Top 10 Wedding Photographers in Chicago – According to the latest statistics, close to 2.3 million couples get married every year in the US. In Chicago specifically, more than 50,000 weddings happen annually. It is no wonder that the demand for wedding photographers in Chicago, and in the US at large has come to an all-time high.
The industry by itself has become more vibrant and accommodative in nature, with inclusive, open-minded, and artistically diverse wedding photography styles being offered by companies, and more unconventional weddings being adopted by couples. The result is an open community for weddings in the US where people are happily evolving and celebrating love and commitment.
There is a wide range of accessible exceptional photography experts in the US today, who are ready to capture special wedding days in the most personalized ways. Considering the sheer colossal nature of the industry, it can be overwhelming to narrow down options and choose the best for the job.
To help you get a head start for your wedding, our experts have rounded up 10 of the best wedding photographers in Chicago.
Before we get into the list, here is an overview of the wedding industry in the US.
Weddings in the US
The recent Covid-19 pandemic, unsurprisingly drove an unexpected drop in the number of weddings being held in the US, for obvious reasons. Many couples who had their marriages planned for 2020 were forced to either postpone or cancel their ceremonies owing to the nationwide lockdowns and restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the virus. Statistics suggest that almost 82% of weddings worldwide, planned for 2020 were put off, and 10% were cancelled completely.
However, in 2024, the US has seen a significant rise in the number of weddings being held, reinstating the trend back to the pre-pandemic times. Immediately after 2020, the numbers rose by smaller margins, slowly setting the pace for in-person physical weddings. Four years later, today, the demand for beautiful weddings is higher than ever, indicating that the wedding community has indeed bounced back.
Wedding venues and photoshoot locations in the US, and Chicago in particular, are now completely booked and busy year-round. Couples are eager to celebrate their union in the most impactful way possible. And photographers nationwide are honing their skills to match the millennial and Gen-Z wedding trends.
On that note, here are the top 10 wedding photographers in Chicago.
Shan Photography
Shan Photography is a veteran holistic wedding photography team based in Chicago IL. They offer a wide range of customizable services related to photography, starting from pre-wedding event coverage to extensive wedding day coverage, post-wedding event coverage, and wedding album creation. One of their core highlights is that they possess the expertise and technical prowess to handle projects spanning a myriad of wedding styles, including Western, South Asian, and Indian weddings. Unlike other service providers in the country, the Shan Photography team has a full-blown team of specialists experienced in multiple wedding cultures, which gives them the upper hand in capturing wedding moments accurately and in alignment with the cultural and personal requirements of the couple. Their artistic documentary style is known to provide a real and untainted reflection of wedding celebrations. In addition, their fully customized packages allow clients to maximize the partnership and extract the most value. What’s more, their holistic services are offered in many other cities across the country apart from Chicago. This puts Shan Photography at the top of the most popular and preferred service providers in the US.
USP: Fully customized photography packages, diverse range of expertise, resourceful teams, high-quality imagery, authentic documentation
Julia Wade
Julia Wade is an exceptional photographer with more than 12 years of experience. She is known for her harmonious fusion of artistic flair and technical finesse, which results in timeless imagery reflecting authentic emotions from the big day. The love stories she captures often create unique and unforgettable experiences, not just for the couple, but also for her team. One of her core beliefs is in the power of heirloom quality imagery – images with aesthetics that last. To achieve it, she puts her most creative and passionate self into her projects and ensures that the connection and love between the couple perfectly shine through in her photos.
USP: Heirloom quality imagery, authentic moments
Taylor Stuck
Taylor Stuck is an expert wedding photographer with over a decade of experience. Her work is not only popular on the west coast of North America and other worldwide destinations, but has also been recognized and featured in several issues of coveted publications including British Vogue, Oregon Bride Magazine, and more. A core advantage that drives her to capture stunning photographs is the fact that she is a hopeless romantic. Her passion for love stories and weddings started from an early age and inspired her to pursue a career in a field that documents love stories to cherish for eternity. Her style is unique and inspired by personal experiences, and follows a mix of modernity, editorial, and timeless elegance. For the same reason, her pictures are known to be wildly nostalgic in mood with the perfect amount of edginess.
USP: Unique style combining modernity and timeless elegance, wholesome nostalgic mood
Larissa Cleveland
Larissa Cleveland is a master wedding photographer who started her relationship with the camera at the tender age of 13. Since then, she has been experimenting and experiencing moments, refining and perfecting her craft, culminating in a career that utilized her passion to the fullest. She follows a unique style of imagery that combines photojournalism, easy and effortless portraiture, and an editorial touch, resulting in classic and modern pictures that perfectly reflect the special day. A core value that she strives to embrace is honesty; this implies that she ensures to create authentic and meaningful pictures that evoke real emotions and tell a story. Her work has been featured in several top publications including Vogue, People Magazine, and Cosmopolitan.
