City Winery Chicago Wedding - Jenny and Marc

Jan 17

Chicago Wedding Photographer | Kinzie Street Bridge | J. Brown Photography | bride and groom portrait overlooking Chicago River

About the couple

Jenny & Marc were a true joy to photograph, and I’m so grateful to Emily Bollinger at The Simply Elegant group for connecting us! From getting ice cream during their engagement session, to an amazing party at City Winery, the couple was honestly a lot of fun to work with. You should check out their engagement photos here!

Photographing a City Winery Chicago wedding

We started the day at the Ace Hotel with the Jenny and her bridesmaids. This hotel is in a fantastic location in the West Loop, and not far from the venue. One of the couple’s priorities was to keep the day as easy and stress free as possible, so they kept everything in the same neighborhood. I highly recommend this to my clients. It limits travel time, issues with traffic, bored wedding parties and reduces the chance you might worry about running late.

The weather on this Memorial Day weekend was about as perfect and you’ll get in Chicago. Warm, sunny and the city wasn’t too windy. We decided to do the “first-look” on the hotel’s rooftop terrace. It offered some amazing views of the surrounding neighborhood. From there we headed to a favorite spot of mine, the Kinzie Street Bridge. The views of the Chicago River are great, especially with the old railway bridge in the background. It’s definitely gives you an iconic Chicago look without having to go all the way downtown. Before arrived at the venue, we hit one more classic spot under the el tracks along Lake Street. Here the train tracks give you a tunneled background and it’s a personal favorite for wedding party photos.

This was actually the first wedding I photographed at City Winery, and I have to say I can’t wait to go back. The staff was accommodating, so I got to be creative photographing the couple with the wine barrels. The outdoor courtyard was perfect for their ceremony, and the reception venue has a warm and inviting look. Atmosphere Events Group did an amazing job with the floral and decor. Also what a party! A shout out to Howl 2 Go for bringing the music with their dueling pianos!

I want to thank Jenny & Marc again for allowing me to photograph their big day!