This wedding might have one of the most adorable backstories I’ve heard of so far: Zaid & Zainab met as children back in Iraq, and he fell in love with her then. Life happened and distance came between them when Zaid became a refugee, but he never forgot about his first love, the beautiful Zainab with her dark hair and deep, piercing eyes. After years of trying to reunite, her visa was finally granted and they could be together! So how do you celebrate overcoming such a big hurdle? Well with two weddings of course! After a lovely traditional gathering in Jordan, they celebrated with their Chicago friends & family at the Renaissance Hotel. There was music, color, joy, and lots of love, and I feel so privileged to have been invited to document such a unique and moving love story. Thank you Zaid & Zainab and congratulations on finally being reunited!
Check out their day below. See more images in their gallery.
Music credit: Right Here, Forever by Benjamin Gustafsson. Licensed by Musicbed.
THE WEDDING TEAM-
Photography: Laëtitia Donaghy Photography
Venue: The Renaissance Hotel Chicago
Hair & Makeup: Glamtique
Want to see more work? Peruse the blog, or check out my portfolio.
Laëtitia Donaghy is a French-born, Chicago-based, international photographer focusing on weddings and elopements. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art with a focus in Photography, and a minor in Political Science from Florida Atlantic University. She brings to her weddings and portraits her Fine Art training in order to bring forth the realness and emotion present, and showcase people’s relationships. Her focus is on preserving as much of the day as possible and keeping it as honest as possible. She travels the world for weddings and other assignments. She has been published on the web and in print.
“I hate waiting, but if waiting means being able to be with you, I’ll wait for as long as forever.”
– UNKNOWN
Wow! This is a beautifullllll wedding! I’m obsessed with how you shot the reception!
Thank you so much!