Ben and Allison Get Married

Before the guests arrived for Ben and Allison’s wedding, folks gathered at Jane’s in Bucktown for some photos. Stu (who also photographed my wedding) flew in to do all the photography.

All the kids, being asked to make some silly faces for the camera.

A view of the flowers along the bar, before the evening gets underway.

Ben and Allison with her family.

Stu, doing his thing.

Liz was asked to make their wedding cake, which she ended up assembling on site. We transported all the pieces separately (and I carried the largest piece on my lap in the car, which was a little nerve-wracking).

The cake, fully assembled and topped.

The bride and the groom, mini versions.

Justin (who is now technically the Rev. Justin Stephenson, brought along his Polaroid and took tons of snapshots.

Leslie brought in her DJ gear, and took care of the sound system and the tunes.

The couple’s playlist.

A photo of Stu, taking a photo.

During the ceremony, I got to read a poem that Ben and Allison selected; Allison’s brother Beauen also spoke, and led the guests in prayer.

Here’s a copy of the poem I got to read:

In Midsummer a Wedding
by Arnold Kenseth

Now in midsummer a wedding. Attend.
Applaud. The music must be played lightly,
Quietly, at first, like July birdsongs
Hidden in thickets, like sun drying out
The mornings, like grass browsing, dreaming.
Then the words: this man, protecting, serving,
Believing; and this woman, favoring,
Giving, hoping. This family arriving.

Let the music accentuate, arise, float.
Dearly beloved, very dearly beloved,
This act praises and extends us all, as if,
In the afternoon airs, we are all made
Family, as if we are all sun, grass, dreaming.
Now, bells, astound! Ring out aloud, aloft!

A view of the bar area, from the tables.

Ben and Allison made some great print pieces to go with the event. In addition to the program, they made a “Who’s Who” book, listing photos of each guest and a great little write-up about each person.

Bryan (Peabe) who made the trek back to Chicago from the west coast. Dig the fancy tux hat!

Kiran and Kashif, talking with the bride.

Another photo of the cake.

Zoe, talking about her longtime friend Allison and the spirit of adventure.

Chris, delivering a heartfelt speech about why Ben is so fantastic.

The newly marrie
d couple, listening to Chris’ speech.

The food was fantastic. Mike got the roasted chicken, on a bed of rissotto… and it looked so good, I ended up wanting to photograph it.

I got the New York strip with garlic mashed potatoes. This tasted as good as it looks.

Cutting in to the wedding cake…

The kids get overly excited, and start to dive in to the cake early…

The bride and groom, shortly after their first dance.

Allison dancing with her father.

Dancing with the kids.

The whole event was fantastic: it felt intimate and personal, and the room seemed just the right size for both the ceremony and the reception. The mixture of family and friends was great, and I keep going back to the word “intimate” when I think about the night.

The newlyweds have posted up a few photos already on their Flickr pages – you can check those out here and here.

Congrats Ben and Allison – it was a lovely wedding, and I know all of us had a lovely time. I hope you guys get some post-wedding relaxation in, and that it’s not too difficult to wait out the remaining days until your honeymoon begins.