I was commissioned by Alex and Jim to document their Chicago wedding from a photo and film perspective. I was absolutely thrilled to be such an important part of their wedding day. Let me start with the vendors who made this wedding day so incredible:
Planning: Paris Events
Photo & Film: Peter Gubernat
Venue: University Club
Flowers: Juliet Tan
Makeup & Hair: Morgan Marie Beauty
Dress Shop: Mira Couture
Entertainment: Lee Michaels
Floor Wrap: Stand & Clap Don
I spend about 70% of the day documenting moments as they happen but have a greater amount of control and direction during portraits so it’s important to capture them with an elevated sense of purpose. I wanted to give Alex and Jim a very timeless, elegant and editorial look for their portraits. While we took portraits at some of the iconic spots in Chicago it was also important for me to come in a little closer and show some intimate moments during the couples portraits.
Both Alex and Jim looked absolutely flawless on their wedding day. Exactly as they should for this occasion. Combined with their cool and fun personalities, this was the perfect recipe for these incredible photos.
One of the first things which stood out to me was their families, and how incredibly supportive and warm both sides were not only during the wedding day but throughout the planning process. It’s so great to have such wonderful families who are involved from day one. Cheers to the Brekke and Platania parents!
The floral decor at the reception was something out of a elegant James Bond film – these beautiful table cascading flowers were gorgeous while the low light candle ambiance elevated the entire experience for all the guests.
The toasts and speeches are something to really take note of at this wedding. All the speeches were absolutely wonderful. Jim Senior recounted how proud he is of his son, James. He told a heartfelt story about how Jim’s character was shaped early on in his life. It was so wonderful to see a father speak so highly of his son. It’s the kind of speech every son wants his father to deliver at their wedding. Kudos to you Jim senior!
While the bride’s father, Chris talked about how Alex made him feel growing up and delivered a very sincere and sweet toast that put tears in everyones eyes. It was Grace, the bride’s sister who delivered what I consider the best maid of honor speech I’ve ever heard. Her toast was so incredible that it reached 1.8 MILLION views on my TikTok and counting. Click the TikTok link to watch it, but you’ll need some tissues.
The final thing that I’d like to mention is the first dances at Jim and Alex’s Chicago wedding. They decided to do their first dance later in the evening, around 10 pm, with everyone gathered around them on the dance floor. This made their first dance very intimate and created yet another wonderful experience for their guests who, instead of eating dinner and not paying attention as it happens at some weddings, were very much invested in this sweet moment. Jim and Alex also took dance lessons and their first dance was absolutely awesome. (There’s nothing worse than a first dance where the couple just hobble in place for 3 minutes). This dance had dips, and spins, back cortes and whisks – it was so wonderful to watch. The first dance was a really great reflection of the couple’s personalities and said ‘if we’re going to do this – we’ll do this in an awesome way.’
I know I wrote a lot but how could I not? The experience of being a part of this wedding and documenting these moments was wonderful. Cheers to the couple! Cheers to this day! Enjoy the photos & films!
