Sara and Garrett are a couple that ADORE one another. They celebrate and cherish each moment they get to spend with each other, and it is amazing to witness.😍 They have a love worth celebrating, and that is exactly what the two of them did with their wedding at Walden Chicago!! They have a talent of making those around them feel welcome, which is why everyone (myself included) was smiling throughout the entirety of their wedding day. From getting ready with their wedding parties, to the dance party of the century, come with me as I relive one of my all time favorite weddings!!!

Detail photo of a wedding day flatlay including wedding invites and RSVP's, flowers, wedding rings, necklaces, and cloth

Getting Ready and Portraits

To start their day off both Sara and Garrett got ready separately from one another with the company of their wedding parties. Sara and her gals got dressed for the wedding day festivities in the getting ready space at Walden Chicago, while Garrett and his guys got ready at a hotel in the city. Having their closest friends there with them to start their day meant SO much to them! It was the perfect way to start what would soon become the best day of their lives and this next chapter of their journey together!!

Once Sara, Garrett, and their wedding parties were ready we had some time for wedding party portraits before the ceremony started. One of the cool things about Walden Chicago is that you can use their roof for portrait photos with the Chicago skyline as your backdrop.🤩 This worked perfectly for both groups, and we even had Garrett take some photos with the bridesmaids and Sara with the groomsmen which was so fun!!

Detail photo of white Nike shoes next to a wedding flat lay with the bride's name on them

2 photos side by side, the left is of a wedding dress hanging in front of a brick wall, the right is of the bride looking at the wedding dress and smiling as it hangs on the wall

A bride stands atop her wedding venue Walden Chicago with her 9 bridesmaids as they smile at the camera with the Chicago skyline behind them before getting ready for the wedding day

Inside Walden Chicago a bride smiles and laughs while her 9 bridesmaids around her all smile and laugh before they get ready for the wedding day

2 photos side by side, the left is a detail photo of a bride adjusting a bracelet while in her wedding dress, the right is of the same bride smiling over her shoulder as her mother zips up her dress

2 photos side by side, the left is of 2 bridesmaids helping a bride put her shoes on, the right is of the bride smiling as her 2 brides around her smile with her

9 bridesmaids hold hands and react when seeing the bride in her wedding dress for the first time before her wedding day at Walden Chicago

3 young girls in white dresses dance in front of a bride in the getting ready space of Walden Chicago before a wedding day

A bride with her 8 bridesmaids stand atop Walden Chicago and smile at the camera with the Chicago skyline behind them

A bride stands with her 8 bridesmaids atop Walden Chicago and smile at one another while holding bouquets with the Chicago skyline behind them

2 photos side by side of a bride on a rooftop with the Chicago skyline behind them, the left photo has her smiling at the camera while the right has her looking at the skyline

2 photos side by side of a groom in a bowtie, the left photo has him sitting in a chair and looking at the camera, the right has him standing and looking down while adjusting his shirt sleeve

3 photos side by side, the left is a close up of a man adjusting his shirt sleeve, the middle is of a groom standing at a bar and looking at the camera, the right is of the bride smiling while opening a gift box

A groom stands with his 7 groomsmen as they all look at the camera with the Chicago skyline behind them

A groom stands with his groomsmen as they smile and drink beers with one another before the grooms wedding day

A groom smiles while surrounded by his groomsmen as they all toast they beer cans together before the groom's wedding day

A neon sign on a brick wall that reads "The Bentzlers"

A groom stands with his 7 groomsmen as they all smile at the camera atop Walden Chicago with the Chicago skyline behind them

A groom smiles while walking towards the camera with his 7 groomsmen behind him all smiling at him while they are atop Walden Chicago with the Chicago skyline behind them

Their Wedding Ceremony at Walden Chicago

As the guests started to arrive and grab their welcome cocktails it was time for us to make our way inside for the ceremony. The indoor space of Walden Chicago is gorgeous, and the perfect space for a wedding ceremony. It has an incredible style to it, with its exposed brick walls and wooden beams giving such a historic feel to the space. The setting was just what Sara and Garrett were looking for on their wedding day.✨

Since the two had not seen each other prior to their ceremony, anticipation and excitement were running HIGH as the ceremony began!! Garrett was smiling from ear to ear the second he saw Sara walking down the aisle. The ceremony was full of love, tears of joy, and SO much laughter, perfectly capturing the beautiful relationship these two share!!!❤️ After the ceremony we had a small bit of time for family portraits before Sara, Garrett, and their wedding parties snuck away for some portraits as the sunset.

The interior ceremony space of Walden Chicago set up for a wedding ceremony with wooden chairs and a ring center piece with flowers on it

Guests of a wedding at Walden Chicago all raise their glasses together and smile during a toast

A groom smiles at the camera while walking down the aisle of his wedding ceremony at Walden Chicago by his parents with guests on either side of them

A groomsmen and 2 bridesmaids walk down the aisle of a wedding ceremony at Walden Chicago with guests of the wedding on either side of them

2 photos side by side, the left is of a groom standing and smiling to the bride off camera, the right is of the bride smiling at her mother as they are about to walk down the aisle of her wedding ceremony together

A bride smiles while being walked down the aisle of her wedding at Walden Chicago by her parents

A bride smiles while walking down the aisle of her wedding ceremony at Walden Chicago with her parents while guests on either side of her stand and smile

A bride and groom stand facing one another and holding hands in front of the center piece of their wedding ceremony at Walden Chicago

A groom smiles with his groomsmen behind him as the bride in front of him reads her vows to him during their wedding ceremony at Walden Chicago

