Bridgeport Art Center Chicago Wedding {Naomi + Mike}

I can’t believe a year has gone by and today on October 17th, 2022 I am celebrating my first year of marriage to my incredible husband. It has been a crazy ride but, I know we wouldn’t have had it any other way. We met back in 2019 as I was in LA working for three weeks. Of course, we have to thank the dating app HINGE for bringing a midwest gal and a west coast guy together. The dates were fun and we had a blast but, I headed back knowing that Chicago was home. While Mike was hoping to stay in touch and see what was in the cards. Well, seven months later, I was back in LA for work and knew where to find Mike - the tennis court. We had our weekly dates and started seeing each other regularly. Then the world shut down and Mike asked me to stay with him on March 13th, 2020. Thinking I’d only stay a week I pack a bag with a few things. Well, that week turned into months. We quarantined together and became best friends. We had no outside forces to interrupt us getting to know one another. We cooked, hiked, played hours of tennis together and knew there was something there. On January 1, 2021 Mike and I hiked 10 miles in Malibu. One of our many hikes that we did each weekend but, this hike was different, Mike got down on one knee and proposed. I was shocked as I complained the whole way up. However, Mike was patient as always and knew he wanted to propose on the first day of the new year since 2020 was well ….crazy!!! So here I was with a ring on my finger trying to decide and plan a wedding during the heart of covid and roll out of the vaccines - and thinking what are we going to do? Of course, being a wedding photographer, I wanted a huge 300 person wedding and have everyone come. Mike wanted to just have something small with the family and call it a day. Well, we compromised and said let’s plan a 100 person wedding and if some curve ball comes our way, we will just have it with the immediate family. As the days went by the planning was well insane. We didn’t know if family could fly, or if we had to have it outdoors, or what the whole deal was. I knew I wanted a Fall wedding - as its my favorite time of year. The autumn colors, the crisp air the clothing. Initially I thought we would have in Lakeside, Michigan but all the barn venues were booked from weddings that were rescheduled from the following year. Since we had towners to think about we decided to have it in Chicago, a city that is easy to get around. As for invitations we didn’t know if the wedding was going to have to be postpone and decided that we would do an evite (I actually used Zola) so if we needed to change the date I could write everyone quickly to let them know. However, I wanted a paper invitation and made one for myself so that we can have it as a keepsake. When it came to picking out a venue I knew immediately where I wanted to have our ceremony. I fell in love with the Sculpture garden at The Bridgeport Art Center a few years back when I photographed another couple. I loved the elegance and I remembered that the opened air courtyard had a clear ceiling. It had picture perfect lighting, air flow, and a roof just incase it rained!!! Yes, in Chicago you just never know what the weather was going to be like especially in October!

When it came time to pick my vendor team, I knew I wanted to work with those who took care of me throughout the years and would be there for me on my special day. My hair and makeup was by far the best I ever looked and it seriously stayed on the whole night!!! I have to thank NIKKI LOIACONO from LUXE BRIDES BY NIKKI who saw my dress and knew how to make that romanic Brigitte Bardot hair wave work! My makeup was unreal and Cynde Hoffman from Cynde Cosmetics knew how to glam it up and make my brown eyes pop! Music was a major need and I knew that the Gold Coast All Stars were my band! I had done so many events with them and they know how to read the room and get everyone up on the dance floor. Their talent is endless from violin, to base to lead singers and backup I mean I can’t rave about them enough - they are the reason’s we were smiling the whole night through. Ted Grady the owner of J&L Catering & Events is a master mind behind not only the menu but, also helped me with lines, plates and glassware! He is a ray of sunshine and loves what he does and it shows, he saw my vision and guided me along the way. Also, Mike is a big foodie and Ted had adapted some recipes to fit our tastebuds oh and also took care of our delicious wedding cake! Deborah Weisenhaus is an event producer, space designer and, most of all, an artist who owns Art of Imagination. Deborah and her team did my decor from tables, chairs, lighting and drapes the space was just as inviting as her heart! Erin Foster, our florist from A Stem Above who knew I wanted to bring some of that Michigan farm feather look into the flower decor with a boho arch that made our focal piece down the aisle as well as our Chuppah and center pieces incredible arangements! Megan Ferney my best friend who I talk to everyday and met years ago in Miami, while working together at another wedding, was my photographer! But really… she was more then that as she was my rock who kept me calm throughout the day and knows how to capture moments like no other… Megan owns Inaglimpse Photography. Lastly, I had Kim Weinberg from Livenitup Events as my event planner - making sure that all things go to plan and of course on time. So ladies and gentleman it took a freakin’ dream team to put on this wedding during covid! The results well, let’s just say that Mike and I are still floating on cloud nine!