Mary Ann & Phil's Wedding: Epic Part Two of Two

Okay, so remember how I told you that Phil and Mary Ann had probably the prettiest indoor reception I have ever seen? Well, I was not messing around! Check it:

I LOVE THIS. The colors are great and the lantern balls hanging from the ceiling are INCREDIBLE. I really, really loved it.

I had a lot of fun toast pictures, which you can see in the gallery, but this one was my favorite. A little different than normal, I know, but you can still tell what's going on and I think it looks really neat. :)

The cake was just gorgeous and really went with the decor, and the flowers on top are flowers that were in her bouquet. (Hydrangeas? I need to brush up on my flowers, obviously.) I got to check out the ballroom early, and I got to be there when Phil and Mary Ann first saw it, and their faces just LIT UP with excitement. I think that even though they mentally knew what they asked for, seeing it was really beyond what they expected. So anyway, we went over to the cake and Phil pointed out that they got some of Mary Ann's favorite cupcakes made and I guessed red velvet. Phil confirmed my guess and said, "I think that's every girl's favorite." So what do you say ladies? Is it?

Billy took one of these and it was one of my favorite pictures of the entire night. She just looks so simultaneously devious and gleeful! You can tell that Phil totally knows what's coming, but I found out later that they'd agreed earlier on no cake in the face.

Well, you can see how that one turned out for Phil. :)

Phil took the mic to say thanks, and I can't remember what was going on that resulted in this picture, but I wish I could because it looks like it was hilarious!

Okay, now I promised you guys the greatest ring shot in the history of ring shots and while this one is definitely up there, it's not even it! Can you believe it? There's an even BETTER one! But this one was really special, because it's of the rings with the St. Christopher pendant that Phil gave to Nate, and I really did just love that. Also, whoever gave them a journal and left it unwrapped on the gift table, THANK YOU--it was a perfect ring shot backdrop. :)

Another shot of the amazing ballroom decor, with a nice view of the newlyweds at the sweethearts' table. Seriously, I am still not over this reception--GORGEOUS! I am in mad love and I might have to hang little ball lanterns from my living room ceiling just to recreate it. (You think I wouldn't? Then you don't know me! :))

And seriously, all the first dance pictures were this magical, because come on, how could they not be? Even the permanent chandeliers (with the amber colored glass hanging down) just fit in perfectly and added so much. They've done a GREAT job with this place. And seriously, having a happy, fun, spectacular couple as your subject doesn't hurt either! :)

Love this shot of the bouquet toss, and I think that the girl who caught it really wanted it! Call me for YOUR wedding, bouquet catcher! :)

And gearing up for the garter toss! Do you SEE this? I told you they were so so so fun, and this is irrefutable proof!

In typical guy fashion, I don't think anyone was QUITE as excited to catch the garter, but one of the groomsmen did come up with it eventually. :) Phil and Mary Ann had a little thing I'd never seen done before, where the garter catcher put the garter back ON the bouquet catcher! It was really funny and you could tell that neither of them expected that little twist, but the groomsman was a total gentleman and put it on her arm. :)

Very sweet.

Mary Ann and Phil got a photo booth, and once again, it was SO MUCH FUN, and such a big hit! I had fun too, sneaking up on it and taking pictures through the side curtain. Plus, the people waiting outside with the crazy hats on were totally entertaining. I've got to say, you guys, this is a trend I'm excited to see catching on, mostly because everyone seems to enjoy it so much. Plus, with the little photo strips that people get, I think that would be a great way to spend part of your favor budget. DEFINITELY something you should look into.

This pic cracks me up, because I think that this was the point where the DJ (accurately) announced that the bridesmaids had been unleashed. Seriously, they all descended at once and out of nowhere, and really got the party kicked into high gear!

Loved this pic of my bridesmaid friend, who is a fellow lover of photography! You know, it was funny--I've had a couple people snap pictures of me at weddings here and there, but this was the first one where someone actually took MY camera and took shots of me! And someone else got in to model! It was really fun (and cracked me up). I later took a picture of this bridesmaid with her husband, and she had me take one from each side of her, so we could figure out which was her "good side". Although judging from this pic, looks like we found it!

