weddings

View photos from Kate & Ben’s St. James Farm wedding in Warrenville, Illinois! Their wedding was bright and full of warm colors. St. James Farm really served as a unique backdrop. Their wedding ceremony took place out in a lush and green grassy area. There was a row of trees in the background that added a nice sense of balance. Prior to the ceremony beginning, I took the bride and groom around with their wedding party to take photos around St. James Farm. There were tons of unique elements, like vintage barns and an old train, restored and painted like new. Both the bride & groom’s wedding party were tons of fun as you can see below!

I hope you liked the photographs of Kate & Ben’s wedding at the St. James Farm! I absolutely loved this spot for wedding. It was a beautiful outdoor area to be in. I hope to visit again soon! If you have any wedding photography questions or would like to request a wedding photography consultation of your own you may contact me here. You may also reach me via e-mail at poe@poephotography.com. Your wedding photography exploration should not end here! I have many other wedding’s featured on the blog and in my wedding photography portfolio. Please feel free to continue exploring my wedding photography blog for more!

I recently had the privileged of photographing Emily & Nick’s Chicago wedding! I met them downtown at the Chicago Hilton and we took some photos around some near by spots, like the Formal Gardens & the Balbo Drive Bridge in Grant Park overlooking train tracks. I absolutely love the Grant Park gardens during the sunny season. After exploring a bit of Grant Park together, we continue to the Loop where I took some photos around the Well’s Street Bridge. Nick & Em really wanted to take some photos across the bridge with the train in the background, which was a cute & very Chicago-esque touch. You can see some of those downtown pre-wedding photos below.

After the downtown pre-wedding photos, I headed over to Homestead on the Roof for the wedding ceremony on the roof-top! There was a beautifully vibrant garden up there too with lots of tomato plants and fresh herbs like basil. Nick & Em even had one of their very own playing piano while the guests made their way from the cocktail hour to their outdoor seats. After the wedding ceremony at Homestead on the Roof, we continued to The Hive on Hubbard for the wedding ceremony. For dinner hour, there were food trucks outside, from the Chicago Pizza Boss, La Adelita, & Yum Dum. It was fun taking photographs of everyone grabbing food, everyone was so excited to try the different varieties. Their Hive on Hubbard wedding also allowed for wedding photographs to be taken on the roof! The weather was gorgeous and clear, although quite bright, we decided to take the family portraits on the roof, which had the most perfect view of Chicago!  View some of the photos from the Homestead on the Roof ceremony & Hive on Hubbard wedding reception below.

Thank you for browsing photographs from Homestead on the Roof & Nick & Emily’s Hive on Hubbard wedding reception! For questions or to learn more about my wedding photography you may contact me here. You can also reach me by e-mailing poe@poephotography.com. Your wedding photography exploration does not have to end here! I have other wedding photography captured on the blog. Explore more Chicago wedding photography here.

I had heard many great things about the food at Carnivale Chicago but had never actually visited their restaurant. When Kristen & Hugo approached me about photographing their wedding I was very excited at the opportunity to shoot my first Carnivale Chicago wedding. Before their ceremony began, we took some photos of the couple getting ready. Kristen got ready at the Hyatt Hotel in the Loop and Hugo got ready at their West Loop apartment that had a great view of the city. A limo took everyone in the wedding party to Carnivale for the wedding reception. Hugo’s parents had surprised everyone by bringing a Mariachi band to start the night off while everyone got drinks and hors d’oeuvres. As expected, the reception space was as beautiful as the restaurant space. Full of bright, vibrant and beautiful colors. It fit the couple perfectly. Take a look below at some of the highlights of their Carnivale Chicago wedding!

For any questions regarding this blog on Kristen & Hugo’s wedding at the Carivale Restaurant in Chicago feel more than free to comment or contact me at poe@poephotography.com. I am always happy to answer any questions you might have about the wedding. If you have an upcoming wedding and would like to learn more about Poe Photography’s wedding photography packages you can always request a complimentary consultation!

