My earliest memories of my cousin Courtney are running rampant in my Aunt Jeanne’s garden on Easter, wearing itchy dresses and running high on sugar, holiday parties and 4th of Julys in the early aughts with tanned midwestern skinned knees and cousin-pileups for a photo. We come from a big family.
Needless to say, it was an honor beyond honors to be asked to photograph her wedding. It’s hitting me more and more just how incredibly amazing it is to be the memory-maker in that way. These are the photos that define and make real this moment in life. They’ll be printed and passed and hung and tacked and put in boxes and unearthed again and again over the next century or so as the hands that hold them weather and change and life goes on. I know, this sounds a little poetic, but I think it’s the pause after the crazy wedding season that is removing me from the minutiae and giving me that precious glimpse of big-picture that keeps the fire burning.
Anyway, onto this beautiful day. They were married at Salvage One in Chicago. It’s a super cool venue that doubles as a large antique store. There’s incredible stained glass, custom furniture pieces that stun, neon signs, light-up robots, reclaimed church pews, Grecian columns, a flying pegasus, and so much more. It allowed for their decor to accent in subtle ways without trying to overcome. They opted for greenery and candles on tables, which positively glowed and added to the ambiance. Courtney’s Hayley Paige dress had a life of its own in the way it swished and glided around first the city of Chicago and then the venue itself. Never having been a super princess-y girl, we were stunned at how romantic her dress was. And it was so perfect.
This wedding was also featured on Junebug Weddings! Check it out here.
