Anxious brides put on wedding dresses, fixed each other’s makeup, and adjusted their veils and tiaras on Friday inside a classroom at Park Community Church in Chicago.
One of the brides, Yamileth Parra, said she is staying at a migrant shelter with her partner, Heber Guillen, and their two kids. She is excited to finally marry her partner of 15 years.
She said she loves her gown, which although borrowed, fits her well. The mermaid-style dress is tight to the body, with the sleeves falling on both sides, yet it accentuates her waist.
Once ready, Parra helped another bride zip up her dress.
The brides and grooms came together for a non-traditional wedding ceremony. Fifteen couples – mostly from Venezuela – exchanged their vows and tied the knot.
The nuptials marked a new stage in the lives of the 30 newly arrived asylum seekers after a long and tiring journey from South America. Some couples said they had postponed their wedding because getting married in Venezuela is expensive and the paperwork is cumbersome.
Formalizing their commitment through marriage has important legal, health and immigration benefits, but the couples who got married Friday said they wanted to solidify their relationship through the church. They prepared for several months, taking classes and getting counseling. More than 150 people were in attendance to witness the life-changing moment.
To pull off the event, the couples chipped in about $150 each and ended with a budget of $2,500. An asylum seeker catered the food – chicken with rice, pasta, salad and other meat dishes. The table centerpieces were recycled from other events and the cakes came from the grocery store, but were redecorated with roses.
Brides gathered about seven hours before their wedding ceremony to share their personal makeup and haircare products.
Liliana Parra holds that she will exchange with her husband, during a mass migrant wedding of 15 migrant couples at Community Park Near North Church in Chicago on April 26, 2024. All of the flowers, decorations and facilities were either donated, thrifted or reused from other weddings. The couples were all asked to take faith based couples classes, with the culmination of a mass wedding organized by members of Iglesia Cristiana La Vid. Manuel Martinez/WBEZ
Manuel Martinez
Liliana Parra shows the rings she will exchange with her husband. The brides and grooms all took faith-based couples classes before the wedding.
Kaira Estrada’s 28, shows her mother in Venezuela, via Whtsup, her donated dress that she’ll be wearing during her wedding, alongside 14 other migrant couples at Community Park Near North Church in Chicago on April 26, 2024. All of the dresses and suits were donated, thrifted or borrowed for the weddings. Kaira and her husband Javier are members of Iglesia Cristiana La Vid, 4750 N. Sheridan Road, in Uptown. The Church provides basic human services for incoming migrants and opportunities for housing and work. Manuel Martinez/WBEZ
Manuel Martinez
Kaira Estrada uses WhatsApp to show her mother in Venezuela the dress she’ll be wearing during her wedding. All of the dresses and suits were donated, thrifted or borrowed.
The children of 15 migrant couples set to be wed, watch television as their mothers and fathers prepare for a mass migrant wedding at Community Park Near North Church in Chicago on April 26, 2024. Keira Estrada 28, has converted her room into a makeshift bridal suite, with each bride helping one and other to prepare for their big day. Every detail of the wedding was planned months in advance with most of the items being donated or reused from other weddings and events. Manuel Martinez/WBEZ
Manuel Martinez
The children of some of the 15 migrant couples watch television as their parents prepare to get married. Detail of the wedding were planned months ago, with many items being donated or reused from other weddings and events.
Several brides gather moments before they will walk down the aisle at a mass migrant wedding at Community Park Near North Church in Chicago on April 26, 2024. The brides began getting ready at 11:00 am sharing their personal makeup and haircare products with each other in preparation for the 6:00pm wedding. The families live in communal style living provided to them by Iglesia Cristiana La Vid, 4750 N. Sheridan Road, in Uptown, the same church that helped provide the resources for the weddings. Manuel Martinez/WBEZ
Manuel Martinez
Brides gathered moments before walking down the aisle to meet their future husbands.
