Volek Party Barn Beecher Wedding
I was excited to hear when one of my photographer friends (one that I went to photo school with) had a sister in the market for a wedding photographer. I immediately leapt to action and met with Breanne and her sister Danielle to talk about her wedding and she hired me right on the spot. Brad and Breanne got married on April 26, 2014 on an unusually cold spring day. The cold did not faze them though, and the whole wedding party stood up with Brad and Breanne outdoors as they wed in Beacher, IL. Enjoy the look at their wedding day!
Second Shooter: Ania Scheiman
Preparation Venue: Comfort Inn Schererville
Ceremony and Reception Venue: Volek Party Barn Beecher
Event Planner: Breanne and her Mom
Hair and Makeup Artist: Bombshell Beauty Team
Additional Hair: Elise Lasso
Catering: Glenwood Oaks
Florist: Bloomingfields Florist
Cake Artist: Cakes by Jorie
Videographer: I Do Videos by Leo
DJ: Jammin' Joe
Bridal Salon: House of Brides for bridesmaids dresses and Bridal gown from A Lamour
Event Rentals: Mario's
Wedding Jeweler: We got my engagement ring at the Randolphs Antique Fair. It's a 1920's engagement ring.
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!
Gay Couple Portrait Session
Amanda and Jess where an amazing couple. I was so happy to get the chance to work with them during my time at Shutterfest this past week.
As some of you may know, I just returned from a photography convention last week called Shutterfest (there will be another blog post on that in the future). It was an amazing time and I was very excited and looking forward to taking two classes in particular, same sex posing for couples along with same sex weddings. I was so happy when on Nov. 20, 2013 Illinois became the 16th state in the United States to legalize same sex marriage. So many couples who have been unable to get married will now have the chance to do so starting June 1, 2014. I have always believed that love is love no matter race, religion, or sex. So the idea of being able to capture same sex weddings in my home state really made me excited. I did have questions though, so these classes, who where taught by the ever so talented Kristin Korpos really helped me figure out the details.
It was during one of these course I met the lovely Amanda and Jess. Now they where both just a dream to work with, I am sure you will be able to tell how natural they where in front of the camera, so really they made my work pretty easy. I got the chance to talk to Amanda after I got home to find out a little more about her and her Jess as I asked them about a million questions.
How did you and Jess meet?
"Weeeelll..we met while i was bar-tending at a bar in Belleville, Il.
Turned out we had mutual friends and i totally stalked until i found her and sent her a friend request!
She asked me out for drinks and food and we became inseparable.
We drank and smoked too when we met then quit BOTH together!!! (each for personal reasons but we became even more attached since we wanted the same things)."
Any Fun Summer Plans?
"Summer plans we are going to Destin, FL with her parents in November! WE CANT WAIT!!"
Do you guys have any fun hobbies or interests you share in?
"Our hobbies, activities, and interests all surround working out, eating healthy, and doing projects around the house together!
The house we live in older and we are updating it before we decide to get a new house within the next couple years or so!"
The mandatory what is your favorite color question.
"Jess's favorite color now is neon green. Mine would probably be pink or black..i think black is sexy!"
If you could go on your dream vacation all expense paid where would it be?
"If we could go anywhere all expenses paid, we would go to Bora Bora! And stay in one of those private bungalows, we think they're so cute!"
"Three words that best describe our relationship:
(me) Soulmate. Perfect. True.
(Jess) Corky. Real. Effortless.
Three words that describe Jess:
Onry. Beautiful. Inspiring.
Three words she describes me:
Loyal. Spastic. Pleaser.
Her favorite food is sandwiches.
My favorite is chocolate!!
She's my blonde haired, perfect combination of handsome and beautiful. Thats what I tell her all the time."
Illinois Winter Maternity Photoshoot in Red Dress
I was so excited to shoot this maternity session with Caroline and her hubby as they wait to meet that little boy or girl thats been cooking for 8 months now! They are waiting to find out if its a boy or girl and a have a boys named already picked out if it is indeed a little man in there. I hope you enjoy their session blog from their shoot at their home and the forest preserve. These guys where troopers, we had sub-zero temps and you would never know it from looking at them!
Love Is...
"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends."
Corinthians 13:4–8a
In 2011 I met an amazing group of women from across the whole country by chance. We all where at the WPPI U event in Atlanta. I had traveled to the event with Jasmine Lopez and we went without knowing anyone else. I believe we where looking for somewhere to eat lunch at they had two open seats at their table. We all began talking and exchanging business cards and then that led to us somehow eating dinner with the Sal Cincotta, Sue Bryce, and George Varanakis. I am still not entirely sure how that happened, but it was awesome, and out of it bloomed a forum where we have all kept in touch and even visited each other. I love these wonderful women and I don't know what I would do without their guidance. We are participating in a blog circle and with each month comes a new theme. This month's theme was Love. Please be sure to click to the next blog at the end of mine!
Love is so many things. To me, my grandma is love, as we spend these last few weeks with her I keep flipping though my computer digging up all the images I have taken of her. This is my grandma and how I will always remember her. When people you love are sick it's the hardest thing in the world, even harder when they can't remember who you are or who their family is. That doesn't mean they don't love you though.
Before my grandma had complications from a blood transfusion, I went over to their house, where I grew up. She had no idea who I was, but she was happy I was there. She happily looked at photos of my dog on my phone and I told her how I used to live there with her and grandpa. When I finally left I told her I loved her and she gave me the biggest hug and kiss saying she loved me so much with what looked like tears in her eyes. I will always remember that hug and those words she said.
To see what Mariannes interpretation of our topic was please click here
Welcome to my new website!
So I am so excited to welcome you all to my brand new website! It has been a work in progress for almost two years now and finally it is live! With the new website comes a new focus for weddings in addition to my portrait work. I also have brand new pricing for my weddings and for my portrait sessions. My wedding pricing is live at this point and you will see a sneak peak at my portrait pricing as well. Stay tuned for exciting blog posts about all the products I am offering and more details about my gorgeous wedding albums. I would like to give a big thank you to Jasmine of Jazi Photo for her work on my website and branding. She is such an amazing designer, photographer, and all around person! She is also the one responsible for all the photos you see of me and the hubby on this website and in this very blog post. I am excited to share with you a recent shoot we did with Jasmine below. Lady, our italian greyhound, was also a subject in our last shoot, how cute is she! I swear she is the most spoiled dog in the world!
