Naperville Riverwalk Mommy and Me Session
I have known Nicole for years now and can't believe her little baby is not such a baby anymore. We decided on a park right off the Naperville Riverwalk right around sunset and the results were stunning. Enjoy a look at their shoot!
Paul + Emily Married
I had met with Emily to discuss her wedding a few months ago and was instantly in love with all the fun and DIY projects they had, Star Wars Boutonnieres, and custom made action figures Yes PLEASE!! We couldn't of asked for a better day, once again not to hot and no rain hooray!
During their ceremony, One reading or quote rather really stuck with me.
"'We’re all a little weird. And life is weird. And when we find someone
whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into
mutual weirdness and call it love.'
How true that statement is and to find that other half that does work with your weirdness, it's truly a blessing. Emily and Paul were both surrounded by big families who were so happy for them on their big day. Villa Olivia provided the perfect backdrop to their ceremony and reception! Once the reception started and the best men and maid of honor made their speeches. The whole room was laughing, these were some of the funniest speeches I had ever heard. So take a look at their special day bellow!
Hair - Valerie Giacobbe at Plush Salon
Makeup - Benefit Boutique In Downtown Naperville
Venue - Villa Olivia
DJ - Dave Alvarez 312-479-3557
djdave_alvarez@ymail.com
Wedding Dress - Wtoo - A Joyful Occasion
Rings - Hers Kay Jewelers
- His Touchwood
Second Shooter - Courtney Scheimann
Jesse + Liz Married
Jesse and Liz's wedding was a pretty amazing day. The rain decided to hold out till we were all under the tent for the reception and it was nice and cool instead of sweltering like June weddings can sometimes be. Liz was radiant in her gown, a lace fit and flare number while Jesse was dapper in his suit complete with bow-tie. Their two children Mateo and Isaac were also dressed to the occasion and walked Liz down the aisle to meet their dad at the altar. Well Mateo walked her down and Isaac wasn't quite as sure. It was adorable to say the least.
After the ceremony we headed to the Worth Metropolitan Water Reclamation District for family photos and photos of Liz and Jesse together. I was in love with the backdrop we had for their photos. I have also never taken such a large family photo, so I am happy we had ample space to make that happen for them! Jesse and Liz both come from large families and we had the largest group at the whole park.
The night ended with the reception in Liz's sister's backyard. They had so much food, music and laughter. The night ended with Jesse being thrown up in the air by his friends, something I have never witnessed first hand. It was amazing and a beautiful day, congratulations Jesse and Liz!
Hair and Makeup - Javier Nieto
Flowers - Grapevine
Dress - Eva's Bridal in Oak Lawn
Ceremony - St.Patricias
Catering- La Casa Samuel
Cake - Bombon
DJ - Alex Perez
Jenny + Ian Married
I was so happy when Ian reached out to me about photographing his wedding last year. I have known Ian since high school so I was especially excited to photograph their big day. Ian and Jenny are the most amazing couple. You can see just how in love with each other they are once you meet them. They have an adorable son named Elliot who is their pride and joy and who I have been able to photograph during their engagement shoot and of course their wedding.
Their wedding was amazing and their party bus was filled of sing-a-longs and beers. The soundtrack to their wedding included such fine bands as Backstreet Boys, Aaron Carter, and Spice Girls, what more could one want in the music of their day.
Hair- Tamara Makeup – www.tamaramakeup.com
Makeup- Gabrielle Kalnins – O’Hara and Friends Salon
https://www.facebook.com/OHaraAndFriendsSalon
Wedding Venue- Stony Creek Golf Course-http://www.golfstonycreek.com
Reception Venue- Holiday Banquet Hall - www.holidaybanquets.com
DJ – Nick Vera - http://impulseentertainmentdjs.com-
Videographer – Josh Siegers - http://jksproductions.com/
Photobooth – Big Hugs Photobooth- www.bighugsphotobooth.com
Cupcakes/Cake – Naples Bakery - www.naplesbakery.com
Second Shooter- Courtney Scheimann
Little Miss J
I was so excited when I got a call from Little Miss J's mom looking to book a shoot for J's second birthday. We had so many ideas but decided on a trip to the park, followed by a tea party and some dancing in mom and dad's room. She was so excited about the whole shoot, but especially about eating all her animals raisins. Take a look bellow!
The {K Family}
I was excited to plan this shoot with the K Family for their adorable daughter Lily and her birthday! She just turned 1 on May 24, 2014. According to Jennifer.
Favorite food: Blueberries (but cheddar cheese is a close second!)
Favorite activity: crawling/exploring/getting into anything she can! She also loves swinging on the swing at the playground.
Three words to describe our family: love, laughter, and blessed
For her first birthday party, her grandma, grandpa, aunt, and uncle are coming to Chicago to celebrate! Her birthday party is pink-themed, with a vanilla smash cake with pink frosting for her and pink cupcakes for everyone else! And if the weather is nice, they'll celebrate by taking Lilly to the zoo!
