Gina Cristine Wedding Photography | Julia + Kyle | W Chicago
Kyle & Julia picked one of the most gorgeous days of the year for their ceremony. Truly, the weather gods smiled on their union that day. They were married at the W City Center on December 28th 2013, in the gorgeous 50 degree Chicago sun. They love the architecture of the city so we were thrilled to do pics outside under the L. They were so obviously in love that capturing their romance was almost effortless.
They are creative and adventurous, and many of the details of their wedding brought us all back to high school memories. Even their program was done like the “fortune tellers” we used to make and play with in school – you know, the origami-ish folded paper contraptions that predicted who you’d marry, and how many children you would have, and even guessed at your future spouse’s name?
Kyle is a professional choral director, and after the ceremony, but before they walked down the aisle, Julia surprised him with a flash-mob version of “Seasons of Love” from Rent, expertly performed by his choir friends who popped up amongst the guests. It was a brilliant success, with their voices perfectly blending and echoing around the hall. The voices, the lyrics, the symbolic act of love and creativity, and the look on Kyle’s face made for an unforgettable experience. Thank you for that! And to top it off, the whole ceremony was lit only by candles. This made it a bit more complicated to photograph, but the WOW factor was off the charts.
Julia is truly a wealth of love and creativity – and Kyle knows how lucky he is to have her. Her wedding gift to Kyle was a black guitar. Yes – you read that right, a black guitar. When they first met, Kyle told Julia about his black guitar that was stolen in high school. He was literally robbed of his rock star dreams. Julia’s bridesmaid brought him the gift, and he immediately opened it and played a song for us. As a gift to her bridesmaids, Julia gave a red pair of Converse Chuck Taylors to each to wear after the ceremony. She knew that those heels wouldn’t be practical for hitting the dance floor, and her girls were going to dance. So she made it happen.
They even had the forethought to do a ‘First Look,’ saving time and allowing their guests to seamlessly flow into the cocktail hour. Gorgeous and practical – I love these two!
Some days, I have to stop and look around, just soaking in the wonder of the moment – this is what I do for a living! I am a Chicago wedding photographer. It’s not just a job, it’s a passion, a pleasure, and such an immense joy to capture days like this.
Kyle & Julia, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for choosing Gina Cristine Photography – we are so honored to be your photographers!
~ Gina + Tom, for all of us at Gina Cristine Wedding Photography
Special thanks to all the brilliant professionals who made this day happen for Kyle & Juila.
Hair was styled by our dear friend Carolyn from Mackenzie Hair Parlor. (She does our boudoir hair, and is always a delight to work with!) http://www.
Special thanks to The W City Center for hosting us and treating us so well, both for the ceremony and the reception. This is one of the most elegant and charming spaces, and we were truly delighted to shoot there again! http://www.
Caroline Shaw – The Wedding Dresser – took care of all the wardrobe needs of this wedding. We highly suggest this service for every wedding. Caroline steamed, ironed, sewed buttons on grooms shirts, tied their bow ties, fixed a low cut bridesmaid dress situation, made the brides shoes feel comfortable, laid her veil perfectly, helped the bride and groom dress. She had so many tricks up her sleeves and knew the materials of the clothing perfectly. She could fix any wardrobe situation. She even steamed Julia seconds before she walked down the aisle. Such an amazing service! (How did I not have this at my wedding?) http://www.theweddingdresser.net
Arlen Music Productions did an AMAZING. They had the dance floor full 5 seconds after the doors to the reception room opened. We have never seen anything like it. Everyone was dancing before dinner even started. Best orchestra we have ever worked with. http://www.arlenmusic.
3 Comments
Bonnie butters
Wonderful pictures capturing a delightful evening.
Caroline Shaw
Wow ! Stunning photos of a stunning couple ! You captured all the beautiful, style details of the day, I loved that red was the pop of colour for Kyle and Julia’s day, it was festive and subtle ! It has brightened up my day to see these photos of a couple that was a joy to work with. Gina, looking forward to working with you and your husband again, greet work and thank you for the awesome shout out, too kind.
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