There’s a beautiful, brisk feel to this whimsical styled shoot—it’s like we’re just dipping our toes into the winter season. We’re loving all these details as inspiration for the winter months like the gorgeous, dusty pastel florals by Foraged Floral, and the delicate gold Jennifer Behr headpiece, as well as the light and romantic gowns by Lee-Lim. And, of course, we’re obsessed with the ethereal photographs by Momoko Fritz which feel oh-so-right for a winter wedding.
From the team: For this styled shoot, Momoko Photography collaborated with bridal designer, Lee-Lim. They both have roots in the West Coast, where the landscape is mountainous and varied, especially in comparison to the flat, Prairie-like terrain of the Midwest. What’s unique about the Midwest is that the surrounding natural parks in Chicago open up to beautiful dunes, beaches, or thickets of forest preserves. It’s quite unusual to see both the forest and beach in one singular setting locally, which we’ve personally grown accustomed to from living on the Coast, so we decided to create our own whimsical world that encompasses both aspects of horizontal and vertical plains in the Midwest.
The wall of narrow, monochromatic trees provides a subtly stark contrast against the soft hues of the sand and Lake Michigan. This played beautifully with our story of the bride and groom, who are stealing a moment to themselves on the beach after their ceremony before going to their reception. They are both posed along the wall at the start of the shoot, and convey a reserved demeanor as their portraits are taken.
However, the bride and groom quickly throw caution to the wind as they realize the immense accomplishment of their ceremony and that now they were husband and wife. They wrap themselves around each other and take a breath of solitude along the dunes, and eventually, and the bride ditches her shoes and bouquet as the groom loosens his tie to run freely in the sand. Finally, the bride cools off by taking a dip in Lake Michigan before getting ready to dance the night away at the reception.
Designer: Lee-Lim // Florals: Foraged Floral // Photographer: Momoko Fritz // Makeup & Hair Artist: Joanna Bastermajian // Accessories (headpiece): Jennifer Behr via Anthony Cristiano Salon // Sashes & Veil: Sara Gabriel via Jenny Yoo // Female Model: Sami Clark // Male Model: Connor Tuohy // Invitation Suite: EJD Design LLC