Westin River North Wedding Spectacular

Lauren & Michael’s dazzling summer wedding at the Chicago Westin River North was nothing short of astonishing. From Lauren’s couture Mira Zwillinger dress to Yanni Design Studio‘s breathtaking floral and decor, this jaw-dropping, Jewish, July wedding will go down in history as one of the most incredible events I’ve captured in my career.

Lauren met Michael through a mutual friend who set the couple up on a blind date. Michael lived in Michigan at the time while Lauren was living in Chicago so he flew in for their initial date. “We met and instantly hugged like we had known each other for years” confessed Lauren. “It only took that one time and we knew our lives had changed forever. It was definitely love at first sight!” Every other weekend from that night forward, Michael drove 8 hours round trip to Chicago so the two could be together.

When did you know you couldn’t wait to spend the rest of your lives together?

“Our second date was in Nashville. We spent 4 days together (visiting with friends who set us up) and we couldn’t get enough of each other. It was like we had been dating for years already” says Lauren.

Can we say each other?

When asked who the MVP of their wedding was, Lauren confesses it was their two hearts beating together. “It sounds cliché but make sure to enjoy every moment TOGETHER [on your wedding day]. You don’t want to have two separate experiences at your own wedding. Make sure to make some alone time for each other and just take everything in because it goes extremely fast!”

Lauren’s mom Andrea, though, really touched the couple the most. Lauren confides, “There were a lot of people who made this special, but we would have to say Andrea [really touched the couple the most]. All of her planning for the past year was put into making this the most special day for us and it most definitely was!”

What were you most looking forward to?

Lauren admits that “being in the room with all our closest friends and family” was what she was most looking forward to. It was the couple’s Horah however, that was the highlight of her day. “Everything was perfect and there were so many amazing moments, however, the one moment that really stood out was when all of our guests joined the Horah.”

Please join me in reliving one of the most incredible weddings I’ve ever captured by enjoying Lauren & Michael’s highlights below. Don’t forget to congratulate the couple by signing their guest book below then return to the top and click “FULL GALLERY” to visit their entire, astounding wedding gallery.