Dawn and Ben were nice enough to let Jarrod tag along for his first shoot with me. I am so glad they let him come to the shoot because it was a blast!
They were awesome! They had a great place in Logan Square where we started and ended our shoot. They welcomed us in their home to start with. |
| We stepped outside for some gardening. |
| They had some beautiful landscape going on. I guess they should considering that is what Ben does for a living! |
| We had to use the garden hose! |
| Dawn got out the hula hoop for a cute shot! |
| Her dad was all smiles watching her being silly. |
| And then things got even sillier! |
| We headed down the street for some raspberry pickin'. |
| Dawn and Ben weren't the only ones tasting the berries. Me and Jarrod were loving them too! |
| And then some edible flowers. |
| They got their bikes out for a few shots. I love this one. |
| Dawn shows off her mad biking skillz. Yes, with a "z". |
| If you look close enough you can spot a rainbow. =) |
| The light rain made for some awesome shots! |
| This is the spot where Ben was just approved to start a beautiful landscaped trail near their house. Can't wait to come back and shoot here on their wedding day! |
| I may have to start doing all of my shoots in Logan Square! |
| The birds were getting out of the storm. And fast! |
| And then they ran to the next spot. |
| Ben wanted to shoot near this graffiti. I never say no to graffiti. =) |
| A random swing right in the heart of Logan Square. |
| We finished our session playing in their front yard. Yes, they have a yard. Anyone else jealous? |
| I am a little obsessed with this shot. I think Dawn looks gorgeous! |
| Seriously, unforgettable. Can't wait to see you both again. |
Ashley and Scott jumped in my car and we toured the city together. My favorite way to shoot engagement sessions!
Our first stop was near Bottom Lounge and this VW van fell from heaven. I would love to own it. So cool! |
| We definitely used it to our advantage. |
| After we took advantage of the van we headed down the street to find some more great spots. |
| We left downtown and headed to Montrose Harbor. I do not get to shoot here often and I forgot what a great spot it is! |
| Scott's shoes took center stage! |
| The bird sanctuary is definitely one of Chicago's hidden gems! Love it. |
| They played around with sunglasses, hats and bubbles! |
| They let me make them look miniature in a few shots. |
| And then we ran over to their place to photograph them with their best friends. |
| I love the painting on the wall of their apartment that Ashley is working on. |
| See you at the wedding next month! |
| Kate was almost ready as soon as I arrived! I knew that she was going to look amazing when I noticed that Morgan was on duty! |
| It didn't take long until she was ready to walk out of the door. |
| We were off to the ceremony! |
| Kate was definitely ready for the "big show". =) |
| One of the guys sent this to a bridesmaid. Had to get a shot of it! It was definitely dress up time... |
| This was the first Catholic church where the priest actually invited me on the altar to get this shot! |
| Her mother got a little choked up. |
| The church was gorgeous! Kate and Drew are really involved with the church and actually helped with the construction that is currently going on. I tried my best to hide the remnants of the construction! |
| And it was a hot one! The guys came well prepared with their handkerchiefs. |
| I love this shot of the priest. |
| A detail from the church ceiling. |
| Drew's mother helps out with the communion. |
| Braxton got this great image of the newly married couple! I love a good balcony. =) |
| They live right across the street from the church. We ran upstairs to do a quick shot on their balcony. I grabbed a quick shot of their church steeple too! |
| And the couple with the amazing view. |
| A shout out to the World Cup. Drew and the guys were hanging out in the park across from the church before we headed out for photos. |
| Loving this shot of the driver patiently waiting for us to board the bus! |
| We headed to one of their favorite streets in the city! |
| The tree line street made for some great pictures. |
| And the light was amazing. |
| Up next...Fulton Market! Again, loving the light!! |
| Kate found this on this text on the sidewalk. |
| Not sure what the groomsman is doing with that 2x4!? |
| I love shooting in this part of town. |
| Heading to another location. |
| Off to the next spot. Yes, that is a real bird. Crazy, right? Braxton has been getting some amazing images this season!! |
| Pointing to our next location. |
| Can't go wrong with the trains! |
| One of the guests was nice enough to hold a bridesmaid bouquet before we entered the reception. |
| We finally arrived at Spiaggia's, the location of their reception. |
Some details.
The view of the lake from their reception. |
| Kate and Drew donated to the March of Dimes. A great cause! |
| Kate made a guestbook and I used one of the pages for the ring shot. Kate took all of the pictures. |
| Kate and Drew enter the room. |
| Kate's best friend gets a hug after her speech. |
| The music starts for their first dance. |
| Drew's sister and father give me the stink eye! |
| I love this one. She just looks totally over it. |
| We headed outside for some fun shots! |
| And that's a wrap. I love this parting shot of Drew heading back to the party. |
| Have a great life together!!! |
Lindsey and Oliver planned a wedding and planned it fast! They had three months to get everything together and have a beautiful Tuesday wedding. I was so excited that they asked me to photograph for them. Ten guests and two people who are very in love. Very laid back and lots of fun.