Cindy and Megan were the first couple to approach me for a same-sex wedding. I was very excited that they chose me to photograph all the love and happiness displayed on their wedding day. And at the time it was actually the first gay wedding I had shot since. At first I met the couple at the Chicago Marriott Hotel in Hoffman Estates where their family and wedding party way. Cindy & Megan were getting ready there prior to heading to their wedding ceremony and reception space at the Bartlett Hills Golf Club. A friend of theirs did the makeup and family made sure they were all dressed up and ready for their special day! Then we were off to the next location.

I started to photograph their Bartlett Hills Golf Club wedding and I couldn’t have been more thrilled to be there. Everyone was so ecstatic for Cindy & Megan. Their entire wedding ceremony was full of smiles and happiness exuded from both the couple and the their friends and family.Once the ceremony was all wrapped up, we took the wedding party around the course greenery and park area to take group photos of everyone, making for a nice memory of their Bartlett Hills Golf Club wedding. Since I was booked for a full-day session I got to catch some nice photographs as the sun was setting. You can see that one towards the very end of this post. Take a look at the wedding photographs below and do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or comments.

I hope you liked these photographs! I am very happy to photograph any and all gay weddings in Chicago and beyond. I am happy to support LGBT couples. My ultimate goal in any and all wedding photography is to capture everyone’s smiles and dance moves. As long as I can capture everyone’s happiness, I feel fulfilled! Remember all my wedding photography consultations are free, so please reach out to book a wedding photography consultation. You can also continue to explore the blog for more weddings I have taken photographs of.

I was very excited when I was contacted to shoot traditional Hindu wedding ceremony at the Arya Smaj Center in West Chicago, IL. I had never previously visited the Arya Smaj Center so I was not sure of what to expect during the Hindu wedding ceremony but knew some ideas surrounding the traditions. When Ii first got there, I made sure to take my shoes off and made my way to the back to take some getting ready photographs. The families were bustling to get the bride ready and get her into her beautifully beaded lehenga. They put on her jewelry & makeup, ready to continue to the ceremony.

The bride was walked in by her family and led towards the groom’s side. The ceremony began and there were many wonderful rituals throughout that I felt very fortunate to be a part of. The space was modest and was the perfect backdrop for the couple. Everyone’s happiness exuded and the bright colors and gleam of their attire illuminated the ceremony. One of the biggest things Ii enjoy about being a wedding photographer is being able to capture unique moments in people’s lives and being able to have impressions of different cultures & traditions makes it all the more enriching. Browse some of the photos below from this Chicago Hindu wedding ceremony at the Arya Smaj Center!

I hope you have enjoyed the photographs from this beautiful Hindu wedding in Chicago! For more of my wedding photography continue to browse the blog. Feel free to reach out with any questions or to book your very own complimentary wedding photography consultation!

Bridget & Theo had their wedding at the Copernicus Center in Chicago. Before the reception the wedding party got ready at the Hilton Hotel near Rosemont. Before everyone headed over for their Copernicus Center wedding, we all took a party bus around various parts of Chicago, especially parts of the Loop, for photographs. Some locations we stopped at were the iconic Kinzie Street Bridge, LaSalle Street in the Financial District, even the the “Chicago L” Brown & Pruple Line stop, where the CTA attendants were nice enough to let us take photos on the platform. It was truly a treat being able to travel at the various Chicago spots to take photographs of the wedding party. There was even a special (unexpected) surprise guest appearance when we made our stop in Chicago’s Financial District. Just see for yourself! Take a look at the photos below for a preview of their very special wedding day in Chicago at the Copernicus Center!

This was the surprising guest appearance! It was the Mayor Rahm Emanuel! There was a crew shooting a video for him and a taxi came by, so he took our bride for a spin around La Salle Street! It was completely unexpected, and once in a lifetime for me…and the wedding party, I imagine? I still cannot believe we ran into Rahm Emanuel. Good thing a photographer was on hand! 🙂

Bridget & Theo even had some end of nigh food truck’s come by to provide the guests with food! It was a very fun day taking photos all around Chicago and then some at their Copernicus Center wedding reception. Everyone was full of laughs & smiles. For more photographs like the ones featured in this post, feel free to explore the blog. For questions, or to book your own wedding photography session, you may contact me here.

