but for now I will just say that intimate weddings have my heart. I love the beautiful simplicity of them and I love how they keep the focus on the true purpose of the day.

The second reason I loved this wedding was the impeccable style that this couple brought to the table! With Alex’s background in fashion, there was no question that everyone’s style would be on point. The groomsmen and bridesmaids paired beautifully with the blue and rose gold color palette. Y’all know I ADORE rose gold and sparkles so these bridesmaids gowns were all my dreams come true. And I loved how the girls embraced the cold with those gorgeous fur boleros – weren’t those the PERFECT gift from the bride?!

Then there was the bride’s gown. You guys.

Alex MADE THIS DRESS HERSELF.

I mean seriously! Everything about it is stunning! I am obsessed with the structure of the gown, the open back, and the delicate little buttons. I don’t know all the fashion lingo, but I know that I absolutely adore this gown!

Alex and Sean said their vows in a private room inside St. Peter’s Cathedral in downtown Chicago in front of friends and family. It was a beautiful, intimate ceremony, full of people who clearly love them and mean the world to them. After braving the frigid cold one more time for portraits, the group made their way to the Boarding House for an intimate dinner with their guests. When it’s below freezing during portraits, you don’t necessarily have the luxury of spending a ton of time outside. But when you have incredible backdrops like we have in Chicago, you don’t need much time to make magic happen. I loved watching Alex and Sean interact and capturing the joy of these few sweet moments we had together.

Alex and Sean, it was such a pleasure spending the afternoon with you – thank you so much for including me in your special day! Enjoy these sneak peeks 🙂

Bridesmaids Gowns: Badgley Mischka from Rent the Runway

Groom/Groomsmen Attire: The Black Tux

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