Daughters of the 15 migrant couples set to be wed, entertain themselves watching shows and playing games on their iPads while their mothers and fathers prepare for a mass migrant wedding at Community Park Near North Church in Chicago on April 26, 2024. The families live in communal style living provided to them by Iglesia Cristiana La Vid, 4750 N. Sheridan Road, in Uptown, the same church that help provide the resources for the weddings. Manuel Martinez/WBEZ
Manuel Martinez
Daughters of the some of the migrant couples set to be wed entertained themselves by watching shows and playing games on iPads as their parents got ready for the ceremony.
Left to right, David Vargas and Yorfran Chirinos, help each other with knotting a tie at their temporary living facility, hours before they will be wed at a mass migrant wedding of 15 migrant couples at Community Park Near North Church in Chicago on April 26, 2024. The parish has provide the migrants with housing and other resources, but also works to fulfill the sacraments of the faith by helping couple get married. Each couple was asked to come up with one hundred and fifty dollars to help pay for the limited costs of the wedding, the rest of the wedding was either borrowed, donated or reused foremother events. Many of the couples have civil marriage licenses, but wanted to make their marriage official through the church. Manuel Martinez/WBEZ
Manuel Martinez
David Vargas, left, and Yorfran Chirinos, right, help each other knot a tie hours before the ceremony.
Ed Kraal, the pastor at Iglesia Cristiana La Vid, officiates the wedding of 15 migrant couples who recently arrived from Venezuela, at Community Park Near North Church in Chicago on April 26, 2024. The parish has provide the migrants with housing and other resources, but also works to fulfill the sacraments of the faith by helping couple get married. Each couple was asked to come up with one hundred and fifty dollars to help pay for the limited costs of the wedding, the rest of the wedding was either borrowed, donated or reused foremother events. Many of the couples have civil marriage licenses, but wanted to make their marriage official through the church. Manuel Martinez/WBEZ
Manuel Martinez
Ed Kraal, the pastor at Iglesia Cristiana La Vid, officiates the wedding of 15 migrant couples. The church has provided the migrants with housing and other resources. Each couple was asked to come up with $150 to help pay for the limited costs of the wedding.
15 migrant couples attend their wedding ceremony lead by Pastor Ed Kraal, of Iglesia Cristiana La Vid, at Community Park Near North Church in Chicago on April 26, 2024. The nearly two and a half hour ceremony was organized by the migrant families with the help of the church and donations from the community. Many of the couples had been together for year and have children, so the opportunity of getting married months after their migration from Venezuela was quite a dream. Manuel Martinez/WBEZ
Manuel Martinez
Fifteen migrant couples sit during mass wedding ceremony led by Pastor Ed Kraal of Iglesia Cristiana La Vid. Many of the couples have been together for year and have children.
Luis y Crucelis Rodriguez share their first kiss as a married couple after a mass migrate ceremony lead by Pastor Ed Kraal, of Iglesia Cristiana La Vid, at Community Park Near North Church in Chicago on April 26, 2024. The nearly two and a half hour ceremony was organized by the migrant families with the help of the church and donations from the community. Many of the couples had been together for year and have children, so the opportunity of getting married months after their migration from Venezuela was quite a dream. Manuel Martinez/WBEZ
Manuel Martinez
Luis and Crucelis Rodriguez share their first kiss as a married couple after the nearly two-and-a-half hour ceremony.
The newly married brides take part in the bouquet toss a few hours after they were married at a mass wedding of 15 migrant couples at Community Park Near North Church in Chicago on April 26, 2024. The couples worked till 3 am the night prior to the wedding helping to decorate, cook the food and oversee any preparations that were nessicary for pulling off the big day. Manuel Martinez/WBEZ
Manuel Martinez
The newly married brides throw thier bouquets hours after they were married.
Adriana Cardona-Maguigad covers immigration for WBEZ. Follow her on X @AdrianaCardMag. Manuel Martinez is a visual journalist at WBEZ.