marlene & jordan's wedding ~ by christa

{a note from kitty} marlene and jordan were one of the finalist couples in our contest earlier this year and we were so thrilled when they decided to sign on christa to photograph their wedding! every time jordan and i spoke, it was so clear how excited they both were about each part of their day; every little thing they had planned was a joy, not a burden, and they could not wait to share it all with their friends and family, many who came from across the world to join them. when i asked christa to point out vips during editing, she said, "everyone was important to them...ev-ry-one!"

ok, enough from me. here's christa:

i had soo much fun spending the weekend with marlene and jordan in chicago. they were such a sweet and fun couple, which you'll definitely get to see in their photos! here we go!

marlene's dad was so sweet, and it's chinese tradition for the father to put the veil on the bride.
when i asked marlene if she wanted to do something special for the reveal and threw out some cute ideas she said "ooo no! i can't do anything like that; i'll cry!" but jordan was all for it, so we snuck her in behind him...i love his face as he first saw her. and yes... she did cry, but it was totally worth it.

the wedding party wanted to have some fun (and food) before the ceremony so they stopped for some hot dogs on the way to the church.








they wanted sarah and me to stay focused on all the fun and mingling going on, so they hired their friend markus to do their group photos. they have a huge family, but markus was awesome and got the job done quickly!

after the ceremony we had a few hours to run around all over downtown chicago to take fun group photos!
these next two shots are by sarah, who drove all the way from ohio to be my assitant (thanks sarah!) she did a great job of capturing how beautiful marlene looked on her wedding day.jordan is a true sneaker-head. he had these custom nikes made as gifts for his groomsmen.






the last stop "for photos" (wink wink) was the ferris wheel at navy pier. but really, jordan had a surprise wedding gift for marlene. she had wanted chinese lion dancers at the reception and had no idea jordan secretly made it happen!

since family and friends were coming from all around the world, they wanted to make up for the effect their wedding would have on the environment. they purchased carbon credits to cover the footprint of the entire wedding! so everyone could feel good about coming to celebrate with them.




these next photos are of the hilarious trick played on jordan as he went for the garter...
the ol' switcheroo!


it took him a while to realize, but he was a really good sport and everyone had a good laugh!


i also got to spend time with them the next day at sepia in downtown chicago where they had their post-wedding bruch. this place was awesome!

loooove the chandeliers. it was such a great atmosphere and great food too! if you're ever in chicago, this is a must see!


i'm so glad i got the opportunity to photograph marlene and jordan's wedding. they are both so thoughtful and you can just tell how very much in love they are!

{flowers ~ stephen j florist, chicago / dress ~ designer: lazaro from wedding bells, chicago / cake ~ chef rene deleon / custom nikes ~ nikesID.com / reception venue ~ crystal gardens @ navy pier, chicago / brunch venue ~ sepia, chicago}