Hotel guests lingered in the lobby of the Drake Hotel and excitement was buzzing in the air. There was a groom in a tux standing at the end of the staircase and a bride in a stunning silk dress making her way towards him. Diana called out Ken’s name when she got to the bottom of the stairs and her turned around, so excited to finally see his bride on their wedding day!!
Last Saturday morning started at the Drake Hotel in Chicago (the same iconic hotel that served as the setting of one of my favorite movies, My Best Friend’s Wedding) and from the moment I walked into Diana suite, she was so calm about the weather and just so excited to be marrying Ken and couldn’t wait to celebrate with all of their family & friends. You see, Mother Nature decided to surprise everyone with late April snow in the forecast for Diana & Ken’s Garfield Park Conservatory wedding in Chicago, but that didn’t stop them from throwing one heck of a party from start to finish! Diana had envisioned a springy garden party wedding to welcome spring to Chicago and nailed it. From the custom floral crest on their invitations and the watercolor greenery filled envelope liner, to her garden party inspired Badgley Mischka heels and finally selecting her Garfield Park Conservatory wedding venue, every little detail was thought of! After champagne and coffee were sipped and hair & make-up was done, Diana’s mom helped her slip into her stunning Valentini Spose dress and it looked flawless on her. It was the perfect blend of modern, yet very timeless and classic. The clean lines and simplicity of it, while still having a wow statement with the floral appliqués on the bottom of the dress, reminded me of a modern day Jackie O wedding dress. Ken and his groomsmen got ready in a nearby suite before heading to the gorgeous hotel lobby to see his soon to be wife.
Diana had a few iconic Chicago locations in mind for photographs and we braved the weather to make the portraits there still happen. And let me tell you, I think the drama the weather brought to them really took everything to the next level!! I’m obsessed with how their portraits turned out and loved that Diana wasn’t super concerned about standing out in the wet snow & windy weather or whether or not her dress would get wet before the ceremony!
The church Diana and Ken chose to get married at, The Saint James Chapel at the Quigley Preparatory Seminary, was just stunning and one of Chicago’s true architectural gems. It was modeled after Paris’s famous thirteenth-century Sainte-Chapelle and all of the stained glass inside was beautiful. It made the perfect backdrop for their vows and once they were officially pronounced husband and wife, everyone headed over to the lush, plant filled Garfield Park Conservatory to celebrate!!
Diana & Ken, I’m so honored to have been the one to document your wedding day!! The fact that you chose your date around my availability isn’t something that take lightly and I’m so, so excited for you both to see all of the images I captured for you!! I hope you love and cherish them for the rest of your life. Wishing you love & happiness always! Much love, Jen. xx
