CHICAGO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER: MELISSA MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY: HYATT LODGE OAK BROOK

This is one of those weddings (and these are some of the people) where I don't even know where to begin!? Typically, after a wedding, in the wee hours of the night, I crawl into my bed. (Usually having to scoot a child or two out of my spot.) My groggy husband pops up his head and asks: "How'd it go?" That's typically my debriefing time. I spew all the details of the day. (For wonderful & for challenging). All I could say to my husband for this one was an emphatic: "AMAZING!"

And honestly, I don't know how else to describe it.

Every single step of the way, the day and the people just exuded authentic warmth & joy. I felt that from the moment I walked in. The room was alive with hugs, laughter, dance parties, and pops of champagne. The windows were ablaze with the bright fall leaves shining even warmer than the sun. It looked like wedding perfection, but felt like wedded bliss. At the core of it, you can have every detail plucked from the pages of Pintrest, you can have a detailed Excel sheet with the where's and when's, you can have the weather that is best case scenario, but if you aren't emotionally present, you'll be teleported back to those details rather than the magic of it all.

JP & Christine, you had all the details align for a picture perfect day! Holy smokes was every bit of it stunning!!!

I'm so glad you trusted me enough to ditch the entire photo plan days before the wedding, and go with an option that would better allow you to be in the moment, not the bus. From the stunning terrazzo tile in the bridal suite that reminded me of Jame's time studying in Florence, to the ivy covered architecture that blended your hopes for a classy nod to the fall and the architecture of the Hyatt Lodge that you both love. I hope that every time you look back on your photos you'll feel again everything that your special day was: AMAZING!