On a perfectly windy winter Saturday in Chicago, Andrew & Katie had a beautiful Café Brauer wedding!

The day was full of tears, stuffed animals, and plenty of talk about their precious cat babies. I’m so honored to have been there to photograph and film it!

These two are such an adorable couple, and I just knew their wedding day was going to be special. We had so much fun photographing their engagement session downtown Chicago last year! You should’ve seen my excitement when they mentioned that they’d picked Café Brauer as their venue – a bucket list location for me and the most stunning backdrop!

Private Vows & Chilly Portraits

Andrew & Katie spent the morning getting ready at Claridge House hotel with their family and friends. I walked into the girls’ room to a ton of laughter and Katie’s favorite stuffed animals all sprawled out which, as someone who proudly still has my childhood teddy bear, I loved to see.

They did a first look in the hotel room and shared precious private vows. Then we headed to the Cafe Brauer wedding venue in Lincoln Park, where the overcast skies made for excellent lighting (IYKYK). The bridal party stuck out the cold for group photos and WOW was it SO worth it. 

The Thoughtful Ceremony

Cafe Brauer has a beautiful ceremony space. My team loved utilizing the angles from the balcony. Andrew & Katie’s ceremony was seriously so sweet and personal thanks to their amazing officiant, and you could really tell she knows them well! I hear a lot of wedding ceremonies and theirs definitely stuck with me. 

After the ceremony, we took some super quick outside photos at the start of blue hour and honestly it was my favorite part of the day. Katie and Andrew were spinning around and straight-up frolicking in the cold Chicago evening. This is exactly what I mean when I say your photos don’t have to feel like a chore! Ten minutes laughing together and bam, my favorite photos of the day. 

A (Greek) Reception

The reception was, as you can probably imagine, frickin’ amazing. I watched their talented planner Connor Poff light ALL of those candles (I even had the honor of lighting a few) and the space really came to life. I even heard multiple guests oooh and ahhh about how cool it ended up looking, which is always so fun! 

One of my favorite moments of the day was a surprise group dance that happened at the end of Andrew’s dance with his mom. The wedding party and Katie’s family all joined in the fun! The crowd was going absolutely wild.

Their guests packed the dance floor! Katie’s family led some Greek dances that had everybody going wild! Their parents also surprised them with some cardboard cutouts of their cats, resulting in another one of my favorite photos of the night. 

Overall the day was soooo lovely and I am still SO honored that these two trusted me to capture it. For as long as I’ve known her, Katie has been so kind and generous, and it makes me so happy to see the love she’s found with Andrew. They really compliment each other, like two pieces of an adorable, cat-shaped puzzle. 

Shout out to all of the vendors, too – this team ROCKED!

Photo & Video: Han Designed Film & Photo, Chicago Wedding Photographer

Coordination: Connor Poff Events

Venue: Cafe Brauer

DJ: Style Matters

Flowers: Steve’s Flower Market

HMUA: Lisa of London, Pin Me Up Chicago, Nicole Ventura

Cake: Vanille Chicago