wedding photographer Archives - Emily Gualdoni Photography

I absolutely love photographing weddings in foreign places, it’s definitely a perk of being a destination wedding photographer. This time around I had the opportunity to photograph a wedding in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

Last year, I photographed Heather and Garret’s wedding. It happened in two amazing phases; the ceremony and 1st reception took place in beautiful Punta Cana. The second reception took place in Chicago, that way family and friends who didn’t have the chance to travel could still celebrate with them. It was a great idea, and they are such a fun couple! Naturally, it all turned out perfectly.
Down in the DR, my assistant and I got to know the couple pretty well. Early into the trip we learned some latin dancing (salsa, the merengue, and the cha cha too!) and went out dancing with them later that night. Garret and I even ended up bonding over how much we liked metal. They truly wanted Vanessa, my assistant and I to have a good time and made us feel comfortable with being there.
The wedding took place on the beachfront, I had never actually shot a wedding in the sand before. Both the bridal party and us photographers were barefoot, and I have to say, barefoot weddings are a lot of fun. The whole time we were engaging with our environment. The hotel itself was something out of a fairy tale. There was amazing scenery, the gorgeous ocean, vibrant plant life, and seafood to die for. During the reception there was even a fire dancing show.
The second phase of the reception was held in a lovely loft space in the South Loop of Chicago at Room 1520. We went around the city beforehand taking photos in locations that had sentimental value for Heather and Garret before heading back to the party. We spent a good amount of time during those wedding portraits visiting the Kinzie bridge, and the riverfront. The fact that the actual wedding had already happened seem to take a lot of stress out of the event (for the couple and attendees alike). A surprise addition to that night came in the form of hockey. All of this was happening the night the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2013. Heather and Garret are pretty big hawks fans, they had a whole cake dedicated to them with their logo on it. It was cut just after the announcement of their win.
I had a great time at both weddings, and I can’t say enough about how great this couple was to work with. Heather and Garret, I wish you the happiest future! Scroll down for some of the photos from both events.

This was my first time photographing in the famous abandoned church in Gary Indiana. One of my oldest friends, Brittany Bindrim got married! As I was part of the wedding, our friend Kirsten Miccoli shot the event. My wedding gift to her and her husband Jim was this incredible “trash the dress” session. Its always nice to add on to your wedding photos, and you have that opportunity to do that with a trash the dress shoot. Not only is it more fashion-photo based and focused solely on the couple, but you don’t have to worry about ruining your dress the whole time. Honestly, when are you going to wear that thing again? You’ll keep it forever of course, but its fun to go out into the world and fearlessly model it for an interesting set of photographs. Brittany’s dress was a great find. She found it at Laurel Bridal, a premier Chicago wedding boutique. As an artist herself, she chose one that really stood out, and not only was it a gorgeous addition to her gorgeous wedding by the dress’ black accents made it perfect for her trash the dress shoot in the somewhat gritty setting we chose that embodies the term “urban decay”.

The way Brittany and Jim met will always be a fun story. They both went to college at U of I, when Jim’s band Iscintilla was looking for a singer, that was the first place he started his search. Brittany found out about it and went to audition where they met for the first time. She made it into the band, and they are still both in it today. It’s played a big role in their lives, and the proof can be found through the tattoo on Brittany’s shoulder. It’s the band’s logo, and every member if Iscintilla has it. Brittany’s creative drive doesn’t stop there though, she is an independent illustrator and designer under her company; Black Dove Design Company.

While her actual wedding was held at the Zhou B Art Center, the church we held the shoot in is called the City Methodist church in Gary, Indiana. Its an abandoned church, originally built in the 20s. Its become an increasingly popular spot over the last few years for photographers and urban explorers alike. I found the setting to be an incredible spot, with a stage, debris, crazy stairs, and blown out windows, it was a sight to behold. That church gave me more than photographs too. That day I found a kitten wandering around, clearly alone. I ended up taking her home and adopting her! That kitten has grown into being my cat, Amelia. She is a total sweetheart and so curious about everything in the world. One of her favorite things to do is sit on the desk while I edit and watch the mouse move and make changes. I thought she might outgrow that, but continues to try and get between the screen and I all the time.

Here is the beautiful main room of the City Methodist abandoned church in Gary Indiana. This church is really a photographer’s dream, so many interesting views and rooms to capture.