They were married at the gorgeous Bond Chapel on the University of Chicago campus. They got ready in an empty classroom next to the chapel. |
| Nika Vaughan helped Lindsey prepare for the big day by doing some beautiful makeup for her! |
| She helps her mother with the flower. Hmmm, her mother looks scared of getting stabbed in the chest! |
| Her flowers were awesome!!! |
| The time came to step in the dress. |
| The intimate ceremony was about to begin. |
| I love this shot of Oliver waiting to make his entrance. |
| Her mother was not impressed by my sneakiness. |
| Oliver and his brother watch Lindsey make her way down the aisle. |
| Bond Chapel has to be one of the most beautiful and quaint ceremony sites in the city. |
| A special candle was lit in honor of Lindsey's father. |
| Amanda whipped out the super wide angle and got this great shot. |
| They decided to do a ring warming ceremony. It was very touching. They had each of their guests hold their rings and say a little something about their hopes for the couple. |
| Oliver's mother and father. |
| Oliver's grandmother couldn't make it to the ceremony but she sent a family heirloom for them to open after the ceremony. |
| They called to let her know they were a married couple while Oliver's father taped the special moment. |
| We photographed around campus for awhile. It's an awesome place! |
| We left campus and headed to the Planetarium for a skyline shot. |
| Some Chicago firefighters were taking a break in one of the prettiest spots in the city! |
| Then we stopped off at the Art Institute. |
| Had to take this! And no, she was not like the girl on the sign! |
| On the left: Married for the 30 minutes. On the right: Married for 30 years. =) |
| My home away from home. The Kinzie bridge. |
| Love this shot of Lindsey! |
| All of their guests were waiting for them at the top of the Hancock building to celebrate. No reception. Just laughs and drinks! |
| They love to knit. I love a cute ring shot. |
| Thanks for a cute, fun and laid back day! |
| When I walked in Corina's room I noticed this Father Of The Bride DVD laying near the television. She said that she watched it the night before with her mother and father. How cute is that?! Plus, I love Steve Martin and I wanted a picture of him on the blog. =) |
| The ladies toasted to a fun day! |
| Corina steps into her dress with the help of her mother and some friends. |
| One of the bridesmaids took a peek to make sure she had all of the help she needed! |
| We headed out to catch a cab to meet up with Jay. |
| Her mother grabbed a quick shot. |
| And Corina posed for the camera! |
| They decided to meet up with each other at one of their favorite restaurants in the city, La Scarola. They love to come here for special date nights. It is a very cool place and pretty historic. The owner was nice enough to buy drinks for the entire wedding party. Very cool! |
| Jay was waiting for his bride. |
| We ran across the street and joined the crowd that was hanging out for a parade. |
| We headed back to the restaurant to wait for the wedding party to arrive. |
| They had a few drinks before we headed around town for more photos. |
| Those party buses bring the crazy out in everyone! |
| Corina got some help from Jay and the best man so that we could shoot on a loading dock. |
| Back on the party bus and on our way to North Avenue beach. |
| Always a colorful crowd at the beach! |
| A quick shot in the parking lot. |
| Our first of many "Cub" shots. They are kind of obsessed. =) They actually met each other at Wrigley so we had to head to the stadium. |
| Before we left the beach Corina spotted this Blazer covered in hearts. |
| Cubby blue shoes, blue bridesmaid dresses and a bat and ball. Wrigley Field here we come! |
| This was the ticket from the game they met at. |
| And we arrived at Wrigley. |
| The brick that Jay purchased for Corina's family. |
| A quick shot before we headed in for "cheezborgers" and drinks. =) |
| It was SO Chicago and that was awesome! |
| The owner grabbed a quick photo with the happy couple. |
| We left in a hurry to head to the ceremony site! |
| As we were leaving there was a scavenger hunt going on. They had to take a bite of someone's burger and one of the groomsmen was happy to help them out! |
| It was too good not to finish! |
We arrived at Washington Square Park for their ceremony. It was beautiful out and the ceremony was perfect!
The ring bearer was not that impressed though. |
| He made it down the aisle with some help from the groom. |
| Her father hands her off to Jay. |
| Jay's mother was all smiles. |
| The amazing view from the park! |
| Corina's very proud father. |
| The light was definitely on my side! |
| And these next two cocktail hour pictures just had to be posted! |
| Corina's father started the reception by thanking everyone for coming. |
| The maid of honor makes the groom blush. |
| Corina's father brewed some wedding day ale. It was great. Yes, I drank on the job. =) |
| Jay and his mother. Love the tissue shot! |
|
