If you’re on the fence about having your wedding on Chicago’s First Lady Cruise, then this is your sign to do it! Carrie + Kevin had the most incredible day with their loved ones as they partied the night away on a boat.

Their Story

“We started out as friends for over a year,” Carrie told me. “A group of singletons would get together in Topanga, CA and a couple of times everyone else flaked and it ended up just being the two of us. After awhile, we stopped inviting others. For our first real date (although I didn’t know it was date!), Kevin packed a picnic to watch the sunset and the full moon rise at the beach. I knew something was up when he pulled out a bottle of wine and all this food that he clearly had spent a lot of time putting together. After the full moon had risen, Kevin pulled me in for a hug and gave me our first kiss!

On our way back to the car, a crazy thing happened. We had been locked into the beach! Apparently they close that particular beach at sunset. Kevin and I had the beach all to ourselves that night and didn’t realize that it was because the doors were locked. It took a lot of teamwork and some of Kevin’s acrobatic yoga moves, but we eventually managed to scale the wall and make it over not one, but TWO locked gates! We knew that if we could make it through that ordeal laughing so hard our bellies hurt, it was a good sign of what was to come!”

Getting Ready + First Look

As I met Carrie at theWit Hotel downtown where she was getting ready, I checked my phone to look at the doppler radar. Although a big storm was heading our way, it seemed like it would pass through quickly. After Carrie’s dad came up and saw her in her dress (*cue me wiping away a tear or two*), we scrapped our plans of doing the first look outside and instead opted for the hotel lobby. Even though it was inside, the moment was still incredible! After a few portraits, family photos and some final adjustments, we decided it was time to walk over to the dock. Thankfully it had stopped raining!

Wedding on Chicago’s First Lady Cruise

I truly am at a loss for words for how beautiful the ceremony was. As the Chicago’s First Lady Cruise boat took us around the Chicago River, the scenery kept changing as we glided through the river. I loved having a different background every time I took a photo of the altar! The best surprise of all came during Kevin’s vows– he pulled out a ukulele and played a song that he WROTE for Carrie! Not only that, but he learned how to play the ukulele JUST for this moment. Apparently he never sang before, either! If that’s not a true proclamation of love, then I don’t know what is. Definitely one of the most romantic dang things I have ever witnessed.

The rest of the evening was wildly fun. The DJ was playing all the best wedding hits, the dinner speeches were on point, and there were FIREWORKS. YES. FIREWORKS. In fact, the DJ starting playing “Firework” by Katy Perry and it made the moment even more perfect. The night ended with one of Carrie’s favorites, “Oh, What A Night” by Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. The entire boat was dancing and having an absolute blast, myself included. A big big BIG congrats to Carrie + Kevin, who knew exactly what it meant to have a celebration with friends + family. This wedding on the Chicago’s First Lady Cruise boat was definitely unforgettable.

Getting Ready Location: theWit Hotel / Venue: Chicago’s First Lady Cruises / Florals: Countryside Flower Shop / Catering: Entertaining Company / DJ: Green Line Talent (Gabe) / Planner: Haute Events by Crystal