Now usually at a wedding, I don't get that much info about people's particular relationships, unless they're really obvious (like parents, the couple getting married--you know, the biggies). So I am just going to ASSUME (and yes, we all know what happens when you do that) that this is Phil's brother (okay, I know that's true) and his wife and kiddo. Hopefully I'm close. :)

Anyway, they were all really cute and dancing together all night, and I love how they're all doing the same dance here! So cute, and such a fun party!

Speaking of, this picture CRACKS ME UP. I snapped this one really quick (and I love how dark it is, actually), and then looked up to see his parents kissing each other. Ha! We all know that no kid wants to see that. Although I admit that it's kind of weird that people my age can have kids old enough to be grossed out by them kissing! Where does the time go?

Phil's mom was totally fun and such a dancing queen all night out on the floor. I'm pretty sure she was leading a train at some point!

And hello, crazy dancing! This groomsman tore it up with some of my favorite moves of the night!

Billy also took this one and I LOVE THIS SHOT. It just reminds me of an old 40's movie still or something, and I love the composition, the leaning on the bar, and all the glasses on the counter. It's all very glamorous.

And Billy strikes again! Another of those moments where I SO wish I knew what was going on here. :) And can I just say, on the subject of Billy, that he's been resisting me promoting him from assistant to second shooter, but the real fact of the matter is that he's been kicking so much butt (and taking so many names), that I really have no choice. I'll keep trying to convince him before I flat out overrule him, but he's been doing an AWESOME job, and he also continues to improve. In fact, I was showing him one day at home how to use focus points on the camera, so we were screwing around and taking each other's pictures, and there are actually some of me that are totally cute (and I'll show them to you once I finish up all my client pics!). YAY for the best assistant/boyfriend ever!

I just love this, with Mary Ann gettin' down and Phil just having a great time watching her and being there. (Phil got down too, of course--just not in this particular shot.) :)

Thought this was a great little grandpa/grandson moment. :)

And this is a great little father/son moment! Seriously, this is going on a wall somewhere, right? RIGHT? :)

More sneaking up on the photo booth! Do you see how much fun everyone is having? It really cannot be said enough--I even look back through the pictures and I get that feeling of just havinga really fun night all over again. Also, shout out to the guy in the picture--he emceed the reception, and I believe he's a friend, which made his color commentary really entertaining. :)

This is Mary Ann and her mom and a couple of her aunts, and you know, I was just feeling really sentimental about the aunts that night. I grew up being really close to my mom's sisters, one of whom is undergoing chemotherapy right now, and ... I don't know. I guess it just made me picture my own future (hypothetical--I'm not keeping any secrets from anyone!) wedding, and I don't know, it was weird because I don't think I've ever actually done that at a wedding before, because I'm always just so involved in the actual day, or in some task at hand, but this whole little group dynamic just felt very familiar to me and I kind of loved it.

Now this picture cracks me up because of the story behind it--I snuck up on Nate and his grandpa and told him to smile. He did, SUUUUUPER cutely (obviously), and I looked at my camera, SAW how cute it was, and said, "Man, Nate, you're so GOOD at this!" And in the most hysterical, exhausted, funniest little kid way, he goes, "I know, but I'm SO TIIIIIRED!" I mean, I really believed him because it had been a long day, but I still laughed pretty hard (and went to share that with Billy, who also got a kick out of it). But Nate was really not messing around, because a few minutes later ...

... this happened! Isn't that just too cute for words? Apparently Nate, like me, can sleep anywhere with no problem. And Nate, I hope that this is a skill that you maintain and learn to appreciate over the years, because some of the things I've slept through ... I've slept through a tree falling over right outside my window, loud roommates, sirens, storms, about every form of transportation a person can take, and perhaps most impressively, I once slept for like 12 straight hours right over the wheels on a charter bus coming back from Florida while people walked back and forth over me to get to the bathroom. My old college roommate Kelly once told me that I had been blessed with the gift of sleep, and she was so right. And it most definitely IS a gift. :)

Two things about this: first of all, I was really impressed with the endurance of everyone at this wedding, guests included. A lot of people had really small kids, and pretty much the kids just went to sleep in their strollers and the party went on. You don't always see that, but I think pretty much everyone was there until the last dance, which was awesome. Secondly, there were a lot of REALLY fun pictures from the reception and of a lot of different guests. I really wished I could include all of them in the blog but look at how long this thing is already, AND it's a two-parter! So definitely make sure to go check out the gallery--you could be (and probably are) in it!

