Ellen and Quinn met at summer camp when she was fifteen. 10 years later they married at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Old Town, with a Navy arch of swords and a reception in the Cathedral Hall. Their University Club Chicago wedding was everything.
Sometimes a love story really does start like a fairy tale. Ellen was fifteen when she met Quinn at summer camp. They became fast friends that summer, then went back to their separate lives in separate places. But something stuck. Over the years that followed, they checked in with each other now and then, and long before anyone else believed it, Ellen knew they were going to end up together.
It was not until college that things turned more serious, when they finally started spending time together on purpose instead of by chance. On their wedding day, friends and family who had watched them through every one of those different seasons, camp, the years apart, college, finally got to see it all come together in one place.
A shoutout as well to Suzy at Clementine Chicago Events, who planned and coordinated the day. We have worked together at the University Club before, and it is always a good sign for the day when Suzy is running the timeline.
Wedding Details:
Wedding Photographers: NAKAI Photography
Planners + Coordinators: Suzy from Clementine Custom Events
Florals + Decor: Steve’s Flower Market
Hair/MUA: Patty McGuire
Video: Mirar Weddings
Band: Drywater
Getting Ready: University Club Chicago Wedding Photos
Ellen and Quinn chose the University Club of Chicago, a historic venue right on Michigan Avenue, across the street from Millennium Park. If you have not been inside, the building holds a few surprises, starting with the 12th floor terrace, which looks out over an unobstructed view of Lake Michigan and Millennium Park.
Art Institute South Garden Wedding Portraits
We took a trolly just a few blocks over to the Art Institute’s south garden for a different backdrop. It was a hot, humid day, and every minute outside counts, so we moved quickly and worked through as many locations as we could before heading back into an air conditioned trolley to cool off on the way to St. Michael’s Catholic Church.
A ceremony at St. Michael’s Catholic Church
Ellen and Quinn were married at St. Michael’s in Old Town, on Chicago’s north side. It is a large, historic church, and one of the more photogenic ceremony spaces we get to work in. High ceilings and enough natural light through the windows that the ceremony photos need very little help from us.
Quinn has spent his time serving our country in the Marines, and after the ceremony, his fellow service members gave Ellen and Quinn a tradition we do not get to photograph often: an Arch of Swords.
An Arch of Swords, and a welcome into a new family.
His fellow service members lined up in two rows just outside the church, swords raised overhead to form an arch. Ellen and Quinn walked through together, pausing for a moment when the swords were lowered before lifting again to let them pass. It is a formal pledge of loyalty and protection from the people Quinn served alongside, and it doubles as a welcome for Ellen into that same family. It was special to see and even more special to photograph. Thank you to all our brave men and women who serve our country.
The University Club Chicago Wedding Reception
Before heading inside for their University Club Chicago wedding reception, we took a few steps on Michigan Avenue itself, an urban backdrop that feels like Chicago.
Cathedral Hall, and the hidden window
Cocktail hour was held in the University Club’s library, and the reception in Cathedral Hall, which might be one of the most unique reception rooms in Chicago. The architecture leans almost medieval. Vaulted ceilings, dark wood, stone details that would not look out of place in a Harry Potter movie. Steve’s Flower Market handled the decor for Ellen and Quinn, a mix of green and white with florals hanging overhead that softened all that stone and wood into something warmer.
One of the more fun architectural details in Cathedral Hall is a small hidden window tucked beneath the room’s large clock. It gives a bird’s eye view down into the reception space, which makes for great overhead shots of the room and the dance floor later in the night. As guests started arriving, Ellen and Quinn climbed up to that window and waved down at everyone walking in below.
Congratulations, Ellen and Quinn
Ellen and Quinn’s wedding pulled a lot of chapters together at once. A summer camp friendship, years spent apart, a slow build into something serious, a family serving in the Marines, and a Chicago venue that somehow feels both historic and a little bit magic all at the same time. Congratulations to you both.
If you would like to see another wedding at this venue, take a look at this University Club of Chicago wedding we photographed as well.
PLANNING A WEDDING AT THE UNIVERSITY CLUB OR ST. MICHAELS?
Let’s talk about your day.
I’m Kenny Nakai, a Chicago wedding photographer who has photographed weddings at the University Club of Chicago and St. Micheal’s Church many times, along with churches, terraces, and gardens across the city. If you are planning a wedding here or anywhere in Chicago, I would love to hear about your day.
