A CHICAGO WEDDING BLOG FOR NAKAI PHOTOGRAPHY

Chicago St. Patrick’s Day Themed Party at The Langham Hotel!

St Patricks Day Themed Party at The Langham Chicago

St Patrick’s day is one of those special days in Chicago. People show up and show out in our city! There are parades, parties, and of course the Chicago River is dyed green! This famous event is often covered in the national news – and is a fun tradition for us locals.

A client wanted to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of their business with a St Patrick’s Day themed party overlooking the green Chicago River – enter: The Langham, Chicago!

One of our favorite floral designer friends, Natalie Walsh from Natalie Walsh Designs was in charge of planning this celebration – and she brought it all!

The goal: To transform The Langham, Chicago ballroom in to an Irish pub experience for the guests. This Irish pub was complete with a pool table, TVs with March Madness basketball, fish & chips, freshly sliced corned beef, mini pints of Guinness, and lots of green!

If you were looking for a party or wedding photographer – be sure to contact us!

St Patricks Day Themed Party:
Venue: The Langham, Chicago Hotel
Photographers: NAKAI Photography
Floral Designer + Party Planner: Natalie Walsh Designs
Lighting: Elegant Event Lighting
Fabrication + Rentals: 1440 Event Design
Graphics: Sarah Drake Design
Chairs/Tabletops: Halls Rentals
Linens: BBJ La Tavola
DJ: Meghan Taylor for FIG Media
Magician: George Stanton Magic
Hair/MUA: Bianca Sansosti Artistry
Photobooth: The Luxe Photobooth
Arcade Rental: Four Seasons Amusements
Kids Crafts: Kidcreate

The Langham, Chicago is centrally located in the city…guests could enjoy the view of the freshly dyed Chicago River from the ballroom.

st patricks day green river chicago view from Langham Hotel

There were so many floral details from Natalie, love all the texture her pieces! She definitely wanted to stay with the greens for this St Patricks Day themed party-

st patricks themed floral arrangement for private party

They built this incredible wall for their photobooth. It helps bring the Irish pub vibe right from the start

st patricks day themed party photobooth backdrop

Custom themed napkins-

st patrickd day party food ideas custom napkinscocktail menu private party

Notice the details of colors and texture – love how it all comes together in a simple highboy setup

st patricks day themed event high boy decor

Cocktail reception setup, yellow daffodils in the background-

langham chicago st patricks day themed party cocktail

Custom vinyl flooring for their dance floor- Subtle highlights of color in the floral pieces here in the ballroom

langham chicago st patricks day party ballroom with dance floor vinyl covering

Love the differing levels and textures – and the lighting effects- Let’s not forget the gorgeous green draping in the back!

st patricks day langham chicago themed party room photost patricks day langham chicago themed party room photo

An Irish pub wouldn’t be complete without a pool table and lounge area-

st patricks day langham chicago event room photo

The large TVs were showcasing the college basketball games during March Madness

langham chicago st patricks day party lounge arealangham chicago st patricks day themed party room photost patricks day themed party cocktail

Love the branding and the graphics-

st patricks day themed event custom bar langham chicago st patricks day party decor bar

I couldn’t get over the details on the gold/brass bookshelf behind the bar. The books, the glassware, and the plants!

langham chicago st patricks day food decor behind bar langham chicago st patricks day food cocktails

Mini pints of Guinness for the St. Patrick’s Day themed party!

st patricks day party food eventlangham chicago st patricks day food in devonshire ballroom

A charcuterie spread in the middle of the room-

charcuterie private party chicago langham chicago

Little baskets of fish and chips for the guests to enjoy-

langham chicago st patricks day food cocktails

The Langham service team even dressed the part for their roles in the Irish pub-

langham chicago st patricks day service bar

They brought in a machine to slice the corned beef – and the service team wearing St Patricks Day themed party attire was perfection!

st patricks day party food event

A little Green River for the kids-

st patricks day party food ideas green riverst patricks day themed dessert ideasst patricks day themed dessert ideas

A little Lucky Charms on the rice krispy marshmellow treats-

st patricks day party food ideas

The kids recreational space was pretty amazing. Located down the hall from the main ballroom, the kids had their own snacks, crafts, arcades, and a movie to keep them entertained all evening!

st patricks day themed dessert ideas

Six tables of crafts for the kids. It kept them entertained and they all walked away with a bag of goodies that they created! The crafts added another element to their St Patricks Day themed party!

st patricks day party crafts ideas for kidsst patricks day party crafts ideas for kidskids games arcade rental for private party

One of the greatest arcade games for all ages- Dance Dance Revolution!

kids games arcade rental for private party

The largest foosball table I have ever seen-

kids games st patricks day private party

Tables for the kids to have their own dining space for their food

kids games st patricks day private party

Late night food carts to end the evening! Fish tacos, nachos, a Mexican chocolate liquor?

langham chicago st patricks day service food cart

Hope you enjoyed scrolling through all 30+ images from this an amazing St Patricks Day themed party at The Langham, Chicago!

A Surprise North Ave Beach Proposal!

A North Ave Beach Proposal

Don called a couple months ago wanting to talk about winter proposal photography. He wanted it to be special for Laura. We talked a bit, threw out some ideas for locations, and talked about possible scenarios.

He hung up the phone, thought about it, and formulated his plan. It would be a North Ave beach proposal! Fingers crossed for good weather towards the end of winter-

We spoke a few more times solidifying the plan as the date got closer and closer.

He recruited his parents and her friends to help make sure this moment was perfect.

