A lot of couples refer to one another as their “best friend”, but with Lexi and Jimmy, it felt obvious in all of the moments that made up their day – both when they were together, as well as when they were apart. They began their day getting ready in separate rooms of the hotel – Lexi was getting ready with her sister and mom and friends, and Jimmy was hanging with his brother. As I swung by each hotel room and chatted with them while snapping a few photos, I asked them each a question about the moment when they’d first see each other, and Lexi said, “I’m guessing he’ll say this”, and Jimmy said something along the lines of, “I’m guessing she said that?”, and it felt a bit like the were communicating even when they weren’t in the room with one another. I think sometimes we can know a person so well that we intuitively can feel our way to imagining how they’re doing and thinking, and I think this comes as naturally as possible to Lexi and Jimmy.
They decided early on in their wedding planning process that they wanted to spend as much of their wedding day together as possible, which has always been one of my favorite moves that couples make – you’re throwing this gigantic party together, why wouldn’t you want to be by each other’s sides as you do so? They saw each other for the first time that day just outside of the hotel, and then we took all of their posed photos ahead of time so they could fully immerse themselves in their ceremony and reception for the rest of the afternoon and evening.
One of my favorite things about Lexi is her intentionality and thoughtfulness – she knows what she wants, and often times, it seems as though that’s simply to be there with and for her people, and to let them know she’s thinking of them, too. After taking their family photos, Lexi and Jimmy joined their families in a banquet room as their guests filed in for the upcoming ceremony, and she, Jimmy, and Jimmy’s mother gifted their Papa with a boutonnière that included a pin with a photo of Nana on it. He quietly exclaimed followed by a smile when he saw it, and wore it proudly for the rest of the evening. Lexi pinned on the flowers of so many of her loved ones, helping and greeting and mingling all at once. And from that moment on, Jimmy and Lexi were focused on enjoying –from laughing their way through their beautiful ceremony, to hugging and sharing drinks with their friends during the cocktail hour, to entering their reception and seeing their cake with a mini Scarlett on it, to turning toward each other with looks of wild disbelief at how this all felt and looked and came together perfectly, because sometimes there aren’t words for what it feels like to be surrounded by all of the people you love in one room.
Ceremony + Reception Venue: Chicago Marriott Southwest at Burr Ridge
Hotel Coordinator: Kelly Schmitz