USP: Honest, real, and meaningful images that tell a story, extensive camera experience
Love Bears
Love Bears is an exceptionally qualified wedding photography team, led by the dynamic duo Fran and Mils. Their drive to capture untainted and endearing wedding moments is driven by their strong belief in the transformative power of love. Naturally, the moments they capture exude elegance, romance, and sweet appeal, along with a modern and contemporary twist. Fran, a graphic designer, and Mils, a musician, strive to capture the intimate bond, the heart and soul of each couple they work for, and for the same reason, they cover all aspects that amplify these. Starting from intimate and touching moments between the couple to stylish details of their outfits and entourage, Love Bears captures a wholesome package of images worth treasuring for a lifetime. This earns their spot as one of the top 10 wedding photographers in Chicago.
USP: Images that reflect the heart and soul of the couple, romantic and contemporary photos
Anni Graham
Anni Graham is a remarkable wedding and special milestones photographer who loves to capture big moments in life. She has been documenting unique stories for more than 16 years, and wedding stories in particular for a little over six years. For Anni, her love for photography is ingrained in her identity, as she has been passionate about the craft for as long as she can remember. One of her core highlights is her empathy-driven approach to capturing moments with human beings. In wedding photography, she likes to get to know the couple and learn what’s important for them, to formulate the perfect way to convey their love story. She has practically traveled the world with her art, filming weddings in India and destination weddings across Europe, Asia, North, and South America.
USP: Empathy-driven approach to wedding photography, diverse worldwide experience
MONROphotography
MONROphotography is a premium wedding photography company led by power duo Mike & Vitaliy Shpenyk. With more than 16 years of experience, they have witnessed a diverse range of cultures at weddings and embraced a myriad of traditions, leading them to love their craft more. They are well-known for their color quality and artistic flair, with which they capture priceless moments, genuine feelings, and precious emotions in vivid detail. They follow a modernist style of photography, where they don’t believe in posing for wedding pictures. Pure and unfiltered love is their focus when it comes to wedding photography and they strive to create unique stories through every wedding. They have also won several awards and accolades for their work. This is why MONROphotography is one of the top 10 wedding photographers in Chicago.
USP: High color quality and artistic flair, modern documentation style
Olive and Oath
Olive and Oath led by Reagan Suitt, is a one-of-a-kind photography team that believes in being present in the moment. As the lead photographer, she directs her clients to be at ease and comfortable in the moments, as she proceeds to capture the perfectly imperfect elements that truly represent the emotions of the couple. Her work is a fine blend of posed and unposed photographs, with each one contributing to the big picture – an artistically elevated series of pictures that reflect the big day. She allows her clients to influence her work, as she gets to know them, and understands their needs, and the details that they envision. For the same reason, each of her stories is unique and moving in its own way.
USP: Authentic wedding pictures, high-quality imagery with powerful editing, and unique documentation styles to suit the vision of the couple
Morina Photography
Morina Photography, headed by power couple Dona and Nik Morina, is a team that focuses on capturing endearing destination wedding stories. They efficiently partner to capture love stories across the world including Philadelphia, New York, and many parts of Europe. Their specialty lies in their love and dedication to capturing raw and intimate moments. By filming the genuine and natural flow of emotions, they strive to create visually compelling narratives that invariably evoke sentiment. The two of them believe in impactful storytelling and clean imagery; a powerful combination that has earned them several awards and features in high-profile publications.
USP: Diverse worldwide experience, authentic documentation, visually compelling narratives
Laura Gordon
Laura Gordon is a celebrated wedding and fashion photographer who is well-known for her beautiful, and romantic imagery. Her photos exude a certain dreamy quality that transcends technical prowess and creativity. In other words, her skill in capturing priceless moments at weddings is unmatched. She seeks inspiration from the couples she captures and the incredible elements forming their wedding day, including the place, the people, and the emotions. Her unique style of photography is respected and adored by other photographers in her community as well. Through it, she creates treasure-worthy images that spark romance and nostalgia effortlessly. This is why she earns a spot in our list of top 10 wedding photographers in Chicago.
Wrapping up
All of the top 10 wedding photographers in Chicago listed above have one thing in common – a strong passion and dedication towards capturing love stories in their truest most authentic form. High-quality images are also guaranteed for each.
Use this list as a handy guide when scouting for wedding photographers to shoot your special day in the city. Choose your best fit based on your personal preferences in documentation style and narrative, not to mention your unique wedding vision.
For holistic and all-encompassing photography services with exceptional imagery, contact Shan Photography.
