Despite threats of thunderstorms and inclement weather all week, Marissa and Nick’s wedding day dawned with sunny blue skies.  As with a lot of my brides, I met Marissa at her hotel.  Their colors were black and white with an accent of red, and her dress hinted at this theme perfectly:

Marissa was wonderfully calm and relaxed when she arrived.

The full mass was celebrated at St. Paul the Apostle in Gurnee, and everything went off smoothly despite the church being hit by lightning the night before during the severe thunderstorms that passed through Chicagoland.  Luckily despite some of the lights being burned out as a result there was beautiful light in the church!

The reception was held at Byron Colby Barn in Grayslake and was catered by the StarGrazer Cafe.  The venue was beautifully decorated and coordinated with the colors of the wedding, and had lots of little personal details.

Despite the 90+ degree weather, we stole some pictures at the gazebo nearby and then headed inside to kick off the party with Nick and Marissa’s first dance.

It was an honor to share your wedding day!  Thank you for having me capture it!