Meghan and Kareem had the sweetest and most intentional Downtown Chicago elopement. These two put together a day filled with sweet and memorable moments alongside their closest family members who all got together for the first time in the Windy City. Meghan and Kareem met in college thanks to athletics and have been dating since 2011! They share an incredibly close and personal relationship where supporting one another and building their life together has been the priority. They kept those same principles in mind when creating their elopement and it turned out absolutely perfect.

Intimate Ceremony at Somerset Restaurant

For the start of their elopement day in downtown Chicago, Meghan and Kareem had an intimate blessing ceremony at the Somerset Restaurant. Kareem and Meghan decided on doing a first look prior to their blessing ceremony which was such a sweet moment. Their first look had one additional surprise as well with some family who they thought couldn’t make it, showing up during their first look which got everyone SO emotional! Meghan’s mom gave a blessing and Meghan and Kareem shared their vows with one another before putting on their wedding rings. There were so many happy tears throughout the blessing I thought my heart might burst.

Off to City Hall

Once their ceremony had concluded at Somerset Restaurant Meghan, Kareem and their families hopped onto a white trolley bus and headed downtown to Chicago’s City Hall to make their elopement official. There’s something so cool about making your marriage official at Chicago’s City Hall. The building has so much history to it and its architecture is truly something else. Its centralized location in the city makes it easy to get photos in downtown Chicago as well as head anywhere you’d like to in the city. After a few photos outside City Hall, we did just that and headed over to Millennium Park.

Family and Couples Portraits

We got to Millennium Park and headed over to the Lurie Garden for some family photos and portraits. Millennium Park and the areas that surround it are some of my favorites for photos as there is just an insane amount of beauty collected in a relatively small space. We had so much fun getting photos with all of Meghan and Kareem’s family in the Lurie Gardens, but now it was time for some couples portraits of the newlyweds! We headed over to the nearby Art Institute for some photos of just Meghan and Kareem and it was the perfect way to cap off their elopement day in downtown Chicago.

I had such an incredible day and experience with Meghan and Kareem and their families. These two have such a pure and beautiful love for one another and their closest people, being a part of that and the day they crafted together was an amazing experience that I’ll always remember! If you’re looking for a photographer for your own elopement, whether it’s in downtown Chicago or elsewhere, and you still need a photographer head to my contact page here. I’d love to get to know you and help plan your own elopement day!