This past July, I got to help out my friend Elizabeth Greve by second shooting this fun-filled Ravenswood Event Center wedding.
Getting Ready at Hotel Zachary
PSA to couples getting married anywhere on the north side of Chicago, Hotel Zachary is my go-to hotel recommendation. The vibe is cool and, if you’re a Cubs fan, the views are spectacular.
Even if you aren’t into baseball (guilty), the floor-to-ceiling windows flood the rooms with natural light. AKA it’s the perfect hotel for getting ready photos on your wedding day.
The hotel lobby also doubles as a perfect backdrop for some epic, editorial wedding party photos just in case it rains on your wedding day.
After the first look in Hotel Zachary’s lobby, we made our way across the street for more photos and a special surprise—one of the bridesmaids gifted the couple with a congrats message on the Wrigley Field Marquee.
Pro-tip to any couple reading this: make sure you give your friends and family your photographer + videographer’s contact info. These are the kinds of things we want to know about in advance so that we can:
- Factor birthday cakes, flash mobs, or marquee photo ops into the timeline
- Make sure we’re ready to get reactions and moments on camera
Once we wrapped up wedding party photos at Wrigley Field (not to be confused with Wrigley Building), we made our way to Ravenswood Event Center—a former billboard factory turned event space.
Ravenswood Event Center Wedding Reception
Since these two had a micro wedding during COVID, they opted out of having another ceremony. Instead, they kicked their reception off with a cocktail hour in the atrium and dinner in the neon-filled showroom.
It’s no secret that I love neon signs at weddings. I absolutely loved how this couple’s custom neon sign got to shine center stage at their head table and it fit right in with their venue’s neon sign collection.
After speeches wrapped up and guests toasted with their shot glass wedding favors, the party really started on the dance floor.
Keep scrollin’ for some of my favorite photos and details of the day:
For more photos (and more of this couple’s story), check out Elizabeth’s recap.
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