Matt and Jen have been married for almost 5 years. They met in Chicago though he's from Michigan and she was from NC. As a family of 3 now, they love to spend the weekends taking Lilly for walks, especially when the weather's nice!
Same-Sex Brookfield Zoo Wedding
I had the pleasure of photographing Dave and Paul's gorgeous zoo wedding this weekend! What a gorgeous setting for a wedding and no one could of asked for a more perfect day. The weather was amazing, not too hot, not too cold, just right! Their ceremony and reception were filled of laughter and joy. One of the readings from their ceremony you can read bellow their images and was just the most amazing lyrics from a song sang in the musical "Catch Me if You Can". They had delicious signature drinks at the cocktail hour with the giraffes, followed by an awesome reception with some amazing musical choices for the dance floor. If you have never heard Downtown and Mrs.Miller, listen to it....you are in for a serious treat!
A Special thanks to the Officiant, DJ Benson, the couples great friend"She really made it personal and gave us a chance to turn around and take in the crowd. It was a breathtaking moment." said Dave
The venue for the wedding was the gorgeous Brookfield Zoo
The DJ was their friend's brother Jeff Beilfuss
The flowers were by Bride's Choice Wedding Flowers in Lisle. Mary Kenny was the flower designer.
Invites were through WeddingPaperDivas.com.
The cake came from Lezza Bakery in Bellwood which Brooke did.
The suits were through Formally Modern Tuxedo in Countryside. http://www.formallymodern.com/ Carmelo helped them in particular
Also a huge thanks to Ania Scheiman for being my amazing second shooter for the day!
I've seen the seven wonders
if you give or take a few
But all them seven wonders
well they can't compare to you
I've been a lot of places
Yes I've traveled near and far
But now I know that home is where you are
Niagara Falls a leaky faucet that a plumber oughta fix
The Pyramids are really just a dusty pile of bricks
The Taj Mahal a fixer upper
The Grand Canyon just a hole
The Grand Canal in Venice an Italian toilet bowl
I've seen the seven wonders
if you give or take a few
But all them seven wonders
well they can't compare to you
I've been a lot of places
Yes I've traveled near and far
But now I know that home is where you are
The Aurora Borealis just a night light on the fritz
And Stonehenge it's just a bunch of rocks
La Brea's tars the pits
I've seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa it looks like somethin' up and broke
Mount Rushmore someone climb up there and tell them boys a joke
Yes my travellin days are over
You get the check I'll pay the bill
Cause I see all the wonder in your eyes
Just standin' still.
I've been a lot of places
But I've learned now near and far
There's no need to roam
Cause home is where you are
There's no need to roam
cause home is where you are
yes now I know that home is where you are.
Paul + Dave
I am excited to introduce you to Paul and Dave, I had the pleasure of photographing them at the Brookfield Zoo a few weekends ago and have the honor of photographing their wedding this weekend at the Brookfield Zoo.
Paul and Dave met while they were both out with friends the night before Thanksgiving in 2000. They started talking early in the night and before they knew it, it was last call.
During the weekend, we like to shop, play games with friends and family (especially mah jongg) and go up to the place they share with family in Michigan.
Dave grew up in Elmhurst and went to Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. Paul grew up in Deerfield and went to Brandeis University in Boston. Dave can easily find his way around the western suburbs but gets lost up north. Paul can find his way easily around the northern suburbs but gets lost out west. That's why they say they are so perfect for each other. And they have a cat named Delilah.
The { K Family}
I was so excited to come meet miss L. She was two months old for our session and was filled with smiles. It was quite a rainy spring day so we stayed inside for our shoot which provided some great dramatic light that only can happen on days like that. There is always a silver lining to any kind of light I have never seen such a smiley two month old! We had such a great time at our shoot and mom and dad were just awesome to work with!
Peninsula Hotel Brunch Winter Wedding
I met Jennifer while shooting Sara and Steves wedding this past summer, You can even see her in an image with Sara and all the girls at the end of my blog post! I was so excited that she wanted me to shoot her engagement shoot and wedding. Once we started talking the details about her wedding I was instantly excited, from the wire cake rack filled with donuts, her one of a kind ensemble, to her gorgeous custom made engagement ring I was hooked! They had a fabulous wedding in the early afternoon followed by brunch. I think more people should have brunch weddings, they are just so laid back and fun! We even braved the freezing cold to get a few show in the city! So take a peak at her wonderful wedding day! Happy 1 week anniversary Jennifer and Bob!
Venue- The Peninsula Hotel www.peninsula.com/chicago
Flowers - Steve's Flower Market, owner Mary Ziemba, www.stevesflowermarket.com
Donuts - Doughnut Vault, worked with Jessi DiBartolomeo, www.doughnutvault.com
Rings - Love and Promise Jewelers, worked with Shirley Kam, www.loveandpromisejewelers.com
Dress - designed by Stephane St Jaymes. Contact at +1 (908) 502-2092
Officiant -Yolanda Valle Yolanda.valle@cbre.com
Graphic Designer - for invites, programs, placecards, etc was Michael Krzewicki, www.mdsgnchgo.com