As a Chicago proposal photographer…I LOVED photographing all of Laura’s expressions as she was shocked, overwhelmed, full of joy, and full of love. Scroll down to view all 26 photos!

You can read about his experience in his own words: Don’s Five Star Google Review

“Kenny was fantastic! I wanted my proposal to be a surprise and he helped me plan it out and even helped come up with an alibi. Not only were the pictures fantastic, his communication and expertise made the day perfect. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND KENNY TO EVERYONE!! I couldn’t imagine having anyone else capture the moment, thanks Kenny!!”

If you were looking to learn more about my proposal photography services – be sure to send me a message!

north ave beach proposal chicago ring on hand looking at skyline

There’s a lot of detail that went into the alibi, but needless to say, Laura was shocked when she realized the moment was happening! Bonus: the best part of having a North Ave Beach proposal is having our epic Chicago skyline as your background!

north ave beach proposal on bended knee, woman surprised, skyline in background

She stepped back, hands clasped in front of face in disbelief – and then this smile. This smile..this is why I was hired and they have this moment captured…forever

north ave beach proposal chicago on bended knee, woman surprised, skyline in background

north ave beach proposal chicago on bended knee, woman about to kiss

kiss during north ave beach proposal chicago on bended knee

woman surprised during chicago north ave beach proposal

None of these next couple photos are scripted…it was their genuine expressions of love and joy

newly engaged couple standing, foreheads touching at North Ave beach

newly engaged couple kiss and lifting her off her feet after their North Ave beach proposal

Definitely wanted to get a creative ring photo to commemorate the moment!

newly engaged couple kissing holding out hand with her ring on it during their North Ave beach proposal

The newly engaged couple!

Don surprised Laura by having their parents show up – Her mom (who flew in from out of town) was SOOOOO happy for her daughter!

hugging parents surprise daughter at proposalhugging parents surprise daughter at proposal

Her mom sneaking in a little kiss during the photoshoot =)

Before departing, we took a few more North Ave beach proposal photos! This picture almost looks like a cover to their romantic comedy movie!

engagement picture, couple walking at North Ave Beach with skyline in background

Real smiles, real moments…all the feels. As much as I am hired to capture the actual proposal – I love capturing these real expressions-

couple laughing during north ave beach proposal

couple dipping during engagement photo at North ave beach

As our photo time began to dwindle down…her parents departed and I noticed a shift for Laura…a little more relaxed as she soaked the moment in-

couple with foreheads touching

We walked over to a spot where they could sit down to get this phot0-

One last ring photo before I said my last congratulations and departed-

walking showing off ring on her hand during north ave beach proposal

Real talk…this proposal happened on the last day of Feb. It was not terribly cold…but it also was not warm. Chicago weather can be fickle like that. One good thing about colder weather…there are less people around. It was like they had the pier and beach to themselves for their proposal! Don was hoping for a little privacy for their proposal – and they definitely got it! Prime location with a gorgeous view of the Chicago skyline AND minimal people around.

The moment took care of everything else.

The Post Proposal Surprise Celebration

I rushed over to Tapster where Don had gathered their closest friends to celebrate! They have a private room in the back…perfect for their occasion. I wanted to make sure I was able to capture her expression as she walked in and saw everyone-

Loved this moment shared between Don and his sister-

Shout out to all their friends who came out to celebrate!

Congrats again Laura + Don! Thank you for having me there to capture your North Ave beach proposal!

An Intimate Oriole Private Dining Experience // M&Z

Oriole Private Dining Room Experience

With their wedding being held out of town, Maria & Zach held an Oriole Private Dining experience for their family and wedding party! Oriole holds two Michelin stars for the past 9yrs and is regularly mentioned as one of Chicago’s best fine dining restaurants.

The Oriole private dining room is perfect for an intimate dining experience.

They do ask photographers to minimize flash usage, so you will see mostly low light photography here on this blog post. The ambient light photos help portray the mood and ambiance.

If you were looking for a photographer for your Chicago private dining experience please send us a message!

room oriole private dining chicago restaurant

Just the perfect touch of florals and decor-

oriole private dining chicago close up of table flowers

The room is so well curated- everything feels like an instagram-worthy shot

oriole private dining chicago shelf with wine glassesmenu chicago oriole appetizers oriole private dining chicago restaurant

oriole chicago private dining laughing during cocktailsoriole chicago private dining cheers during cocktailsoriole chicago private dining smiling couple togetherchicago private dining oriole guys laughing during cocktailschicago oriole private dining ladies laughing during cocktailsoriole private dining chicago restaurant smiling group of womenoriole private dining chicago room photo with everyone seated at the table

This was my second Oriole private dining experience I’ve photographed. You can see more photos at  Sabrina’s 50th Bday Oriole Restaurant Chicago celebration blog post!

chicago oriole private dining room photo with toast and cheers

The first course- Zach loved it – I can’t begin to explain all the intricacies in this course.

oriole chicago private dining first course

He snuck around the table to sneak in a little kiss to his bride to be-

oriole chicago private dining room kiss on the cheekladies laughing at the private room dining table Oriolewomen laughing during private dining chicago eventtwo men talking during a private dining oriole eventGroup photo private dining chicago at Oriole

Congratulations Maria and Zach on your upcoming wedding! Wish I could be there with you in Florida, but wishing you all the best on your special day! Thank you for having me document your Oriole private dining experience!

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I'm Kenny Nakai, from NAKAI Photography sharing creating beautiful, creative, & timeless imagery on this Chicago wedding blog since 2007. I would love to capture your love story!

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3334 N Avers Ave #2

Chicago, IL 60618

312-298-9721