Hi, I'm Kenny Nakai.
As a Chicago wedding photographer, I’m lucky enough to document some of the city's most beautiful love stories.
I hope you find inspiration here and connect with the feelings I had when I created each photo.
Hi, I'm Kenny Nakai.
As a Chicago wedding photographer, I’m lucky enough to document some of the city's most beautiful love stories.
I hope you find inspiration here and connect with the feelings I had when I created each photo.
Our favorite venues.
From someone who's
seen hundreds of them.
These aren't generic venue descriptions pulled from a brochure. These are real, firsthand guides from a wedding photographer who has spent 19 years inside of our city's best wedding spaces. Learning the light, the layouts, the logistics, and the hidden details that make each venue unique.
If you're planning a wedding at one of these venues, this is what I wish every couple knew before their day.
4
VENUE GUIDES AND COUNTING
19+
Years PHOTOGRAPHING IN CHICAGO
500+
WEDDINGS + ENGAGEMENTS
The details Chicago's best wedding venues
don't tell you in their brochures
Every venue in Chicago looks beautiful in its promotional materials. What those materials don't tell you is how the space actually photographs. How the lobby looks with the sun shining or hiding behind a cloudy, which corridors have enough natural light for portraits, which ballrooms have might benefit from professional lighting, or where the little spots are that aren't on any official tour. After years photographing weddings across the city, I've learned those details the only way you can: by being in the room, in every season, in every kind of light.
These guides cover Chicago's most sought-after wedding venues — from Forbes Five-Star luxury hotels like The Peninsula, The Langham, and The Ritz-Carlton, to historic landmarks like the Chicago Cultural Center, to architecturally distinct properties like LondonHouse Chicago and the Old Post Office. Each guide includes the practical details every couple needs to plan around: capacity, ballroom dimensions, contact information. Alongside the photographer's perspective most couples never get: the best photo locations, the timing tips that make portraits easier, the hidden corners worth knowing about, and the small considerations that affect how the day actually flows.
Whether you've already booked your venue or you're still deciding between two final contenders, these guides are written for couples who want to make the most of their day and end up with photographs that reflect both the beauty of the space and the truth of the moment.
Find two kinds of content below: full photographer's guides for the venues I know best, and real wedding stories from across Chicago's finest spaces. New guides are added throughout the year.
WHAT MAKES THESE DIFFERENT
Not a marketing brochure.
A photographer's real notes.
01
Real firsthand knowledge
I've photographed at every venue in these guides in different seasons. The tips here come from being in the room, not reading about it. I know which corners are good for portraits, which hallways create natural frames, and which spots I'd never use because I've tried them and they don't work.
02
The details no one else mentions
Which venues have enough elevators to keep your timeline running efficiently? What are the best photo locations within walking distance? A photographic stairwell other photographers don't know about. These are the things that actually affect your day and your photos. And they only come with experience.
03
Written for couples, not venues
These guides aren't here to sell you on a venue. They're here to help you think about the pros and cons you may not have considered. Every guide is written from the couple's perspective. What you need to know, what to prioritize, and what questions to ask your venue coordinator before your wedding day.
Already have a venue in mind?
let's talk about it.
If you're planning a wedding at one of these venues, or anywhere else in Chicago, I'd love to hear about it. Tell me where you're getting married and I'll share everything I know about photographing it beautifully.
And if your venue isn't listed here yet, reach out anyway. I've worked all over the city and suburbs. Chances are I've been there. Or I'll be sure to scout it before your day.
WHERE TO NEXT
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I'm Kenny Nakai, a Chicago wedding photographer creating beautiful, timeless imagery since 2007. For couples who value artistry, authenticity, and the moments that last forever.
