Winter in Chicago, as told by last week‘s elopement, isn’t very pleasurable to work in. And when we do get out of season sunny and warm days, odds are they aren’t the day you scheduled your session. During this time of year, it’s much easier to brace for the weather and have the first location of your engagement session be indoors. Lauren and Peter are getting married at Salvage One in August of this year, so when I suggested we choose an indoor location for their session, they immediately contacted the sweet owners of Salvage One to ask if we could pop in on weekday afternoon for an hour to take some photos. I am fairly positive that you don’t have to have your wedding here to be allowed to take engagement photos, so if you’re reading this and are thinking about reaching out to the owners, do it!
The last wedding I shot at this venue was my last one before March 2020 hit, so it was really nice to be back in the space and explore every vignette with fresh eyes. If you’ve never heard of it or haven’t been, Salvage One is both a wedding venue and an antique warehouse. They have hundreds (maybe more tbh) of pieces of vintage and antique furniture, hardware, glassware and home accents in an enormous warehouse that you can have your wedding ceremony and cocktail hour in, and an even bigger upstairs with two getting ready suites and event hall for you to have your reception and dancing (complete with a disco ball.) This wedding venue is made for the eclectic old souls, and for people looking for a unique space to make their own. I love this venue because it reminds me of my mom’s side of the family, who is huge into antiques and run their own online store that formerly had a brick and mortar storefront (a literal historical school house from the 1800s) that my sister, cousin and I would spend hours rummaging through as kids. So needless to say, I was very happy to be back and look around Salvage One.
The day of Lauren and Peter’s engagement session was a typical, miserable, Chicago winter day. Sleet, rain, snow, and no sunshine. We weren’t thrilled to not be able to spend much time outside, but we ran with it. And had a blast doing it. I photographed the pair all around Salvage One, Lauren showed off some of her piano skills, and then we took a trip across town to grab a drink at their favorite date spot, Middle Brow Brewing. The sleet turned into snow at this point so we popped outside for a few snowy photos and it was perfection. Cannot wait to photograph their day in warmer weather this August! Scroll to see a few of my favorites from their engagement session.
All images © Arielle Gallione 2023
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