Chicagoland Wedding // Alex + Gene

For their engagement session, Alex and Gene did their photos in a number of their favorite city locations because we knew that on their wedding day it would not be possible to hit all the spots they wanted to. So on the day of the wedding we did a 180 and sought out the quaint and quiet feel of Long Grove, IL. The day kicked off at the homes of each of their parents that live nearby one another. The ladies boarded the bus which they chartered for the day and met up with the guys for their first look. From there we all went off to the historic Long Grove downtown district which is a constant favorite gem of mine. While it’s just 40 minutes away from downtown Chicago, Long Grove allows you to feel as though you’ve traveled hours away from the city.From there we went back to Buffalo Grove and the site of the ceremony and reception…Astoria Banquets. This modern Jewish wedding featured a classic “East Coast” style reception with a variety of family style courses served to the table and broken up into a variety of dance sets. Not far from the dance floor, in a neighboring room were the folks from “Poems While You Wait” writing on demand poems on whatever subject guests wanted! Simply come on up, write your name and a topic and presto…a short while later your poem is waiting for you to pick up. This was a very cool wedding idea!