Illinois
Destination wedding · Chicago
In short
Destination wedding in Chicago starts at $4,800: 10 hours on location with a photographer who works in Chicago, and 700 edited photos delivered to a private gallery within 6 weeks.
Why choose Destination wedding in Chicago?
A destination wedding in Chicago is ten hours of coverage, or the same hours split across two days, with a second photographer throughout, the welcome party included and more than 700 retouched photographs, priced from $4,800. Couples choose Chicago as a destination for its architecture, its lake and its two major airports, and the guests usually arrive a day early and expect to see the city. That makes the welcome evening the second half of the coverage: a river walk, a rooftop or a dinner in the Loop, photographed as part of the wedding story rather than as an extra.
Worth knowing about Chicago
The Chicago Park District requires a Special Event Permit for every outdoor wedding ceremony on its gardens or beaches, whatever the number of guests, and in summer a beach ceremony must end before 11am. Its outdoor ceremony permits also prohibit all food and beverage service, so a Chicago destination wedding on the sand runs as a morning ceremony with the toast and the meal moved to a reception venue.
What does the session in Chicago look like?
- A Chicago Park District beach at morning
- A lakefront ceremony with the skyline behind the guests, held early by Park District rule.
- The Chicago Riverwalk and the river bridges
- The welcome-evening walk with out-of-town guests, lit towers on both banks at blue hour.
- Lincoln Park Conservatory gardens
- Formal beds and a Victorian glasshouse for a garden ceremony by Park District permit.
What does destination wedding in Chicago include?
- 700+ retouched photographs
- Ten hours of coverage, or split across two days
- Welcome-party or rehearsal-dinner coverage included
- Second photographer throughout
- Venue liaison, and guidance on any permit the location needs
- Private online gallery within 6 weeks
FAQ — Destination wedding in Chicago
Can a destination wedding ceremony be held on a Chicago beach?
Yes, with a Chicago Park District Special Event Permit, which is required for any outdoor ceremony on Park District beaches or gardens regardless of guest count. In summer a Chicago beach ceremony has to finish before 11am, and the permit bars food and drink, so the champagne is poured at the reception, not on the sand.
Does the Chicago destination wedding package cover the welcome party?
Yes. The ten hours of Chicago destination wedding coverage can be split across two days, so a welcome dinner or a Riverwalk evening the night before the wedding is photographed by the same team. Out-of-town guests are often most relaxed at that first gathering, and those frames carry the travel story the gallery is meant to tell.