Chicago wedding photographer Noelle Adams says that Jenny and Mike, whose wedding took place at the Oak Brook Swim and Tennis Club in Oak Brook, Illinois, met while they were competitive swimmers. “They bonded over their love of sports, and they also both have an artistic side and love to create,” Adams says. “Jenny designed the centerpieces for the wedding and Mike has been busy designing furniture for their home.” 

All Photos © Noelle Adams Photography

Adams says the groom’s good friend served as the officiant and delivered a wonderful tribute to the couple filled with sweet stories and funny moments. “It was very touching, the whole days was,” Adams recalls. “Mike’s 95-year-old grandfather was in attendance and had the time of his life, dancing the night away with his wife! His words of wisdom made it into the ceremony: ‘Hold her close and kiss her often.’ I think Mike and Jenny took that advice to heart because they couldn’t stop kissing!”

While there weren’t too many challenges with this wedding, the weather did act up, Adams says. “It had been a little overcast all day, but rain was not in the forecast,” she explains. “The ceremony was set in the garden overlooking the lake. As guests were starting to sit down for the start of the ceremony, it started to drizzle. The venue made the decision to move everything to a covered patio. It took about a half hour to move all the chairs inside and when they were finished, it was bright, sunny and beautiful out, of course. The weather was perfect for the rest of the day.”

Adams says that if a couple does not have a videographer, she will include some video coverage of the ceremony and toasts. “I’m very passionate that couples should have video of the parts of the wedding where people are speaking because you want to hear the inflection in their voices and remember what was actually said. Especially for this wedding, because the officiant was a friend of theirs. When I shoot video, I always present a combo slideshow of mostly photos with some video and audio added in.”

Check out the video here.

GEAR OF THE DAY

Cameras: Nikon D4, Nikon D800

Lenses: Nikon 35mm f/1.8, Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8, Nikon 85mm f/1.8, Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8

Flash: Nikon SB910, SB5000

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