MEMORY FILMING®
Chicago by Memory Filming

Chicago and the suburbs

A skyline in July. A ballroom in January. The same wedding either way.

Chicago weddings are shaped by the season more than most. We plan the coverage around the weather you will actually have, not the one in the brochure.

From Devon Avenue to the suburbs

Chicago's South Asian story is long. Devon Avenue has been a center of Indian and Pakistani life in the city for decades, and today the communities stretch well out into the suburbs.

Many of the families who contact us are in suburbs such as Schaumburg and Naperville, with Indian, Pakistani and Gujarati weddings that run across several events and often across more than one venue. The traditions vary as much as the families do: a Gujarati wedding with a garba night, a Punjabi weekend with a jaggo, a Pakistani wedding with a mehndi and a walima.

What every Chicago wedding shares is a climate with real seasons. Summer brings long evenings and lakefront light. Winter brings early sunsets, snow and the need to bring everything indoors. We plan for both from the first call.

Memory Filming has filmed South Asian weddings since 2000. For Chicago, the team flies in ahead of the first event and works with your planner and venue coordinators throughout.

What Chicago weddings ask for

Season, space and the movement between them.

  • 01

    Winter weddings, indoors

    In December the sun sets before five. We plan portraits around the daylight you have and light indoor spaces so they never look like a compromise.

  • 02

    Summer peak season

    Long, warm evenings and busy calendars. Book early, and we will plan outdoor portraits for the softest light of the day.

  • 03

    Lakefront and skyline portraits

    The lake and the skyline are a large part of why couples want photographs here. We plan locations and timing with travel and weather in mind.

  • 04

    Suburban venues, several events

    Mehndi at home, ceremony in one suburb, reception in another. We plan crew movement so nothing is missed in transit.

  • 05

    Gujarati, Punjabi and Pakistani traditions

    Garba, jaggo, mehndi, pheras, nikkah, walima. Each has its own key moments, and we know which ones cannot be repeated.

  • 06

    One team for photo and film

    Photographers and videographers who work as one unit, so every important moment is covered without anyone in the other's frame.

Coverage for Chicago

The same coverage shapes in any season, planned for the weather you will have.

We don't publish prices, because no two multi-day weddings are the same. Tell us your date, your city and how many events you are planning, and we will send an itemized quote with nothing to decode.

Twenty-five years in the room

Why Chicago couples look further than their city

What a traveling studio brings to a city with four real seasons.

  • Twenty-five years of planning around weather

    We have learned the hard way that an outdoor plan without an indoor alternative is no plan at all.

  • Around 9,700 weddings

    Indian, Pakistani, Sikh, Hindu, Muslim and Gujarati weddings across more than two decades.

How a Chicago booking runs

  1. 01
    Months ahead

    The first call

    Every event and venue, and the season you are marrying in.

  2. 02
    In the weeks before

    Season-aware planning

    We agree portrait timings, indoor alternatives and travel between suburbs with your planner and venue coordinators.

  3. 03
    Before the first event

    The team arrives

    We fly in, typically into O'Hare, and walk each space before the first event begins.

  4. 04
    After the wedding

    Edit and delivery

    Highlights first, then the feature film, documentary edits and album.

Questions

Before you ask.

We are having a winter wedding. Will the photographs look dark?

No. Winter in Chicago means early sunsets, so we schedule any outdoor portraits for the daylight you have and light indoor spaces properly. Many winter weddings look warmer on camera than summer ones.

Can we do portraits by the lake or with the skyline?

Yes. We plan the location and timing in advance, with an indoor or covered alternative if the weather turns, and account for travel time from your venue.

Our events are in different suburbs. Can one team cover all of them?

Yes. One team covers the whole weekend, and we plan travel between venues as part of the schedule.

When is peak wedding season in Chicago?

Summer and early fall are the busiest months. If your date falls then, an early inquiry helps. For summer and early fall dates, we suggest inquiring six to twelve months ahead.

What if snow affects flights?

The team flies in ahead of the first event, which builds in a margin for winter delays. We also agree a backup plan with your planner for moving between events if roads are affected.

Inquire

Is your datestill free?

Tell us the date and the venue and we will come back within one business day with availability, a team size and an itemized quote.

Start the conversationOr call +44 7446 580004