I definitely felt like the Birthday Girl deserved a spot on the blog, though! And how fortunate was it that they had a birthday cake hat at the photo booth? And also, do you see what I mean about how everyone right on down the guest list looked like a supermodel? I'm still not over it!

Awwww, I really love this picture and I love the look on Mary Ann's face. (I also, in a very "photographer" way, love how the colors turned out. But that's just a little non-sequiter.)

And FINALLY, THE GREATEST RING SHOT OF ALL TIME! I'm not even kidding, I need to submit this bad boy for some awards. And yes, I took it, but it was really a team effort because Billy spotted their photo strip on the table and suggested that it would make a great ring shot and he was SO RIGHT. I am madly, madly, madly in love with this. Also, back to the team effort, besides my mad photo skills and Billy's awesome art direction, we also have to thank gorgeous jewelry AND OF COURSE, Phil and Mary Ann and their cute, fun facial expressons!

And that, my friends, does it for the prettiest, most fun, and all around best wedding Chicago has ever seen! Don't forget to check out the gallery (last time I'll bring it up, I swear), and CALL ME next time you guys have an event and need a photographer--I'll be beyond excited! And not just because that's my normal state, either! :)

Also, if you're getting married in Chicago, I DEFINITELY recommend having it at the Marriott on the Magnificient Mile. It was obviously BEAUTIFUL, but in addition, the staff was friendly, helpful, and the reception was very organized and ran according to schedule--those last two things aren't something you might think about much when choosing a venue, but trust me, it makes a HUGE difference.

And last of all, a big thank you to Mary Ann and Phil, for picking me, and for liking what I do and how I do it, and trusting me with all of your memories on your big day! I feel so lucky to have gotten to spend it with you, and you guys and your guests made Billy and I feel very, very appreciated, and we hope to cross paths again sometime!

Mary Ann & Phil's Wedding: Part One of Two Epic Posts

And when I say epic, I mean EPIC. I LOVED this wedding. Beautiful hot summer day in downtown Chicago, gorgeous bride, handsome groom, outdoor ceremony, pictures on Michigan Avenue, and fun fun FUN! What's NOT to love?

The entire wedding happened at the Marriott on the Magnificent Mile, which completely exceeded all my expectations. Mary Ann & Co. got ready in rooms with floor to ceiling windows--can you say "photographer's dream"?!?!--and views of the lake. The ceremony was held on the 9th floor outdoor pool deck, so we were surrounded by beautiful tall buildings. And the reception was, hands down, the most incredible, amazing, MAGICAL indoor reception I've ever seen.

BUUUUT ... you're not going to see the reception today! Gotta keep you wanting more, and besides, there was just too much fun stuff that I wanted to share and relive with you, hence the two-parter! And it's gonna be a long one (or two, let's be honest), so let's get moving here, shall we?

Alright, I am just going to say straight up that this was a huge wedding party and I remember almost no one's names. So in the interest of fairness, I'm going to pretend like I don't know anyone's names. Don't be offended, I loved you all SO much, and I still want to make it official and be Facebook friends!

Anyway, this was the flower girl, daughter of a bridesmaid, and SO cute. She was a little camera shy, so when I caught her over on the stairs in photo-ready position (i.e., playing with her dress), I was SO excited. Isn't she a doll?

