Ovation Chicago Wedding with Anne and Adam
There’s something about a classic, formal wedding inside of a church that feels very special. It just feels so pure and cinematic. I love the pews, the pulpit, the architecture! This time was no exception! Anne and Adam got married at St. George Chicago – Greek Orthodox Church.
Anne and the girls started the day at Talbot hotel in Chicago and Adam with the boys at Ambasador Hotel in Chicago. Adam with his dad and Anne’s dad walked to the Talbot hotel where he did a first look with Anne! The first look was surrounded with lots of emotions!
As soon as the First Look moments passed and the portrait session was done we met the bridal party and walked to the Washington Square Park for bridal portraits.
After the Washington Square Park we went with Anne and Adam to Newberry Library for few more portraits and to wait for the bus to get the couple for the ceremony.
As mentioned already Anne and Adam’s wedding took place at St. George in Chicago. St George Greek Orthodox Church is one of the oldest Greek Orthodox parishes in the Chicagoland area. It will celebrate 100 years in 2023.
Their wedding party was poised for action the entire time, which made my life easy and the images easy to capture. From the St George Greek Orthodox Church the couple made their way to the reception. They were taken in a beautiful white Rolls Royce owned by the wedding venue Ovation.
I had few questions for Anne and Adam:
1.) How did you two meet?
We met in Chicago one night when we both were invited out by mutual friends (along with other people) and we were the only ones who turned up! We hung out with our friends only at first but then got to talking and hit it off! We exchanged numbers but then didn’t start dating until a few months later when we both were back in town. We knew we had to be together and dated from different cities for a year before we moved in together in Chicago.
2.) How did he pop the question?
Adam proposed on Memorial Day 2020, a few months into Covid-19 quarantine. We just moved into our first condo together 2 days before and we went up to Lake Geneva, WI to celebrate. While there, we walked around for a LONG time looking for a place to put down a blanket. Once we were settled, Adam pulled out a box with puzzle pieces with a proposal message. As Anne put together the puzzle, Adam got on one knee and proposed with a beautiful sapphire ring! Anne, of course, said yes!
3.) What was your favorite moment(s) from the wedding?
We loved doing a first look before the wedding party and our friends and family saw us. We used that time to share personalized vows to each other and take some beautiful, private photos. It was so nice to take a quiet moment to focus on what the day was all about and celebrate with just the two of us.
4.) How long have you been together?
We have been together for 5 years! We dated for 3 years and were engaged for 2!
5.) How would you describe your overall wedding experience?
We had a great wedding! More than anything we wanted our wedding to feel like the two of us so we put in personalized touches throughout the wedding which really made the wedding feel more special. It was extra work but serving home brewed beer, writing our own first dance song, having friends help with signage and designing our own handmade website made it feel uniquely like us.
6.) What advice would you offer to other couples planning a wedding?
Definitely split up the work! We each focused on specific vendors that we were point person for so one of us wasn’t handling everything. Plan ahead and try not to leave tasks until the last minute because the last 2-4 weeks prior to the wedding are stressful enough. And most importantly, always remember why you are planning a wedding in the first place. Your relationship and love for each other comes before anything wedding related.
7.) What photography-related advice would you offer to a couple?
Try out lots of different poses and options! We both were not the most comfortable taking pictures, but we found that listening closely to the directions of Claudia and Doru made things much easier and the pictures turned out incredible! Trust the professionals!
8.) Tell me about your dress. Where did you find it, how did you choose it, how did you know it was the one?
Anne got her dress from Here Comes the Bride in Glendale Heights
. She tried lots of different styles, not knowing exactly what she wanted, but she began connecting to dresses with a more fitted silhouette. Her dress was the last one she tried on that day and the stylist’s flash of an idea based on what Anne was liking. Right away, Anne knew this was the dress! The gorgeous train, the detailing, the fit, the fabric…it was perfect! Once a veil was added, Anne cried, and it was a done deal!
9.) Any tips that you have about preparing your wedding party for the photos? What did you tell them, how did you get them to cooperate, what did you do or what would you have done differently?
Our wedding party loved taking photos so we didn’t have to give a lot of direction. They all were so excited to celebrate the day, and that joy came through in all the pictures. We let the party know the schedule of the day ahead of time and let them know there would be getting ready photos, first look photos with the wedding party, and then group photos all before the wedding. People liked getting to hear the plan ahead of time.
19.) What kind of food was served at your reception?
Our appetizers were Ajvar crostini (eggplant and red pepper spread), cevapi Serbian sausage, and pierogis. We also served salad followed by the guests’ choice of flank steak and chimicurri, airline chicken with peach BBQ sauce, or smoked mozzarella ravioli. We had a single tier wedding cake, but our main dessert was a cookie table full of homemade cookies done by our friends and family. The cookie table is a Pittsburgh tradition (Adam’s family is from Pittsburgh) and it went over very very well with our guests!
20.) What was the first song you danced to as husband and wife? Father-daughter dance? Mother-son dance?
Our first dance song is a song that Adam wrote called “Somehow We Knew.” Adam played guitar on the song and wrote the melody, while one of our best men helped mix the song. We hired a vocalist/song writer to write and sing lyrics that spoke to the story of our relationship! We were a bit nervous to play it at the wedding reception, but it made it really special to have something so personal. Anne and her dad danced to “Shut Up and Dance” and Adam and his mom danced to “I Just Called to Say I Love You.”
Doru & Claudia – H Photography
Here is another Greek Orthodox Wedding
