River West Wedding at The Dawson – Ben + Morgan

Bride and Groom's first look in Chicago

Morgan and Ben arranged for their wedding day to revolve entirely around their River West neighborhood. I’m always delighted when couples try to stay within one area of Chicago for all of their wedding preparations and celebrations, especially when it means incorporating their neighborhood and their usual hangouts into their pictures to make them more personal and meaningful! Not only does this make the day go by smoother and easier with less traveling, but it also gives the photographs such a fun local feel. The morning began at Morgan’s hair salon, right off Milwaukee. Afterwards, we were able to capture the first look and some of the wedding photos right in front of the Chicago mural on Ohio Street, which made for wonderfully colorful portraits. Both the bride and all of her bridesmaids were gorgeously outfitted in tulle skirts and dresses. Morgan actually works for a wedding dress company, Rosa Clara, so her dress came directly from there! She also adored her wedding shoes, which had cute little bows on the backs, so we made sure to incorporate them in the ring photos. Since we had plenty of time after the Ohio Street photos, we took several Ubers over to Fulton Market, another great neighborhood full of fun colors and signs. Some of the groomsmen got there first and decided to make good use of their time by going into Glazed & Infused to purchase donuts. (Seriously, have you been to this small, Chicago chain before? DELICIOUS.) The shop happily joined into the festivities by giving the party a whole bunch of bright orange balloons, which obviously made it into some of the portraits! That evening, the ceremony and reception took place at The Dawson, a cozy event venue, bar and restaurant.

River North Wedding party in purples and peaches

Bride and Groom in front of GO mural in River North

Bride with

Bride with copper flower wreath detail 

Bridal Party at Fulton Market District in Chicago's West Side District

Groom holding orange balloons in Chicago's Fulton Market

Groomsmen getting Glazed & Infused donuts while bride & groom pose with balloons at Chicago's Fulton Market

Bride & Groom posing in front of The Dawson in Chicago

Bridal portrait inside The Dawson using natural lighting

Black & white portrait of bride getting ready in Chicago with family surrounding her

Ring bearers goofing around with parents at a Chicago wedding

Black & white, modern portrait of an engagement ring and bride's shoes

Groom and female minister waiting for the bride to walk down the aisle at a Chicago wedding

Bride hugging her father at the head of the aisle during a Chicago wedding at The Dawson

Bride and groom laughing during ceremony at The Dawson in Chicago

Chicago bride tearing up during wedding ceremony at The Dawson in River North

Bride hugging friend after wedding ceremony at The Dawson in Chicago

Bride & groom toasted friends and family after wedding ceremony at The Dawson in Chicago

Bride and groom joyously welcoming guests to their River North wedding reception

Bridesmaids toasting the bride and groom at The Dawson in Chicago

Bride & groom laughing at the toast during Chicago wedding reception

Groom smoking celeberatory cigars with groomsmen at The Dawson in Chicago's River North

Wedding guests dancing at a reception at The Dawson in Chicago

Wedding guests celebrating and partying at a Chicago reception at The Dawson

Bride and groom stealing a kiss at a Chicago wedding reception at the Dawson

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