Dude, seriously, I loved this hotel room. It was so pretty and it actually even went with all the wedding colors really nicely, which is either great planning on someone's part or a happy accident that your friendly photographer thanks you for. :) Also, I want to point out that when you enter a room full of strangers, it's sometimes easier to start out taking pics of the kiddos, shoes, flowers, etc., just to get people used to the fact that, hey! There's a stranger in the room! And she's holding a giant camera! But trust me, everyone adjusts to it quicker than you think they would and all is well. :)

Now, I loved the bouquets and they were all gorgeous, and yes--I'm talking about the flower parts. So why the picture of the stems? I've just never seen such a pretty arrangement of stems, that's all. :)

What's this? We're getting closer to seeing the bride?!?! Heck yeah we are! Her bridesmaids were an incredibly efficient little assembly line who got her buttoned into her dress, not once but TWICE (because the first time, she couldn't breathe, and that will kind of put a damper on things), and they were SO fast.

Here she is! The gorgeous Mary Ann seeing herself in her wedding dress for the first time! I love her facial expressions, and Billy also commented on how expressive she is. It was VERY fun to photograph. :)

Do you see what I mean? Three people hard at work! And the other thing that I think you'll start to notice is that not only are Mary Ann and Phil supermodels, but so are all of their friends and family. Makes my job SUPER easy!

This is Mary Ann's son, Nate, and he wanted to see her before the wedding. Isn't he CUTE? And he is every bit as expressive as she is. I LOVE it. And can I also just say that Nate is one of the best behaved kids I've ever seen? He sat through our entire meeting like a champ, only tugging on Phil's sleeve once to tell him he was hungry (a problem quickly solved with some PB&J, which, coincidentally is what I'm having for lunch today--man after my own heart!). Seriously, he's awesome.

Mary Ann's room got to be a big flurry of activity sometime between when everyone was ready and when the ceremony started. People were dropping in, moms, aunts, friends, husbands picking up babies, and it felt really festive--just like here, with her happy smile and lots of loved ones in the background. :)

Well, needless to say, this is beautiful.

And seriously, pictures like these are a PRIME reason to consider getting ready in a room with a window. Just gorgeous, and so timeless. (As a sidenote, I love those earrings.)

Mary Ann gave all the girls little Coach wristlets as a thank you gift, which was super cute, and she picked out different ones for each of them. I think that this point, they all pretty much knew what was coming, so I told them to really ham it up for the posed action shot, and check out the bridesmaid in the middle! Someone hand that girl an Emmy!

Alright, here's Phil and his parents walking down the aisle, and I really liked that. And also, props to both the moms on their dresses. My own mom had a really hard time finding a mother of the groom dress, so now I have way more sympathy for that challenge, but they both looked totally smashing.

See? And look how cute Nate is here! Mary Ann's mom ended up with the flower girl basket because the flower girl had a little too much pre-game excitement and passed out for a nap before the wedding started. :)

Here's Phil giving Nate the thumbs up as he walks down the aisle. How freakin' cute is that?!?!

Love love LOVE this shot of Mary Ann and her dad. That dress is outrageously beautiful, and well ... I'm always a sucker for the dad pics. :)

SHUT UP. I am in absolute, total, complete love with this picture. I REALLY hope they want this one in the album, because wow. GREAT moment. :)

Speaking of things I'm a sucker for ... the groom's face when he sees the bride coming down the aisle!!!!!

And The Look. So basically, I'm a sucker for this entire wedding. OBVIOUSLY.

Is she not just one of the most stunning brides you have ever seen in your life? Seriously! I'm SOOOO glad you guys picked me. :)

Mary Ann's grandma! She's 97 years old and so sweet and cute! I just love the proud look on her face here. :)

I got caught again! Always fun, albeit accidental! :)

As if there weren't enough heart-melting moments, they had a small part in the ceremony where Phil gives Nate a St. Christopher pendant so he could remember that Phil is always there to love and protect him. Which is sweet on its own, but look at the look Nate is giving Phil! He loves him so much, and I love that!

Here's the flower girl! I think this is entirely how she spent the ceremony, but none of us can blame her because a.) being a flower girl is hard work and b.) I definitely felt like a nap toward the end of the evening myself, even if I WAS having a ball. :)

Mary Ann, I love your cute face! And I love how all of your thoughts are just right there for the world to see at all times. :)

I'm not sure what Nate's checking out here, but I thought this picture was way cute. Also, see all the smiley faces? It might seem excessive, but I've been smiling my way through this entire post as I write it, so I feel that my smileys are legit.

