Congress Plaza Hotel Wedding Chicago

Andrew and Jesse had a wonderful Congress Plaza Hotel Wedding in Chicago.

The Congress Plaza Hotel & Convention Center in Chicago opened in 1893 as the Auditorium Annex, built by R.H. Southgate with a north tower by Clinton Warren. It was linked to the Auditorium Hotel by an underground passageway called Peacock Alley. A south tower, added between 1902–1907, introduced the nation’s first air-conditioned ballroom. By 1908, the hotel boasted over 1,000 rooms and was renamed the Congress Hotel in 1911, reflecting its location near Congress Street and Grant Park. Over the years, it gained fame as the “home of presidents,” hosting leaders such as Taft, Roosevelt, Harding, Coolidge, McKinley, and Cleveland.

The Gold Room at the Congress Plaza Hotel is an amazing space and I was so excited Andrew and Jesse chose this space for their ceremony and reception. The tall ceilings and incredible art made this room a beautiful backdrop.

Congress Plaza Hotel Wedding

Before the ceremony we took the guys out on the roof for some photos. Goodness it was hot on the reflective roof and bright, but the views and the experience was awesome.

Congress Plaza Hotel Wedding Ceremony

It’s always important for me to capture that first look as a groom sees his bride come down the aisle.

The wide open space in the Gold Room made this a lot easier than most venues.

I was able to stay half way down the aisle out of the way for the guests, but still get Jesse walking in and then turn around and capture Andrew’s face.

You cannot script these candid moments!

Buckingham Memorial Fountain – Congress Plaza Hotel Wedding

We headed down to Buckingham Memorial Fountain for some photos with the bridal party, family and just Jesse and Andrew.

I do not know how we got so lucky, but the fountain was so very quiet. This area is typically full of tourists and a locals and it’s hard to get great wide photos most days unless you have people in the background. For some reason this Friday afternoon was very quiet. We were able to get some lovely wide photos with the fountain and even had a rainbow for a while.

I loved the table number cards. We had photographed Jesse and Andrew’s dogs in the studio months before the wedding and they used the photos on each table.

Roof Top Photos!

Just after sunset we headed up to the roof top.

Thankfully I am not as afraid of heights as I used to be haha. The views and skyline were incredible.

The reception highlight was a song Jesse sang for Andrew.

It’s always fun when couples do personal things like this!

I stayed late to capture some of the dancing before heading home excited to get editing.

 

I hope you enjoyed the photos from this Congress Plaza Hotel Wedding. I loved capturing it.

If you are looking for a wedding photographer check out my wedding info page and get in touch.

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