New Year's Eve Wedding at The Gray Chicago - Brooke & Ryan

Real Weddings

Jan 2

I think every one of us could agree that the best weddings are those which are the most authentic reflection of the couple getting married. In fact, I think I can safely say that is what nearly every couple strives to do with their wedding. But in reality, it's crazy hard to be 100% your honest self in a big public setting. I mean, I can't tell you how many times I had a super cool idea at home in my bedroom, only to realize that when I got to school, wearing multi-colored toe socks with sandals wasn't actually cool. ;-) In all seriousness though, it's often times those silly childhood moments that keep us from choosing our all-time favorite song to walk down the aisle. That sneaky "what if people don't like it?" monster creeps in. And that monster turns a unique wedding into a really lovely wedding with a few personal details and the always classic (yet very safe) Canon in D as your entrance. Now the flip side of this, is that I don't actually think a wedding is the time to go crazy with trends. A wedding should be timeless and classy, while also remaining an honest reflection of the two of you and the communities that brought you together. No pressure, right?So what does all of this have to do with a New Year's Eve wedding at The Gray hotel downtown Chicago for Brooke & Ryan? My friends, Brooke & Ryan (along with the help of the always fantastic SQN Events), accomplished the impossible. They had one of the most honest, authentic, bear it all to everyone in the room, ceremonies I have ever been privileged to witness. I mean, Ryan entered the ceremony to "Starboy" by The Weekend for Pete's sake! At the same time, it was a timeless soirée filled with family tradition, some of my all-time favorite clothing choices, and a perfectly timed confetti launch to ring in the new year. They managed to combine a modern vibe with a timeless aesthetic all while being 100% themselves and honoring the unity of their families coming together for this climactic day. If this is the preview into 2018, it's going to be a good year. Brooke & Ryan, as perfect as your #NewJonesEve was, I hope this is only the tip of the iceberg for your lives together. Thank you so much for entrusting to me the great responsibility of documenting these priceless memories. Here's to an amazing 2018!