Romantic Valentine's Wedding in Chicago

Apr 9

Madeline & Matt said “I do” on a beautiful, chilly weekend in February in downtown Chicago.

The festivities started Friday night with photographing the start of their wedding weekend. M&M were so excited to add a day before photo session on to the documentation of their wedding to complete the story of the weekend of love that they’d spent so much time and creativity crafting for months, with Ohana Events at the helm.

I met the two in their penthouse suite at the Aloft Chicago Mag Mile where they donned matching sweatsuits, a staple of their relationship. Something all their friends and family know and love about their love is that M&M will be matching and they will be wearing sweatsuits.

After documenting some of their last quiet moments alone chatting about the weekend ahead before they shed the title of fiancés, they suited up into their night before outfits for some portraits around the hotel. It was cold cold cold, though the sun popped out just in time for the weekend’s festivities to begin. After some portraits in the hotel bar and outside in their 10/10 night before ‘fits, we said goodbye as they greeted their guests arriving to the hotel before the rehearsal dinner.

Their wedding day was a gorgeous Saturday. The ladies got ready in their matching pajamas in the penthouse suite, while the gents got ready a few floors below while playing some of their favorite Game Cube games as their geared up for the big day.

M&M shared an intimate first look in the penthouse. Madeline was so excited to show Matt all the intricate elements of her dress, and Matt was equally excited to see. The two love film photography, so they carried disposable film cameras with them throughout the day to document their own memories while remaining present with each other and their loved ones.

We stopped for portraits at two iconic Chicago locations - The Chicago Theatre and the Chicago Riverwalk bridges. M&M were crowd stoppers and were met with cheers and congratulations while they had their portrait moments around the city.

The clean, white ceremony space of the gorgeous Chez was accented beautifully with red roses and white flowers at the ceremony arch and entrance. Madeline made her grand entrance down the staircase to the end of the aisle as all the guests and her soon-to-be-husband watched her arrival. Following sweet, intimate, and authentic vows, the two were officially married and off to celebrate with their guests during cocktail hour while the behind-the-scenes teams flipped the ceremony space for the reception.

M&M’s vision came to life with the reception space, featuring black & white with stunning pops of red throughout. The checkered dance floor combined with the clean, white space and the beautiful rose-centric floral design tied the room together perfectly. When Madeline & Matt officially entered their reception, that’s when the party really began. After their wedding party crushed their entrances a la Pam & Jim’s wedding in The Office, it was M&M’s turn to enter.

I can’t even begin to describe how incredible of a performance M&M’s first dance was. They surprised all their guests with a perfectly choreographed and executed dance routine that started out slow, and when the beat picked up they flipped the switch into a high-energy jazzy routine, taking full advantage of every square inch of the dance floor. Their guests went wiiiiiild and everyone was loving it. The speeches recalled how the two share a love of dancing and are the last ones on the dance floor at every wedding. What a perfect way to add such a unique and authentic touch to their reception.

After the heartfelt speeches and family dances, where Madeline’s late father was honored during both, the room was ready to hit the dance floor. And what a dance floor it was, with Madeline & Matt leading the pack. There was so much energy and the biggest smiles across every corner of the dance floor and room.

Closing out the evening, M&M snuck away outside for some late night flash photos and a quiet moment before rejoining their party and closing out an incredible day of love.

Cheers, M&M!

Creative Partners

Planner: Ohana Events @ohanaeventsinc

Venue: Chez @chezweddingvenue

Photographer: Gretchen Wittry Photography @graphsbygretch

Floral, Draping & Dance Floor: Flowers by KH @flowersbykh

Hair Stylist & Makeup Artist: Tamara Makeup + Hair Artistry @tamaramakeup

Lounge Furniture: Bowery and Bash @boweryandbash

Catering: Amazing Edibles Catering @amazingediblescatering

Ice Cream Cooler: Dipsy Desserts @dipsydesserts

Sweets: Sweet Mandy B’s @sweetmandybs

DJ: Groove is in the Heart DJs @grooveisintheheartdjs