Wedding season kicked off a few weekends ago with Ruby & Somu’s super fun Chicago South Indian wedding!  I have had the pleasure of photographing more than one Chicago South Indian wedding and am always absolutely thrilled and honored when friends refer me!  I meant to take a picture with all my past brides at this wedding but we were having so much fun that I completely forgot!  Ruby & Somu were such a lovely couple to work with.  They are both easy going and down-to-earth.  There was much laughter and love between the two and it was such a joy to see how much their friends truly loved them!

I started out the day with the bride and her bridesmaids at the hotel.  The girls were in their personalized robes, getting their hair & make-up done and enjoying their time together.  After we took some pictures of all the girls in those adorable robes, it was time for Ruby to put on her dress.  I loved the attention that her bridesmaids gave her during this time!  After her dress was on, I took a few bridal portraits of Ruby before we headed to her home for her blessing & prayer.

Meanwhile, my second shooter, Erica, met up with the guys at Somu’s house.  She spent time capturing Somu with his best buds and family members before his blessing & prayer time.  I personally love this tradition of the bride & groom getting special blessings from family members before they head off to the ceremony.

After the prayer and blessing time, we headed to the Mar Thoma church in Des Plaines.  Ruby & Somu decided to have a quick prayer together without seeing each other which was really sweet.  The ceremony was filled with beautiful singing and several traditions including the tying of the minnu, the crowning ceremony, the blessing of the rings and the Manthrakodi.  After the service we took some time for family photos and then headed of to Flick Park for some quick shots of the bridal party.

If you have never been to a Chicago South Indian wedding, then you might not know how much fun the reception part of the day is!  The bride and groom’s introduction did not disappoint as they created an intro video that was played before their big entrance.  The bridal party formed an arch with sparklers as the couple walked in.  After their introduction, Ruby and Somu went straight into their first dance and cake cutting.  The reception time was filled with fun dances and songs performed by their closest friends.

I’m going to give a shout out to their MC who sang an amazing rendition of Ed Sheeran’s song, “Thinking Out Loud” and also to one of the best men who created an unbelievable portrait for them.  Ruby & Somu, I hope you felt showered with love by all.  Your day was truly spectacular, thank you for allowing me to capture it!

Ceremony | Chicago Mar Thoma Church

Reception | Skokie Banquet & Conference Center -Holiday Inn

Wedding Coordinator | Sheril Philip

Videography | David at George Street 

Flowers | D’s Flowers and Morton Grove Florist

Cake Artist | The Baking Institute

DJ | MDM Entertainment

Make-up | Nicki Hala of Hala Beauty

Hair | Gigi Philip of Hair styles by Gigi

Tuxes | Emanuele Tuxedos

Wedding Decor | Prestige Wedding Decor