Remember the ridiculously cute, fishing-themed engagement photos that was featured on Green Wedding Shoes last year?  Well, Nikki & Andrew got married and based on their engagement photos, I couldn’t wait to see their wedding!  In a nutshell, in case you missed it, he loves fish & she loves dog.  They told Heather, of Amorology, and being the crazy talented/creative genius she is, she came up with the theme… dog beach.  Now honestly, when Nikki told me the theme, I scratched my head (that’s why I’m not a wedding planner).  I had never heard of a dog beach theme before and had no idea how they were going to incorporate it at Pelican Hill.  If you’re scratching your head too, then you’re really in for a treat!

Flowers were by none other, Squareroot Designs.  I just love succulents.  And you see that gorgeous ring pillow above?  It was made from Nikki mom’s wedding dress!!!  And I just adore how her Ines Di Santo dress sparkles!

Nikki is an amazing graphic designer with good taste.  Heather introduced her to Courtney from Brightly Designed, and the minute she walked into her studio, she KNEW they’d be a great fit. Nikki told her about the color scheme, theme, and a few details she wanted (like the wood dog cut-outs, the fonts, the letterpress, the background patterns, etc.), and Courtney took everything to the next level.

They also had the cutest flower girl ever.  I just adored her pink tutu from Fluffy Tuffies.

Above are the groomsmen gifts – pixel cuff links!

And how insanely creative are their escort cards??  It’s a dog beach!  Please fetch your name!  My favorite element is the tiny paw prints running through the sand:

Yummy drinks, including a champagne bar:

Cutest candy bar ever.  Amorology created a gorgeous ribbon backdrop.

Another fav element of mine, table names printed on old pages from a dictionary!  And the fish & dog graphics are so freakin cute!

I also love the subtle use of fish scales throughout, like in a centerpiece above, and on the CAKE!  Who knew fish scales could be so elegant!

And for late night snacks, they had a donut station, where you got to “Take a Dip” and put on your own toppings.  They also had mini milkshakes and sliders.

The cutest groom’s cake:

And a fun lounge by Concepts Event Design for guests to hang out into the wee hours of the night.

**This wedding was featured on 100 Layer Cake and will be in the new Ceremony Magazine!**

This wedding is a reminder of why I love what I do so much.  I know I say this a lot, but it’s really such an honor being a part of such intimate moments and memories.  This was one of the funnest weddings for me personally because I got to see so many familiar faces.  If you’ve been reading my blog for awhile, you’ll probably recognize many of the faces.  These two are some of the most genuine people I’ve met, and have the sweetest family.  You may remember them from their New York Central Park engagement photos and their New York SOHO engagement photos.

One of my fav ring shots… I love all the sparkle!

Billy and his brother, Sam, said, “Oh, first look in 10 min?  We have time for a little golf!”  You may recognize Sam from his ridiculously cute family photos.

Love this very next photo:

Remember cute little Audrey from that family photo session?

I rarely post family formals on my blog, but it’s almost the end of the year - I might as well squeeze one set in.  Beautiful family, aren’t they?

One of the sweetest father/daughter dance.  The best part (aside from him wiping her tears) was that they opened up the dance floor to all father & daughters.

They passed a filp camera around to all the tables during dinner for guests to leave little video memories.  So smart, simple, and fun!

Congrats, Joanna & Billy!

Remember Lauren & Stephen’s beautiful Chicago Engagement photos from last year?  Well, they’ve tied the knot!  They had a modern wedding in the city.  We started in their penthouse on the 60th floor!  What an amazing view of the city from their home.

I really loved how the getting ready was all done in their home, including the first look.  Just makes everything even more meaningful and personal.  See their first look below and you’ll know what I mean… after the cute ring bearer allowed for it.

I absolutely LOVED her Vera Wang dress!  It’s perfect on her!

Lauren went to Northwestern, so it was perfect that they chose the Alice Millar Chapel on campus to exchange vows.  We were lucky enough to take some shots around before guests arrived.

Check out the beautiful stained glass windows!

And then we headed to Millenium Park for some fun at The Bean before heading into their reception at The Art Institute of Chicago.

Chicago’s skyline:

I just love the modern space & furniture here:

How cool are those chairs?

And I love that colorful swirly wall/floor.

You can see the rest of their wedding on Junebug Weddings blog and in their real weddings.

Fun fact:  I brought Cameron with me on this trip.  One of my Chicago couple’s from last year babysat while I shot this wedding!  Big shout out to Eileen & Roland!  Cameron misses you two!  I love my couples.  <3

Photography: Caroline Tran Photography
Ceremony Site:  Alice Millar Chapel
Reception Site: The Modern Wing, The Art Institute of Chicago
Catering: Bon Appetit, at the Art Institute of Chicago
Wedding Cake: Take the Cake
Wedding Favors: Truffles from Take the Cake
Floral Design & Decor: John Hensel of Heffernan Morgan
DJ: Style Matters
Officiant: Rev. Thomas Perrucci
Wedding Favors: Truffles from Take the Cake
Dress Designer: Vera Wang
Wedding Dress Shop: Vera Wang
Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Jenny Yoo
Hair: Starlight Makeup, Lillian Toma
Rings: Wedding Bands and Co. and New York Jewelers

In other news, I’m getting ready to send out exclusive info about the workshop in the next few weeks. Are you on the list yet? Don’t be left out, sign up now:

Remember Janet & Stephen from their sweet engagement photos?  They tied the knot and had the sweetest wedding!  That photo above was taken right after the ceremony.  They hid in a hallway as guests made their way to the cocktail hour. I guess you can say it was their first moment as husband & wife!

I love how simple & elegant the letterpress looked.

Is that not the most beautiful gown ever?!  None other than Vera Wang.  This dress was made for Janet!  And I love this next shot of Janet as she walked to see Stephen for the first time that day:

I love all the sparkle at her reception, especially the sequined linens!

Above is that game where they ask, “who’s more likely to say sorry first?”  They usually have the bride & groom lift up a shoe, but I like how Janet & Stephen had huge signs with their kid photo on it.  Guests all had mini versions too so it was fun to see the whole room get involved.

And the sweetest part of the night??  Stephen surprised Janet by playing the piano for her and serenading her.  Sweetest. Thing. Ever!

Huge shout out to Jennifer from Events by Savvy!  She made the entire day flow so smoothly!