Chicago City Hall Elopement Photos

Written By Jesse Leon

Want to elope in Chicago and stay close to the heart of the city? Chicago City Hall can be a great place to start your elopement day!

City Hall is perfect for couples who want a simple, intimate ceremony in the city while still having the opportunity to take beautiful portraits afterward. I recently photographed an elopement here before heading with the couple to an arcade for additional portraits, and I loved how we were able to combine the meaningful moments of their ceremony with a fun, completely different second location.

Why I Love Photographing Elopements at City Hall

One of my favorite parts of photographing an elopement at City Hall is the opportunity to capture the candid moments surrounding the ceremony.

There is something really special about photographing a couple as they realize, "We're actually married!" The smiles, hugs, and little moments they share with each other. 

Of course, we also make time for portraits!

After the ceremony, there are plenty of opportunities to explore the building and create a variety of photos without having to immediately leave the area.

City Hall Elopement Highlights

  • 💍 Beautiful candid moments during and immediately after the ceremony

  • 🏛️ Classic city architecture throughout the building

  • 📸 Hallways and other interior spaces for portraits

  • 🛗 Elevators that can create fun, editorial-style photos

  • 🌆 Opportunities for portraits outside the building

  • 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Easy to incorporate family portraits after the ceremony

  • 🚶 A convenient starting point if you want to explore another Chicago location afterward

Don't Be Afraid to Explore

One thing I always encourage couples to do is give themselves a little time after the ceremony for portraits.

You don't have to take all of your photos in one specific area. I love walking around with my clients and looking for different backgrounds, lighting, and little moments throughout the building.

For this session, we used the hallways, elevators, and areas outside the building to give the gallery some variety.

What About Doing a Second Location?

This is something I especially recommend for couples who want their elopement photos to tell more of a story.

For this couple, we headed to an arcade after City Hall because it was a meaningful place in their relationship. They had their first date there, so it was the perfect way to continue their elopement day and incorporate another important part of their story.

You could do something similar with:

  • 🎮 Your favorite arcade

  • ☕ A coffee shop you love

  • 🍸 A cocktail bar

  • 🌳 A favorite park

  • 🍕 Your favorite restaurant

  • 🌆 A Chicago neighborhood you love

  • 🎨 A museum or other meaningful location

Your elopement doesn't have to be limited to one location. Think about the places that tell your story and see how you can incorporate them into your day.

Jesse Leon

My name is Jesse Leon, and I’m originally from Woodstock, Illinois. Growing up, I always loved movies, but I never imagined working in the film industry or becoming a filmmaker myself. That changed during my sophomore year of high school when I took a multimedia production class and discovered my passion for working with cameras. I loved filming as a way to document the world around me.

One day, my professor encouraged me to start thinking about life after high school. At the time, I hadn’t considered any colleges, but she introduced me to Columbia College Chicago—a school known for its strong programs in media, film, and the arts. I was inspired by the creative freedom Columbia offered, and in December 2021, I received an email notifying me that I had been accepted for the Fall 2022 semester. I was thrilled, and I couldn’t have imagined the journey that was about to begin.

During my first semester, I enrolled in a class called Film and Television Production. For our final project, we had the choice to create a short documentary on a subject of our choice or direct a short scripted film. Directing a scripted film didn’t appeal to me as much, so I decided to make a documentary about my older brother, who had recently become a father at 19. Although I had never made or even watched many documentaries before, I was drawn to the idea of observing real life through the camera lens. That curiosity motivated me to teach myself how to film and edit a documentary.

After completing the project and sharing it with my class, I discovered a new passion—telling stories through real experiences. I realized that documentaries offer a powerful way to explore our society and humanity as a whole. Through this passion, I also began to gravitate toward photography. I hadn’t taken many photos before, but filmmaking helped me recognize photography as another way to document the world.

Through both filmmaking and photography, I’ve learned the importance of capturing the moments that define our lives—the celebrations, the milestones, the love. These memories, preserved through a photograph or a film, can live on forever. That’s what draws me so deeply to these art forms: their power to tell human stories and preserve them for generations to come.

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