Gen & Ryan’s Wedding at St. Clement and the Saddle & Cycle Club

Gen and Ryan were married on August 14, 2021, with a Mass at St. Clement in Lincoln Park and a reception at the Saddle & Cycle Club on the lakefront. We filmed eleven hours, and for most of the day the two of us were in different places, one with Gen and one with Ryan.

The morning, in two places at once

We both started at the Waldorf Astoria, where Gen and her ten bridesmaids were working through a hair and makeup schedule that ran in half-hour blocks across three artists. Then Artem headed north to the Saddle & Cycle Club, where Ryan and his groomsmen spent the late morning on the club’s grounds with pickleball, putt-putt and the pool, followed by lunch at the paddle hut.

Splitting up is the reason we film every wedding as a pair. The groomsmen’s morning is part of the story, and it only exists on film if someone is there for it.

A first look with her dad

Gen dressed at 1:00, with wedding dresser Caroline Shaw on hand, and half an hour later she shared a first look with her father in the courtyard. By 2:10 she and her parents were on their way to St. Clement.

Mass at St. Clement

Ryan walked his mother down the aisle and waited at the altar rail. Eight groomsmen and ten bridesmaids followed, and Gen came last on her father’s arm. After Mass, the church gave the family twenty minutes for portraits. If you are getting married at St. Clement, keep the family photo list short and settled before the day.

Reception at the Saddle & Cycle Club

Guests arrived at the club for cocktails while the wedding party and family went straight to photos. At dinner, Gen and Ryan were introduced as Mr. and Mrs. to “Best of My Love” and went directly to the cake cutting, followed by a blessing and toasts from Gen’s father, the best man and the maids of honor between courses.

At 8:20 Ryan toasted Gen and asked her to dance to “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love).” The father-daughter dance followed to “Isn’t She Lovely,” then the mother-son dance to Van Morrison’s “Days Like This.” Gentlemen of Leisure opened the dance floor with “I Want You Back,” and as it got dark the lanterns were lit along the stairs and the side veranda.

The teaser

Filming at the Saddle & Cycle Club

For portraits, the best light at the Saddle & Cycle Club comes in the late afternoon on the east side of the clubhouse, along the veranda. By then the building and the trees keep that side in soft, even shade, and couples feel at ease there, tucked away from the guests. Inside, the dining room is a beautiful setting for toasts. Soft light falls on the speaker while the rest of the room stays warm and intimate, so guests feel welcomed into the moment. After dark the dance floor looks its best on film, and the veranda gives guests a quiet place to step outside and relax during the evening.

Wedding team

• Ceremony: St. Clement Church, Chicago
• Reception: Saddle & Cycle Club
• Getting ready: Waldorf Astoria Chicago
• Photography: Clary Pfeiffer Photography
• Florals: Simply Flowers, Wilmette
• Band: Gentlemen of Leisure
• Wedding dresser: Caroline Shaw
• Videography: Anna and Artem, 312FILMS
• Music license: Musicbed SyncID MB011DAKCYMYEFS

More weddings at St. Clement: Meagan & Nick at The Peninsula and Michele & James at The Peninsula.

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