Chicago Nontraditional Wedding | California Wedding Photographer

Wendy & Ryan

Okay. Okay guys. This wedding ROCKED. Wendy and Ryan really aren’t big fans of being in the spotlight and would have eloped had they not wanted to include their families in their wedding. Understandable. So, they planned a wedding and invited their families and close friends… but this was no ordinary wedding. These two took the old wedding traditions and completelyyyy turned them on their head. Like, COMPLETELY. I loved it so much. They took a situation that would normally make them super anxious and turned it into something fun both for their guests AND (more importantly, in my opinion) for THEM.

First of all, they had me meet them at the bar/inn where they got ready (which they did together, no wedding party, and only with assistance from the hairdresser), Longman & Eagle in Logan Square. They wanted photos of them before the madness just enjoying a drink at the bar. Can I get a hell yeah?

And enjoy a drink, they did.

Then we all headed together to the venue, Trigger Chicago. They hung out with their officiant, Chris, and coordinator, Risa, both great friends of theirs, figuring out the last details and calming their nerves with a glass of champagne. (And of course, a few more portraits.)

If you can’t tell… these two are major weirdos. Which, as you know, is my favorite type of person.

Ok, now we get to the ceremony. LET ME TELL YA ABOUT THIS CEREMONY.

First I need to explain something. Trigger Chicago has two big rooms, separated by a garage door. As Wendy and Ryan were hanging out in the ceremony room, their guests were arriving into the other room behind the closed garage door and already mingling and enjoying a drink.

Then… Wendy and Ryan positioned themselves under their arch… the garage door opened… and their guests walked down the aisle to them. HECK. YES!!!! They took all the uncomfortable pageantry out of it. The guests filled into their seats (each equipped with a glass of champagne to raise after the ceremony) and the ceremony commenced.

Another thing about the ceremony is that it was very short. They allowed about 15 minutes for it in the timeline, but in reality, it was probably no longer than 7 minutes. They worked out a very simple ceremony with Chris. Just a welcome, some short handwritten vows, rings, kiss, and a toast. It was perfect and designed simply to serve the couple while also allowing their loved ones to be a part of it. Ugh love it so much.

We took some quick family photos before heading to a nearby park for a few portraits while they flipped the ceremony room for dinner and served cocktails to guests.

Wendy and Ryan gave a nice thank you speech, then greeted each table as everyone got their food from the buffet set up by Estrella Negra. After saying hi to everyone, Wendy and Ryan retreated to the storage room to eat (where I eventually joined them). This might seem weird, but I love that they took dinner time to hide away and decompress a little instead of being at a head table where people could bother them. Again, just doing exactly what they wanted. Love it.

After dinner, people headed slowly into the other room to the dance floor. Wendy and Ryan did a short first dance to The Luckiest by Ben Folds, which juuuust so happens to be ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS IN THE UNIVERSE. 😭 Too perfect for a first dance.

Then it went straight into the dance party! All night people enjoyed themselves either on the dance floor or just chilling in the other room (or sleeping, in the case of some of the tinier guests). The DJ was awesome and the floor was never empty.

It was an absolutely perfect day. I’m so proud of Wendy and Ryan for honoring themselves and not doing anything that would bring them out of their comfort zone. They had an awesome wedding, their families got to be a part of it, and nowww they’re married!! Hell yeah. Congrats, babes. Here’s to the rest of your lives together doing exactly what you want. ❤

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