Also, do you see what I mean about the great city backdrop? HOT! Hot like that first kiss!

Now I don't mind telling you that their officiant was one of the coolest looking dudes I've seen perform a wedding. Look at that sash thing! So cool. And his beard! But if you can all just get a grip on yourselves for one second and focus on the bride and groom ... look how happy they look! Yay, they're married!

I always like seeing how people incorporate their kids into their ceremonies, because obviously they're really important and the wedding is the beginning of everyone's new life as a family! And it was so great that Nate had such a big part in this wedding and that it's obvious how much Phil and Mary Ann love him, and how mutual it is. He's a great kid and they're doing such an awesome job, and I'm glad they all held hands down the aisle! :)

In case I haven't made this point strenuously enough, I love outdoor weddings and I especially loved this one. You guys know I'm a city mouse and a bridal party in front of the buildings is such a glorious treat for me. :) But we can't just stop there ...

We had to get out on Michigan Avenue WITH the buildings! The wedding party was fabulous--all supermodel good looking, and so fun and cooperative. I am the luckiest girl alive! And before the reception started, I heard one of the groomsmen talking to someone at cocktail hour and saying that the group pictures "actually weren't that bad." WHAT!!! That's awesome--that's such a HUGE compliment in Groomsmen World! Seriously, though, we knocked out all the family pictures AND the group shots on the Mag Mile in just about an hour. I was barking out orders like a fun drill sergeant, so I'm just glad no one got to fed up with my bossiness. Seriously, I'm really glad I found a career where I can parlay my bossy personality into success. Childhood Sarah would be so proud.

I told everyone to throw their hands in the air (although I did NOT make them wave them around like they just don't care, believe it or not), and bear in mind, I'm yelling instructions at the top of my very loud lungs across like three or so lanes of traffic on one of Chicago's busiest drags, and it's already a little bit madness.


Now at this point, we're JUST outside the Marriott and I'm already starting to get a taste of what taking pictures out their is going to be like, and it's a busy weekend (the Air and Water Show), and it was one of the only really "summery" weekends that we had all year, so people are out in FORCE. Mary Ann is all, do you think it'll be okay for us to be in the crosswalk, and I'm like, girl, enjoy it, because you have no idea the things that people get away with while wearing a wedding dress, just trust me on this. And she did, which is why I love her.


So we're doing this, and having a really great time, and suddenly, whenever cars pass, there is massive honking, and the bridal party LOVES it. They're just really enjoying themselves, yelling thanks, getting attention, and it's so fun. And you know, I do a LOT of shoots out in public, and I've seen a lot of really crazy things happen, both really nice AND kind of bizarre, but there has never been anything like this. You know how in Sex and the City, the city is supposedly the fifth character? Taking these pics on Michigan Avenue was exactly like that--the city itself actually came alive and celebrated with us, and it was so funny and fun and odd and great, and so CHICAGO, you know? It was such a great and unique experience, and hard to describe, but I'll try. (You know me, of course I will.)

Alright, so this guy comes out of NOWHERE and does a dance in front of them, and you can tell from the outfit that he was kind of a nut but in the total good way, and it just cracked me up. Best part? Look at everyone's reaction in the background! They're shocked, loving it, and most importantly, just rolling with it. So thanks, dancing guy! You were memorable and made a whole bunch of bridal party members laugh. :)

I told everyone to strike a pose, and was there any doubt that they would rock it? Heck no! They were SO much fun.

Alright, this picture may seem weird at first, and this is the kind of thing that I'm really glad I felt comfortable with showing to Phil and Mary Ann, and with asking them and their friends to do, because I knew that they really trusted me and valued my work. And now, I know that people want pretty, happy wedding pictures and I also feel like I deliver on this. But I like to make some occasional art sometimes too, or at least take chances, and I feel like this one does that for me. I don't want to get into TOO much art school, self-important and self-indulgent blathering, but I loved how they were all smooshed into the train stop shelter, and I made them smoosh their faces on the glass, but you still get so much reflection, but really only here and there. And I think it's so neat that you see the bridal party all squished up and having fun and enjoying the moment, and you also see the reflection of the city in them, of what's going on at the same time, of people walking and stopping to look at them, and even of advertisements. Heck, I even love the advertisement saying they've arrived. So, there's my thought process, in case you were curious. :) (Did anyone even make it to the end of that? I probably owe you a beer if you did.)