A bride smiles and claps during her wedding ceremony at Walden Chicago as the groom stands in front of her and reads his vows to her

A bride and groom kiss one another during their wedding ceremony at Walden Chicago as guests and their wedding parties clap and cheer

A bride and groom walk hand in hand and smile as they walk down the aisle together after their wedding ceremony at Walden Chicago

A bride is kissed and dipped by a groom while they walk down the aisle together after their wedding ceremony at Walden Chicago as guests cheer on either side of them

A bride, groom, and bridesmaid all walk down a staircase together and the bridesmaid holds the brides veil

Portraits and a PARTY

The now newlyweds and their wedding parties rode a party bus to a nearby park for some group portraits followed by some of Sara and Garrett together. Just another aspect of what makes Walden Chicago an incredible wedding venue is the amount of amazing portrait opportunities nearby! Before too long though we made our way back to Walden for the party of all parties!🥂

From the start of the grand entrance, Sara, Garrett, and their guests were having the time of their lives! The evening was kept a little more lowkey to start, with sweet moments like their cake cutting, speeches from their loved ones, and some wonderful first dances. Before long though the dance floor opened up to everyone, and it stayed full the ENTIRE NIGHT!!! To top the night off Sara had an epic wardrobe change and proceeded to party the night away alongside Garrett and all of their favorite people!🥰

A bride and groom with sunglasses on sit on a party bus with their wedding parties with drinks in hand as they head to a location in Chicago for wedding party portraits

A bride and groom stand with their wedding parties on either side of them and smile at the camera while in a park in Chicago

A bride and groom kiss one another while their wedding parties behind them cheer for them while in a park in Chicago

2 photos side by side, the left is of a bride and groom surrounded by their wedding parties as they all smile at the camera, the right is of the couple kissing while their wedding parties cheer behind them, both photos are in a park in Chicago

A bride and groom kiss one another with their wedding parties behind them and cheer for them while in a park in Chicago

A bride and groom kiss one another while underneath a structure in a park in Chicago

2 photos side by side of a bride and groom during sunset in a park in Chicago, the right is of them kissing one another and the right is of them smiling at the camera

During sunset a bride and groom look at one another while underneath the bride's veil

2 photos side by side of a bride and groom during sunset, the left is of the bride smiling at the camera while the groom kisses her, the right is of them cheering at the camera together while lifting their arms in the air

Close up detail photo of a wedding bouquet being held by a bride

A bride and groom hands while walking down a street together in Chicago and smiling at one another while underneath a CTA rail

While on a street underneath a CTA rail a groom smiles back at the bride while holding her hand as they walk off the street together

Atop Walden Chicago a bride and groom kiss one another during their wedding day with the Chicago skyline behind them during sunset

2 photos side by side of a bride and groom on a rooftop in Chicago, the left is of the couple holding hands and smiling at one another, the right is of them smiling at one another while the groom stands behind the bride

Atop Walden Chicago, a bride smiles as the groom stands behind her and kisses her on the cheek during their wedding day with the Chicago skyline during sunset behind them

A table decorated for a wedding with flowers on the table as well of in front of the table

A wedding table with flowers on it decorated for a wedding

3 young girls in white dresses smile while entering a wedding reception together at Walden Chicago

A groomsmen and two bridesmaids take a knee while drinking a beer during their entrance to a wedding reception at Walden Chicago

Bridesmaids and groomsmen stand in front of a table and all cheer while waiting for the bride and groom to enter their wedding reception at Walden Chicago

A bride and groom walk hand in hand and exclaim while entering their wedding reception at Walden Chicago as guests cheer them on

2 photos side by side, the left is of a bride being dipped and kissed by the groom in front of sparklers, the right is of the groom kissing the bride on the cheek while their wedding parties cheer behind them

During their wedding reception at Walden Chicago a groom gives a speech while standing next to the bride before they take a seat at their table

A bride and groom stand next to one another and smile while they cut their wedding cake together during their wedding reception at Walden Chicago

A bride and groom feed a piece of their wedding cake to one another during their wedding reception at Walden Chicago

A bride and groom raise their glasses and cheer while a bridesmaid next to them gives a speech during their wedding reception at Walden Chicago

2 photos side by side of a bride dancing with her mother as they smile and laugh together

A mother stands in between and holds hands between the bride and a bridesmaid as they all dance together during a wedding reception at Walden Chicago

2 photos side by side of a groom dancing with his mother during his wedding reception

A bride is kissed and dipped by the groom during their first dance at their wedding reception at Walden Chicago

2 photos side by side of a bride and groom dancing together during their first dance at their wedding reception

2 photos side by side, the left is of a bride being dipped and kissed by the groom during their first dance at their wedding reception, the right is of the groom dancing and pointing at something off camera

A bride smiles while putting a hat on with guests of the wedding dancing around her with light up sticks during a wedding reception at Walden Chicago

A bride smiles as she is kissed on the cheek by the groom with a groomsman and bridesmaid standing on either side of them during their wedding reception at Walden Chicago

A bride and groom dance with one another with guests around them during their wedding reception at Walden Chicago

A bride enters her wedding reception at Walden Chicago wearing sunglasses and with 2 bridesmaids behind her after changing outfits

2 photos side by side of a bride on the dance floor with sunglasses on and guests dancing around her

Magical doesn’t even come close to describing how Sara and Garrett’s wedding at Walden Chicago felt! I’m SO glad these two chose me to photograph their day, and I am still just as obsessed with it now as I was the day it happened!! If you’re looking for more love stories like Sara and Garretts, or wedding planning tips be sure to check out my blog page. And if you’re ready to book me for your wedding day head to my contact page to send me an inquiry!