When the time came to plan their January wedding from sunny Florida, Brenna and Brad did it right: they realized that the best possible way to host a wedding in freezing temps was to revel in it. They didn’t try and ignore the fact that it was cold and snowy outside. Instead they made their day into a warm, cozy celebration full of close family and friends, warm drinks, good music, and lots and lots of beautiful, wintry details–from evergreens in Brenna’s bouquet to the hot spiced wine at their reception. We thoroughly enjoyed photographing such an elegant, intimate wedding day.

Brenna and Brad based their wedding monogram off of a train station sign in France, where they want to spend time together someday. It set the tone for the natural detailing throughout the event.

Brenna wore a a lovely Priscilla of Boston dress, and it fit her beautifully!

Brenna and Brad wanted to wait until the ceremony to see each other, but that didn’t stop them from holding hands around the corner for a few seconds!

They filled their ceremony (and the rest of the day) with music. The congregational hymns they sang were such moving illustrations of the support Brenna and Brad grew up with and had with them on such a big day.

Further, they had friends sing and play a version of the Avett Brothers‘ “January Wedding” for the processional and the first dance. It was perfect!

Two of Brenna’s sisters during the ceremony:

Number one tip for brides getting married in the winter: have warm footwear and something to cover your shoulders for the times you’ll be outside! You can spot Brenna’s sisters by their matching Ugg boots.

They had their reception on the third floor of the Old Bag Factory, which is one of our favorite venues to date! (Side note: The Old Bag Factory is also home to Dick Lehman, a huge inspiration to me in my other creative love, ceramics. Dick’s son is a dear friend of mine, and some of my best memories from high school include staying up all night in his the studio, making pots and pigging out on junk food.)

We’ll be sharing more of their beautiful details in another post, but for now: the mulled wine, and in the background live paperlilies they used for decorating and oranges and kumquats they picked from their own trees in Florida!

Brad’s dad, watching the first dance:

Brenna’s mom:

There’s Jordan and Ashley AND Jess and Matt! Jess and Matt were our first EVER engagement session, and we have them to thank for meeting so many of our wonderful couples. You can see their pictures way back on the “old blog,” if you like.

A few more portraits inside:

…and a few outside, before the last dance.

My favorite from the day.

Once the “last dance” finished, everyone decided they needed just one more and played “I Gotta Feelin’” for the second time that night!

As we witnessed their wedding day unfold, it was so clear how much their families cared for them and how many close friends they had to share the day with. And because of that, it was apparent that Brenna and Brad are two people who give a lot of love to those around them. And that made us happy and honored to be there to photograph the beginning of their lives together.

Meet Anna:

and Matt:

Anna and Matt were one of our most excited and in-the-moment couples to date. It seemed like there was not one moment that passed them by that they weren’t completely in. I know the day probably seemed like it was over in an instant to the two of them, just as it seemed to us and to most everyone who gets married. But I think they will look back and remember not just the long sequence of moments that made up their day, but the little parts between the big events; and they won’t only remember waiting to walk down the aisle (or waiting for her to walk down the aisle)… they’ll remember how it all felt. And that’s the important part.

Just as much as we’re blessed by our wonderful couples, we’re also blessed with wonderful families to work with, and Anna and Matt’s were no exception.

Love how excited they are after their kiss…

…and the minute after the ceremony…

We said it in their sneak peek, but the H Hotel was beautiful. We’re a little worried sometimes on bitter-cold days (like their wedding day) about pictures, but we didn’t have any reason to be with their reception here.

This might be my favorite:

… but the one of the left might be, too.

The H Hotel has a recurring theme of birds throughout it’s decor.

Leandra’s favorite, to end the set.

Anna and Matt, we feel so lucky to have ended our year with your wedding, and feel so lucky to be able to work with wonderful people like the two of you. All the best to you and your new life together in Chicago!

Prior their engagement session, we had only met with Kim and John briefly over a busy weekend, so we didn’t know any of the story behind how they met, fell in love, got engaged, and therefore, needed the two of us to photograph their upcoming wedding in Chicago.

John met Kim while he was going to school on the east coast, and she, hundreds of miles away, in Indiana, at Bethel College. How is that possible? Kim and John are the perfect example of why eHarmony.com is NOT like any of those (insert-city-name-here)singles.com sites AT ALL. Kim and John were made for each other, simple as that. They spoke online for a time, then John flew out to meet Kim (and her family). And the rest is history. And I promise that’s the one time I’ll say “And the rest is history” this year.

A few favorites from their session on Bethel’s campus…

The small red berries we found on these trees were the perfect pop of color.

…and we stopped at the South Bend Chocolate Company for warm drinks and a few pictures to wrap up our time with them.

Thanks for spending the time with us, Kim and John! We’ll see you in October!

Happy one week anniversary, Brenna and Brad! We hope you’re enjoying the sunny part of the world!