I'm thrilled to share some of my favorites from Dan and Sammie's wedding with you all! Their day was relaxed, intimate, and full of joy. Lake Michigan was insanely gorgeous and wavy, making it feel like we were in another world completely.

One of the things Dan and Sammie loved so much about Promontory Point was the south view of the skyline. No complaints from me!

Sammie literally looked like a princess. So gorgeous.

Their wedding may have been intimate, but that didn't stop their reception from being rockin.

Congrats again, you two! Blessings!

Big thanks to Carrie Holbo for second shooting this wedding with me!

Dan & Sammie | Married October 9, 2015 | Chicago, IL

Hair and Makeup: Mandy at Phenix Salon Suites

Florist: Berthold's Flowers

Dress: Here Comes the Bride

Suit: Men's Warehouse

Getting ready, Ceremony, & Reception Location: Promontory Point, Chicago

Caterer: Harry Caray's

Cake: Vanille

Favorite wedding day memory?

Sam: It's so hard to pick a favorite so I'm going to list a few: seeing Dan as I walked down the aisle, the father/daughter dance, and Dan's game ball speech.

Dan: The actual ceremony itself - I tried to be ''in the moment.'' Being up there with Sam, looking out over the lake and Chicago skyline, and seeing all of our family together sharing the moment with us was an amazingly powerful feeling, and one I will always reflect on.

Is there anything you would have done differently?

Sam: Allowing more time to get to the city. We hit heavy traffic and construction on our way down and it delayed the ceremony, but other than that the day was perfect!

Dan: I wish I would have made a point to spend time (have breakfast or a drink before heading to the ceremony) with my parents and immediate family. We (my family) basically spent the day leading up to departing for the hotel running errands and generally doing our own thing. The hotel and downtown in general was insane with the Chicago marathon crowds.

Best piece of advice for brides and grooms?

Sam: It's your day, so remember to have the kind of wedding you want. We knew we wanted something small so we kept the guest list to immediate family and close friends. It was stress-free when planning and allowed us to do what we wanted. It was awesome spending the day with the people that matter the most. Also, the day flies by, so set some time aside to spend with each other to soak it all in.

Dan: Try to embrace the whole ''experience'' of planning/coordinating all the details leading up to the wedding day. First, it makes you better appreciate the wedding day itself, the culmination of all the preparation. Most importantly, although my lovely bride did most of the coordinating, I'm glad we had an opportunity to collaborate and make decisions together, b/c the wedding turned out to have both of our fingerprints on it, which was really special.

Separate advice for grooms from Dan: If you do not have anyone standing up in your wedding, as we did, I definitely relied a lot on my one brother during the wedding day itself. He basically served as my informal ''best man.'' I would advise any future groom that doesn't plan on having a best man or groomsmen to think about having someone reliable act informally in that capacity during the wedding day

Where did you go on your honeymoon?

We'll be going to the Canadian Rockies!!

Final Reflections?

Focus on enjoying yourself at your own wedding! Focus less on whether or not people attending your wedding are having a good time, because they probably are. Related point - don't stress about feeling like you need to stop and talk to everyone. People will come to you, so just relax and have fun.

Promontory Point Wedding Photography, Chicago, IL | Dan & Sammie