Your Custom Text Here
Rodger and Jessica recently had a wonderful summer wedding in Illinois which saw them taking wedding portraits at beautiful Lake Katherine Botanic Gardens in Palos Heights, Illinois.
The couple had a private ceremony in Bridgeview, Illinois, then met up with family and friends (including their beloved dogs) for a quick celebration before I captured their wedding photos in front of the waterfall at Lake Katherine.
Read moreBride and groom encircled by light at historic Barker Mansion.
Alyssa and Goran were married during twilight at the historic Barker Mansion in Michigan City. I met up with the bride inside the bridal suite while it was still light out and soon we were outside in the courtyard for the ceremony.
Barker Mansion is a terrific venue for micro weddings and elopements. The reception was held outside under a covered space in the courtyard and we did photos inside and out of the historic, 100+ year old building.
The bride has a laugh inside the bridal suite at Barker Mansion.
The bride on the red carpeted staircase at Barker Mansion.
A modern bride portrait with a vintage look.
While I definitely shoot in color at Barker Mansion weddings, the building begs for some vintage looks in some of the photos as well.
Guests arrived into the soon to be dark courtyard and were greeted by an illuminated backdrop where the couple would be married under the night sky. During cocktail hour I took the newlyweds throughout the mansion for pictures.
A micro wedding at Barker Mansion in Michigan City.
Twilight wedding ceremony in the Barker Mansion courtyard.
Newlyweds inside historic Barker Mansion.
The bride and groom take a tour of the historic Barker Mansion.
Outdoor wedding reception in the courtyard at Barker Mansion.
This is merely a sneak peek look at Alyssa and Goran’s micro wedding at Barker Mansion in Michigan City. Be sure to check out the Instagram channel listed below for more images from this wedding along with others.
To inquire about wedding photography for your big day, be it a micro wedding / elopement or full day wedding - please fill out the Contact Form right here.
Barker Mansion is a very classy and elegant wedding venue. Follow this link to view a bridal portrait session done during daytime hours recently. Enjoy!
Dust from the overhead sun descends upon the bride and groom.
What in the world is a micro wedding?!! Simply, it’s an intimate affair with guests of 50 or less. Alternately it’s called an elopement wedding or a Zoom wedding. These have always been around but really gained popularity in 2020.
Sometimes a micro wedding is paired down to the couple only with a friend who got ordained as an officiant online. Today’s article is focused on the couple and the portraits we take before or after the exchanging of the vows.
These elopement portraits of Jenny and Christian were all taken at Friendship Botanical Garden, a beautiful location for full weddings as well as micro weddings / elopement ceremonies.
Bride at Friendship Botanical Garden.
Groom at Friendship Botanical Garden.
Bride and groom on the wooden white bridge.
If you are wondering where to get started with your micro wedding, definitely check out the following articles I wrote:
Bridal portrait on the wood and metal bridge at Friendship Botanical Garden.
Micro wedding session images at Friendship Garden in Michigan City.
Friendship Botanical Garden is a very large property. So after you jump for joy at having tied the knot, it’s the perfect spot to roam for a few hours getting timeless images of you and your partner. It also has many “mini wedding venues” that can accommodate guests and some are covered as well.
Close up portraits of the bride and her bouquet.
Close up portraits of the bride.
Are you ready to go micro? Think about it - the fewer the guests, the less opinions and the fewer people to please. You can still celebrate with a small group or just make it the two of you.
If you do choose an intimate wedding, I hope you will go pro with the photographs and allow me to get creative with you on location. We can go with nature, urban or indoor chic with the PeerSpace app.
Contact me right here for availability.
A walk down State Street for the newlyweds.
The Windy City is one of my favorite locations to photograph elopements, weddings and engagement sessions. I’m also constantly in the city on my days off as well, bumming around and socializing.
As a Chicago elopement photographer and Chicago wedding photographer, I always joke that we can literally walk a half block and have dozens of great spots to shoot in. It’s true though, Chicago can provide an endless array of photographic opportunities. I’m located 30 minutes from the windy city and love to capture elopements there as well as large weddings.
Let’s get into some images as well as a list of some of the best locations for Chicago elopements and Chicago Zoom weddings.
A bride walks along the boardwalk at North Avenue Beach.
Bride and groom in Chicago with Navy Pier in the background.
Lurie Garden - A great spot in the heart of downtown that combines nature along with a background of the city skyscrapers.
The Morton Arboretum - For inside ceremonies, the Sycamore Room and Founders Room are beautiful and outside is the Fragrance Garden and Morton Terrace.
The Cancer Survivor’s Garden - A hidden treasure in the hearts of the city provides views of Lake Michigan and the Field Museum.
Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool - Located in Lincoln Park, this hidden garden is designed to resemble a river and the tranquil waterfall there is a terrific spot for your intimate ceremony.
These are merely a few Chicago elopement location ideas for you. There are many other locations from outdoor gardens to hotel and restaurant banquet rooms. Follow the links above to learn more.
For a really unique Chicago Elopement, I highly suggest you take a look at Peerspace. Think of them as an airbnb type of service for event spaces. There are tons of interesting Chicago buildings renting out small to large area spaces for photo shoots, meetings, events and elopement ceremonies / intimate receptions as well. They have an awesome phone app too. Many of these locations feature wifi which will be helpful if you are having a Zoom wedding. Follow this link to check out Peerspace.
Blowing kisses in front of Dylan’s Candy Bar.
Bridal portrait underneath the L tracks in downtown Chicago.
As I stated previously, Chicago provides tons of great opportunities. It’s just going to depend on what you want out of your creative wedding portraits in Chicago. Here’s a partial list of where we can go for your wedding pictures in Chicago.
Lincoln Park Zoo - This area has views of the city in addition to a nature vibe. It’s also in close proximity to my next pick…
North Avenue Beach - Have Lake Michigan as part of your wedding day as well gorgeous view of the city.
Millennium Park / Lurie Garden - A great combination of flower gardens and urban skyscrapers. We may to dodge some crowds, but hey - that’s what city life is all about.
Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool - Nature within the city, a beautiful and tranquil spot in the heart of the city.
Bucktown - An eclectic neighborhood on the northside for a very urban feel.
Loop - The Chicago River and the Chicago Theater are a few of the backdrops along with the L train for some gritty and urban looking Chicago wedding pictures.
Bride and groom take stroll in Lurie Garden in Chicago.
Chicago skyscrapers tower over the bride as waves come in from Lake Michigan.
So how do we get around to all of these locations during your Chicago elopement? If it’s just the couple, myself (and possibly an assistant), I suggest Taxis or Ubers. We do not want to be driving and parking all of the time. We want to maximize our time shooting.
If a wedding party is involved then I’d suggest renting a party bus for them as well as myself to travel in.
Please fill out the Contact Form to inquire about availability for your elopement. Elopement Photography Packages and Chicago Elopement Officiant Packages are listed below.
The bride hails a taxi in downtown Chicago.
4 hours of wedding photography by Steve Vansak
Digital images via download (hi-resolution, includes printing rights)
Online photo gallery and ordering
Secure the date with a signed contract and a retainer payment of $500.
Take 10% off when paid in full at the time of booking.
4 hours of wedding photography by Steve Vansak
Digital images via download (hi-resolution, includes printing rights)
Online photo gallery and ordering
The Elopement Album (12”x12”, 20 pages)
Secure the date with a signed contract and a retainer payment of $500.
Take 10% off when paid in full at the time of booking.
