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8 Best Places To Take Your Wedding Photos In Chicago

Chicago Wedding Photos
(credit: Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

What might be one of the biggest days of your life deserves great photos. But, picking a location to convey the feeling of your wedding and what you want to remember from your day can be tough. Do you want to be silly and having fun by the Navy Pier Ferris Wheel? Feeling like royalty by Buckingham Fountain? Or conveying a sense of elegance at the Cultural Center? One of the great things about Chicago is that many of the iconic places are very close together allowing you the opportunity to get great photos in a variety of locations.

Millennium Park The Bean
(CBS)

Millennium Park

Probably best known for the sculpture "Cloud Gate" or as we Chicagoans call it "the Bean", Millennium Park offers this piece of art as a great way to do some creative shots with reflection. But you can also head over to Crown Fountain or into the Lurie Garden for some nice shots with flowers and plants in all four seasons. If you're getting married in the winter, having the ice skating rink as a backdrop might be fun.

201 E. Randolph St. (between Michigan Ave. and Columbus)
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: 312-742-1168
Website: explorechicago.org

Michigan Avenue Bridge

In this location right at the 400 North block of Michigan Avenue there are several little spots to take photos. One of the more popular ones is standing in the median of the street to get the image of the length of North Michigan Avenue behind you. But there is also a sweeping staircase just off Pioneer Court that leads down to the Chicago River that could be nice for a picture of the whole wedding party. Don't forget the Wrigley Building, and behind that is a new courtyard the Trump Tower built.

400 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611

Chicago Cultural Center
(credit: Chicago Cultural Center)

Chicago Cultural Center

Inside the Chicago Cultural Center, just off Michigan Avenue, is a great place for an indoor shot. Their sweeping staircases, amazing mosaics of Favrile glass, and two glass domes one of which is the world's largest stained glass Tiffany dome make for one of the most elegant and beautiful places in Chicago. And if you're a book lover, you might just love the fact that this was once the Chicago Library.

78 E. Washington St.
Chicago, IL 60602
Phone: 312-744-6630
Website: www.explorechicago.org

Planiterium
(Credit: www.adlerplanetarium.org)

Adler Planetarium

For the star-crossed lovers, this is a very popular location for photos be it engagement or wedding because you can get almost the whole Chicago skyline, not to mention the Lake, behind you. If you want the Lake in the shot with nothing else, you can go to the end of street and behind the Planetarium to take photos there. Don't forget that you can also walk over to Museum Campus from there where both the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium can be great for backdrops.

1300 S. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL 60605
Phone: 312-922-7827
Website: www.adlerplanetarium.org/plan

Buckingham Fountain
(credit: City Of Chicago

Buckingham Fountain

With the hoopla of the Royal wedding, you might want to feel like royalty too by having the famous Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park as the background. Because the Fountain is one of the largest in the world, it can be hard to get the whole fountain into a frame without making you look small in the photo. So, taking photos around the Fountain would work better. The Fountain made of Georgia pink marble was designed around the Latona Basin in Louis XIV's gardens at Versailles. Adjacent to the Fountain to the south is a beautiful rose garden also great for pictures.

Located at 301 E. Columbus Dr. and 500 S. Congress Parkway in Grant Park.
Website: www.cpdit01.com

Navy Pier
(credit: navypier.com)

Navy Pier

Want to feel like a kid again? By having the Ferris Wheel, Wave Swinger and Carousel in the photo it can convey that feeling of childhood. There are also lot of sculptures to have fun with and chances to get the skyline in the background too. Head to their website to find a whole list of their attractions.

600 E. Grand Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: 312-595-PIER
Website: www.navypier.com

Lincoln Park Conservatory
Lincoln Park Conservatory (Credit: CBS)

Lincoln Park

Maybe your first date was to the zoo or you're an animal lover, but the Lincoln Park Zoo might be an idea. If having a chimp or zebra in the photo with you isn't your idea of fun, the Park stretches for miles with many options. The Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool is an area originally built in 1889 to raise tropical water lilies. Today, the wildlife area is a nice place for pictures near a waterfall, or for the feel of a stroll through the woods. The North Pond, found behind the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum is another place for nice outdoor nature shots with prairie flowers.

Lincoln Park Zoo
2200 N. Cannon Dr.
Chicago, IL 60614
Phone 312-742-2000
Website: lpzoo.org

Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool
Fullerton Pkwy & Cannon Dr.
Chicago, IL 60614

The North Pond
Stockton and Fullerton
Chicago, IL 60614

CTA Train Derails Near Belmont Station
(Credit: CBS)

EL

Looking for a more urban feel to your photos? Might sound a little strange, but having the EL or some artful graffiti behind you can give you that feeling. At the Wells Avenue Bridge downtown with the EL going above you can give you some great photos, especially if you can catch the light at the right time of day coming down the Chicago River. Even going to an EL stop that might have some meaning to you could be fun. If you're looking for an artful wall to stand in front, well, there are plenty in the city, just keep your eyes open for one that strikes you.

Rachel Azark is a writer and lives on Chicago's northwest side. Read more of her work on her blog parksandpancakes.com.

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