Becca + John’s Bridgeport Art Center wedding was honestly such a dream. The weather, the people, the love… it was magical.

Their Story

Becca and John first met as teen campers at Camp Echo during the summer of 2011. Although they both had crushes on each other, they barely spoke a word outside of the occasional team building game or campfire song. Throughout high school they had two classes together: AP Environmental Science and P.E. Their crushes on each other continued to simmer as they spent more time together as Camp Echo staff members. Fast forward to summer 2019 at camp. Becca, now working as a social worker, and John, a high school math teacher making the most of his summer vacation, finally made their feelings known to each other. And they finally fell in love!

They were long distance at first while John taught at the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. Becca was in graduate school in Chicago. Luckily, the long distance didn’t quite feel that far away since John made trips to and from Chicago just about every other weekend. John moved back to Chicago for his master’s in education and the two moved in together shortly after. In their free time they enjoy walking the 606, trying new restaurants, camping, and cooking tasty meals.

Getting Ready, First Look + Portraits

Becca got ready at her parent’s house in Evanston. Coincidentally, this was the same house where her mom grew up in AND where she had her own wedding! John got dressed at the Graduate Hotel just 5 minutes away. They had their emotional first look in the backyard followed by family photos. The couple also decided to do a “spiritual circle,” in which family members picked out phrases from a basket that described “love” and read them aloud. In all my years of doing weddings, I have never seen anything quite like that. It was very moving. We then took the trolley down to the Wrigley Building and the Kedzie bridge for some portraits before heading to their venue.

Bridgeport Art Center Wedding

The couple was married by Becca’s brother (also named John) in the Skyline Loft of Bridgeport Art Center. After they were officially married, everyone moved to the other side of the space for cocktail hour. The curtains eventually opened to reveal the room flip from the ceremony space. Everyone took their seats as the newlyweds had their first dance and cut their cake. Once dinner + speeches concluded, Becca and John danced with their parents to open up the dance floor. The White Sox stadium is not far from Bridgeport Art Center, so we got to see some fireworks from the East windows after they won their game! The rest of the night was filled with drinks, ice cream, and even a conga line.

Venue: Bridgeport Art Center / Planner + Florist: Urban Allure Events / Hair + Makeup: Rare Bird Beauties / Dress: Alena Lena from Alice and Ivory / Suit: The Black Tux / Videographer: VIP Productions / Catering: Butter + Vine / DJ: DJ-Chicago