Ian + Jenny
I have know Ian for years so I was really excited when he messaged me to inquire about me photographing their upcoming wedding this fall. We met at the Naperville riverwalk and they braved the cold so we could get them some great engagement shots and some pictures of them with their adorable son as well!
Chicago G&L Bar and Montrose Beach Winter Engagement Session
Jennifer and Bob started dating two years ago, in December 2012. They met at G&L the year before as the bar was his regular dive bar hangout and it was the hangout for one of my girlfriends, Kimberly Arndt, as well. This is why we started our shoot at that very bar. They would hang out and be drinking friends at the bar,until one night when they realized there was a connection beyond friends and the rest was history. They got engaged on September 20th in Paris on the Love Lock bridge after a day of bike riding and sightseeing in the city. Does it even get more romantic that that?
Naperville Riverwalk Engagement Session
I met with Matt and Candice exactly one month after their wedding to do their post wedding couple shoot. We met in Naperville on the riverwalk and also went through some of the alleys to get some more urban images so they had a nice mix of images to decorate their walls of their new place with. Although I may need to see them again soon since they are getting a 4 legged new member of the family and he will want to be on the walls too! Enjoy your images!!
Graue Mill Oak Brook Engagement and Family Session
I had met Liz and Jesse through Bella Life photography a few years ago when her youngest was just a baby! When she had emailed me to inquire about wedding photography I was excited to meet her and talk about her awesome wedding since I hadn't seen her in a few years.
We decided on Graue Mill in Oak Brook for our location and then she and the family braved the cold for an awesome shoot with the most gorgeous light you could imagine. While it wasn't the warmest day I hope you can feel a little bit of the warmth she has within her beautiful family! Can't wait till your wedding!!
Hilton Head Island Rehearsal Dinner on a Boat
So it isn't often I photograph rehearsal dinners....but when that dinner is on a boat you can count me in!! The boat was just gorgeous, so much character, and what was even cooler is Mark had images of it when it was a working boat and when it was being built back in 1901. It is a Chesapeake buy boat used to transport oysters from the oyster bed ad back to Chesapeake bay. It was a gorgeous day in Hilton Head Island, Hot but not too hot! The appetizers where to die for, goat cheese pot stickers happened....and it was divine! Those came from a restaurant called NEO The band playing was Mike Walters Orchestra and they where so good that they had an audience on the harbor sitting and watching while enjoying the music. Mark joked we should charge a cover. So take a peak at their start of their wedding weekend! More to come from their wedding in the next few weeks
Caterer-NEO
Urban Chicago Engagement Session
I was so excited to hear from Sara about shooting her engagement photos. We had been trying to connect for quite some time so I was so excited it finally came to fruition! We decided on a cool urban shoot in the city after our initial idea of the museum campus was being taken over by Jack Johnson fans.
We started outside their apartment in the north side of Chicago. They had the cutest courtyard!
Then we needed to find a bathroom for a quick change! Lucky us there was a Binny's right around the corner!! Sara changed into this amazing blue dress!!!
Matt B and Angela's Chicago Beach Engagement
So you may see some familiar faces here as I had shot Matthew and Angela a few weeks ago in Millennium Park. Angela and Matthew also wanted to do a shoot on the beach but it was way too cold on our original date so we decided to do another engagement shoot at Montrose beach in Chicago. This was a special location to them since this is actually where Matthew Proposed! So here they are! I can't wait to photograph their wedding come this July! I also had my second shooter Kimberli come with me to this shoot so she could meet the couple before their big day!
After getting done on the beach we took a short walk to the wall to check out the skyline as the sun disappeared. There may of been some clouds of bugs as we walked though to get there. Matthew's reaction was hilarious, he really doesn't like bugs! But they soldiered though.
Chicago Museum Campus Engagement Photo Session LGBTQ+
I am so excited for you to meet Ian and Conor. I had the pleasure of meeting them about two weeks ago near the museum campus for their engagement shoot.
Ian is originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan (though he was born and spent his early childhood in Hartford, CT). He came to Chicago in 2003 to attend Loyola University and has been here ever since. Conor is originally from Atlanta, Georgia. He moved to Chicago in 2007 after graduating from Notre Dame.
How did you meet?
We met in an acting class at Black Box Acting here in Chicago, where we both now teach.
Who made the first move and who talked to who first?
Well, we met in an acting class and so we first got to know each other when the whole class would go out for drinks afterwards. After a few of these group outings it was Conor who asked Ian out officially (as in just the two of us).
What does you favorite date night consist of?
We have a tendency to be quite the homebodies. We have a ton of recorded Jeopardy’s saved up on our DVR and love to come home, cook dinner, and watch Jeopardy together with a glass of wine.
What are your plans for the summer? Anything fun?
We both have a pretty full teaching schedule at Black Box through the summer, but we’re hoping to take a weekend to visit Ian’s family in Michigan as well as Conor’s parents in New York.
Also, we should probably start planning our wedding…
How did the proposal happen?
To bring it back to Jeopardy… We can be quite competitive and have had to resort to writing down our Final Jeopardy answers and revealing them after everyone has had a chance to answer. On the night Conor proposed, he had pre-written a Final Jeopardy “answer” that asked Ian to marry him. We exchanged answers, Ian saw the proposal, and said yes! Conor had some champagne and roses ready and we celebrated.
(For the record…Ian got the question correct, Conor did not. It was something about Slurpees and 7-11).
What do you both do for fun, hobbies, interests?
We’re both actors. Ian is also a photographer (mostly actor headshots) and a yoga instructor. Conor is also a writer, a painter, he and does the marketing for Black Box. We like to cook and have friends over. We love spending time by the lake in the summer (although we’d love to be able to get over there more often)
If you could take a vacation together anywhere in the world completely paid for where would it be and why?
Conor: Hong Kong. Because I’ve never been to Asia and I think it would be really cool to explore that part of the world.
Ian: Somewhere warm with a beach. I’d also love to explore more of Europe.
Favorite color?
We both love blue.
Favorite Food?
We love Chipotle (we’re actually thinking about having them cater the wedding)
If you had to choose three words to describe your relationship what would they be?
Fun, Warm, Light-hearted.
If you had to describe each other what three words would you use?
Ian: Conor is funny, smart, and charming.
Conor: Ian is stubborn, adorable, and intelligent.
Millennium Park Chicago Engagement Photo Session
I met Matthew & Angela a little over a year ago now through my job with Bella Baby Photography. They have the most adorable son who is now 15 months who I have been photographing since he was a newborn. Their shoots have always been so fun and easy, and they are all so photogenic When Angela told me that she was getting married in July, My immediate question was if they had a wedding photographer and Viola they decided to book with me. I include an engagement shoot with all of my wedding collections so we decided to meet at Millennium Park in Chicago. This was a special place to them as this is where they actually met for the first time. We had a few reschedule due to some less than ideal weather, and I know you wouldn't know it by looking at these images but boy was it cold! Thanks guys for being troopers and I hope you enjoy them!