I don't ALWAYS do a jumping picture, but it seemed like the kind of thing everyone would be game for and that Mary Ann would loooove. I only needed a couple tries to get a good one, and this one was amazing. Mary Ann is all the way off the ground and making a ninja face, Phil is like SO high in the air, there's a guy with his tongue out, and look at Nate! It was the only one where he actually timed it to be off the ground, and he looks so hilarious, like he's standing really tall, but just hanging in the air! I love it! Also, can you believe that all of those girls decided to jump in the air in high heels? Good lord, I can barely WALK in high heels, so I think we can safely say that they got skills.

So can anyone tell me how these girls all got so GORGEOUS?!?! I can't get over it, I feel like I was doing a magazine spread for Vogue or something. Also, the girl on the left end of the picture is Phil's sister, so you can see that hotness runs in the family (and I'll point out his bro in the next one).

Phil's brother is the one standing next to him on the right. Good looking bunch! And you already saw his parents, so they all come by it honest, CLEARLY.

Alright, so here we are all walking down the street back toward the hotel. Something that was pretty fun and awesome while we were out is that the street musicians were LOVING the opportunity to serenade the newlyweds. There was especially one guy who did an awesome bucket drum version of "Here Comes the Bride" with a really great beat while we were headed to the river. And when we got there, a saxophonist played while we did group shots--a nice rotation of "Here Comes the Bride" (what? It's a classic!), "Goin' to the Chapel", and of course, Beyonce's "Single Ladies", because if you liked it then you should've put a ring on it.


Anyway, on the way back, the guy on the bucket drums started back up, and since as a photographer, it's pretty much my job to provide you with a visual, I present for your consideration:

Okay, so he sees us approaching and goes straight into "Here Comes the Bride", and it was SO fun and festive, and I swear, he's VERY talented. So we JUST pass him, and he hits a beat REALLY HARD, and starts going on, "There Goes the Bride", and it was so funny ... I can't tell you how much happiness it brought, but trust me that it was a lot, okay?

Obviously, the bridesmaids who were near us agreed, because they broke out in a spontaneous dance (and those girls can DANCE--take it from one who cannot dance to save her life, but who has watched many a dance movie including the first two Step Ups and has another one in her Netflix queue). LOVE.

Well naturally, if you start a dance party and you're being followed by your friend in a wedding dress, she's gonna HAVE to join in. I loved that Phil dropped the guy a couple bucks because I had no cash on me whatsoever but I felt like he really earned it, and also, how was Phil with it enough to remember to get married, keep track of rings and people and key cards and still remember to bring ones? I'm not even joking, I've been to weddings where I forgot to bring decent SHOES. (Don't worry, Billy came to the rescue that time and I was in appropriate footwear before anyone even noticed.) Point being, he is ON it. You got a keeper, Mary Ann!

That was such a great moment, definitely one of my favorites of the day. Thanks bucket drum guy, and thank you bridesmaids for coming together and making it happen!

There is just something about this that really appeals to me, of Phil and Mary Ann walking hand in hand through a massive crowd of people on their wedding day. Really great.


Okay, so obviously, these are amazing, due entirely to the wonderful couple and their amazing friends and families. And this is just the beginning! Be sure to come back in the next day or two for the second half, which will cover the reception.


Also, the gallery is posted! Go to http://sarahbrownphotography.instaproofs.com and click on their wedding. As always, online ordering is available! I can't wait for you guys to COMMENT (hint, hint!) and hear what you think of them!


And y'all, I HAD SO MUCH FUN WITH YOU! So I'm really hoping that anyone getting hitched or having a party or a baby or anything else you can take pictures of will call me, because I'd love to see any and all of you again, and I'll travel near or far to make it happen! This was a great wedding in a great city with great people, and I feel really, really fortunate that you shared it with me!


(So to recap--check out the gallery, invite me back sometime, and come back in the next couple days for part two!)