Katie & Pete had their July wedding at the Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago. Their Columbia Yacht Club wedding ceremony was right on the front of the boat deck, overlooking Lake Michigan. The weather was a perfect day for an outdoor ceremony. The reception also took place at the Columbia Yacht Club on a partially exposed deck. It has gorgeous views of the lake and of the Museum Campus, Navy Pier, and other surrounding Chicago landmarks. Everything about the wedding had a very nice summer vibe. The wedding bouquets & boutonnieres were full of warm and bright colors, even the cake was studded with bright colored flowers, adding a perfect touch of summer. I absolutely loved that their wedding was basically right on Chicago’s Lakefront!

Katie got ready inside the Columbia Yacht Club in one of their suites. There was a lot of charming boat & sailing-themed decor that really added to the overall feel of the yacht. The wedding reception took place on the deck under blue skies. After the ceremony was over, we took some portraits around the boat. Their wedding reception took place in a bottom portion of the boat, right on the water. Guests gathered for cocktails, food and dancing. Towards the end of the night, the entire wedding got to enjoy fireworks from the summer firework series that takes place near Navy Pier on Lake Michigan and the Lakefront. This was an extra special treat! Check out photos from their wedding at the Columbia Yacht Club in Chicago below!

I hope you enjoyed the photographs from Katie & Pete’s Columbia Yacht Club wedding! It was lovely capturing their special day on Chicago’s Lakefront right on Lake Michigan. For any questions or comments feel free to contact me at poe@poephotography.com. You may also request your own wedding photography consultation online. I have plenty of other blog posts featuring Chicago weddings, so don’t let your journey stop here, feel free to view other posts on the blog by clicking here or by viewing the Chicago wedding photography gallery.

Kelsey & Dale had a memorable wedding ceremony & reception at the Chicago Firehouse venue on the North West Side of the city on W. Rosemont Avenue. Their wedding ceremony took place outside on the side patio which had tons of gorgeous foliage including some lush green leaf vines covering a large area on the side of the building. This was the first time that I had shot a Firehouse Chicago wedding, and it was truly a delight finally getting to take photographs in and around it!

The Firehouse is pretty much what is what it is called, it is a reclaimed old Chicago Firehouse but was rehabbed after it moved. It has a very modern and relaxed feel. I thought it was the perfect space for an intimate wedding. Kelsey & Dale’s reception took place inside of the Firehouse and for dinner they treated (me!) and their guests to some wood fired pizza from Nomad Pizza. Nomad set up outside, near the front of the Firehouse and brought with them a wood fire oven where they cooked some excellent pizza!

In addition to the lovely backdrop of the Firehouse, there were a lot of cute details, like Kelsey’s mom custom sewed her dress, and the family helped with the flower bouquets and arrangements! Check out the photos from Kelsey & Dale’s Firehouse Chicago wedding below.

Thank you for viewing this post for Kelsey & Dale’s Firehouse Chicago wedding! For any questions or to request your own wedding photography consultation please feel free to reach out using this link , for comments regarding this post, feel more than free to include any comments below. I have many other photographs from other venues around the Chicago area, to explore more photos please follow this link to visit more posts from my blog!

Steph & Dave held their wedding reception at  Michelle’s Ballroom in Chicago. From start to finish, their Chicago wedding was filled with tons of smiles & laughs. The ceremony began at the Humboldt Park Boathouse, also in Chicago, and then we all preceded to Michelle’s Ballroom in Avondale to begin the toasts & wedding festivities. Once everyone arrived at the ballroom, the entire room was filled with happy chatter & exuberance. Everything from the heart-warming toasts to the first signs of dancing made this wedding memorable. Browse through the photos below to see for yourself!

I was very glad to be a part of Steph & Dave’s very special at at Michelle’s Ballroom in Chicago. Nothing makes me more happy than seeing so much happiness in everyone! For any questions or comments please feel free to reach out here. To view more photos from Chicago weddings taken by Poe Photography please view my wedding photography gallery or explore more posts on my wedding photography blog.