WINTER WEDDING AT OVATION CHICAGO

From the moment I met Keely & Kevin, I knew I had to capture their wedding!  The two are so fun and down to earth that being around them is like a breath of fresh air. Not only that but they have incredible taste in food & beer (Pipeworks Ninja VS Unicorn, Big Star & Stan’s Donuts!!!) I was fortunate to fly out to Boston to capture their first of two Engagement Sessions (we also captured a second session in Chicago) and am grateful I had the opportunity to spend so much time getting to know the couple. As Kevin describes their relationship, “We mesh up so well! Keely and I both have a quirky sense of humor that fits together and enabled us to both feel comfortable and ourselves from the beginning of our relationship. We have enjoyed hikes (where we got engaged), raising a puppy (Charlie is the coolest), going through stressful moves/job changes/grad school and through it all, we were able to laugh and have some of our best experiences together.”

What was it like moving to Boston in the middle of your wedding planning?

Not ideal…to keep things family friendly. Our move was supposed to be handled by a logistics company and our point of contact ended up being fired midway through due to poor performance, primarily with our shipment. Long story short, Kevin and Charlie lived in Boston with no furniture and an inflatable mattress for 6 weeks before we had our stuff. That was a tough time before our wedding because it was such a sharp juxtaposition to the happiness and excitement of getting married. But we made it through and Keely moved out shortly afterwards.

What were you most looking forward to on your wedding day?

Keely: “Smooching you”

Kevin: “Our first look.”

What surprised you the most on your wedding day?

Keely: “How quickly it flew by and how much I appreciated the few minutes we had to sneak away. Everyone told us it would go quickly but it really does flash by.”

Kevin: “How effortlessly things seemed to flow. I know that there was so much work from everyone involved that made our wedding happen, but when in the moment the speed of events and excitement of the day took over and the day glided by.”

What was the best thing that happened on your wedding day?

Keely: “The applause coming in and out of the ceremony.”

Kevin: “The love of our friends and family felt way more prominent than I expected…everyone applauded and cheered when we walked down the aisle together and I did not expect that.”

(Kevin:  Hmmm … we had the same answer … it’s like we spend a lot of time together.)

Who was the MVP of your wedding?

Not to plug too much but Jason and Kristin (Wedding & Events by Kristin). Throughout our whole planning process and engagement shoots you were so much above and beyond what we had expected and I hope we can convey our gratitude. Jason, you also recommended our day-of-coordinator Kristin and she streamlined our day and removed the stress.

Is there any advice you would give to couples planning their wedding?

Keely: “If you are considering a day-of or wedding planner, do it! We highly recommend it!”

Kevin: “Be open to having a team of people to support you in planning your day. Most of your vendors have been through this before and understand the stress and outlier considerations that can cause heartburn. We solicited the service of a day-of-coordinator toward the end of our process at the advice of Jason. Best advice we received! We should have done that earlier and been willing to be more open to assistance.”

Thank you so much Keely & Kevin for trusting me to capture your wedding. Have an absolutely incredible time on your honeymoon in Morocco!