If you know me or have read my blog for the past few years, you might have noticed that I have a love of beautiful things (maybe since I’m a wedding photographer that goes without saying). I love soft light, beautiful fabrics, vintage details…romance. Those are the things that I get really excited to photograph, so I was pretty much in my element at Lisa & Mike’s wedding on Saturday. Every aspect of the day was beautiful from the couple and their wedding party to the weather!
I began shooting at Lisa’s childhood home for some getting ready photos…and one of the first things I saw were the shoes. You gotta love a stunning pair of Diane von Furstenbergs to start the detail shots!
I just *love* this veil. I’m trying to think of a reason why I might ever get to wear one, it hasn’t come to me yet.
Perfection.
After Lisa’s preparations I met Mike and the guys at the church. We waited in the courtyard for Mike & Lisa’s first look!
Married!
Mike said at one point that planning your wedding in October is a bit like flipping a coin (weather wise)…well, they definitely got the best outcome here. It was 80 degrees and sunny, with perfect light for our wedding party shots!
Two favorites…
Let me illustrate why I loved this wedding party:
Lisa & Mike, I wish you two all the happiness in the world…I hope you’re enjoying married life so far! Congratulations again.
Crystal Tree Wedding :: Lisa & Mike
Mart Plaza Wedding :: Hannah & Justin
Hannah & Justin both attended the same college that I did…even though we didn’t really overlap there were a ton of familiar faces at their wedding, and I felt like I was with good friends all day. These two are wonderful, and they have great people around them! I can’t wait to see what life holds for the two of them.
The wedding was held at the Holiday Inn at Mart Plaza, which I think was the perfect room for their fall wedding…
Because Justin was born in India, Hannah bought these bangles and shoes to wear on the wedding day as a reminder of that heritage.
Justin waiting to see Hannah for the first time…Justin, did you know that you’re super-photogenic? Its true.
Love!
I had to include these…Katie was Hannah’s Personal Attendant and Andrew was Justin’s. These two kept the huge wedding party organized, and inside of Andrew’s briefcase was anything that anyone could possibly need throughout the day. 
This is one of my favorites of the whole day. And, I think the orange-y glow from the street lights and the bridge are perfect for the colors of their wedding!
I knew this part of the night would be so much fun to shoot…there were some crazy dancers at this wedding, and I mean that in the best way possible!
…and this is how I left things! I’d say they were having a pretty good time.
Congratulations again Hannah & Justin…thanks so much for allowing me to be a part of your day!
Barrington Wedding :: Jenn & Jeremy
I’m actually on vacation with Jamie right now…but I had planned all along that even though this is vacation, I would need to take a little time to get Jenn & Jeremy’s blog post online. I just couldn’t make Jenn wait too much longer before I gave her a little taste of what is to come. I remember that after my own I was just dying to see the photos…I don’t think thats a wedding photographer thing, I think thats just a bride thing. Anyways! Here are a few for you, Jenn & Jeremy…I hope you’re looking at this from the beach in Jamaica, drinks in hand.
I loved this shot below instantly, I think it captures Jenn and some of the joy of the day.
I don’t know what these funny little things by the rings are, but I thought they looked fun by the rings…some kind of berry maybe.
So happy!
The wedding took place at Makray Memorial Golf Club in Barrington…I thought it was beautiful, the building and grounds offered lots of great photo ops.
Jenn, you did an amazing job on these table tops…I know that they (and all of the details, really) were a labor of love on your part, and it definitely paid off!
This dance party was so much fun to photograph…actually, the dancing is often one of my favorite parts of the day to photograph, but especially when people get into it like this!
Congratulations you two! I loved working with you again…can’t wait to show you more when you’re home.
Nature Museum Wedding :: Andy & Ellen
I first met Ellen & Andy about a year ago…and if I remember right, it was Andy who had done lots of research on photographers and had come across my website. I really love it when you have a groom that takes a real interest/responsibility in the wedding planning process! Its rare.
This turned out to be another one where it was nearly impossible for me to narrow it down to an acceptable sized blog post. Every detail was lovely and cohesive (my favorite kind of wedding to shoot)…a lot of this had to do with the fact that Ellen is a gifted designer. To give you a taste of her abilities, below is some of the work she did on personally designing all of the paper products for the wedding:
A dress and shoes to die for….loooove the shoes.
We did the first look at the MCA downtown…here’s Andy waiting for his bride
The lace on Ellen’s bouquet came from her grandmother’s wedding dress.
After photos we headed to the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, which was the venue for the entire event. This was my first wedding there, and I had been looking forward to it all season!
Ellen created the design/concept for the entire day, and did plenty of the work herself…including hand making each of the paper poms you see. She also had an amazingly talented florist from Zu Zu’s petals, and planner Shannon Gail to pull every detail together perfectly.
This was the first time I had seen this alternative to a guest book. Each bottle represents a year/anniversary of marriage…guests were invited to share a bit of advice to Ellen & Andy that might come in handy during that time! Love!
Wow. Right?! That was the first thing that came out of my mouth when I saw the beautiful decor for the reception.
I’ll apologize in advance for the excessive detail shots to come!
Natalie of Zu Zu’s Petals really out did herself…the bouquets and table tops were amazing, and I think everyone was blown away by the room decor.
One of the most beautiful cakes I’ve seen, made by Amy Beck Cake Design.
As a surprise to their guests, Ellen & Andy brought in a Hula performance during dinner. A lot of Ellen’s family is from Hawaii, so this was a way to honor that heritage.
I couldn’t resist ending on this one:
Ellen & Andy, you two are awesome. I loved every minute of working with you, and your wedding blew me away…such talent! I hope you’re having an amazing time in the South of France.
Vendor Contacts:
Venue: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum: http://www.naturemuseum.org
Florist: ZuZu’s Petals (Natalie) http://zuzuspetalsfloral.com
Planner: Shannon Gail http://www.shannongail.com
Videography: Ben Mahoney Productions (Aaron & Meg) http://www.
Cake: Amy Beck Cake Designwww.amybeckcakedesign.com
Tiffany & Co. Garden and ZED451 Wedding :: Claudia & Rob
I’m so excited to share this preview of Sunday’s wedding. Rob & Claudia are both sweet hearts. We all just clicked so well at their engagement session last year and I’ve been looking forward to their wedding day since then! I was a little nervous that their wedding would be affected by last week’s hurricane in New York, because they as well as all of their guests are from Long Island/NYC. Sadly, about a dozen guests and a couple of people from the wedding party weren’t able to make it out of the state, but thankfully the rest of the day went off without a hitch! 
The stunning bride and her two sisters.
The ceremony took place at the Tiffany & Co. Celebration Garden, lovely.
Love!
I looooved the light, it was perfect timing to be down there…such a treat.
Instant favorite. These two are just so great together!
…and this is why I love to photograph these two!
A bunch of my more recent weddings have been out of state and outside of the city, so I have been looking forward to this one…there’s nothing like shooting downtown. 
After wedding party photos we headed to ZED451 for the reception…ahhh-mazing restaurant venue for an intimate wedding. The atmosphere was perfect and the food was absolutely delicious!
Excuse me while I get carried away with table top shots…
Claudia & Rob, I hope you’re having an amazing time smashing around London! I hope you’ll get to see this preview before too long…I had so much fun putting this preview together for you, and can’t wait to show you more.
