Illinois


Wedding Photography at Woodstock Square Illinois

By admin - Posted on 03 October 2009

This morning we met with our lovely bride Becky for bridal portraits and wedding photography in Woodstock Illinois. After the initial session with the bridesmaids and mother of the bride, our staff proceeded to Emricson Park, located at 898 W South Street, Bull Valley, Illinois 60098, to photograph the groom and the groomsmen. The ceremony was short and sweet, with exchanges of vows, and finally the couple putting in their favorite wine into a container to be opened the following year along with a love note by each of them. They left plenty of time for professional portraits with everyone!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
After the ceremony, everyone in the bridal party and family proceeded to Woodstock Square located at 121 E Van Buren St, Woodstock, IL 60098. There, two other weddings were just finishing and the rain was coming down, limiting our ability to photograph on the premises. Nonetheless, our bridal party squeezed into one of the lovely gazebo’s for a quick photo. Next we proceeded to Village Hall Banquets located at 8512 S Union Road, Union, Illinois 60180.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There we did multiple family portraits and bridal party photos. Then we proceeded to Wild Wild West Town for formal pictures of the happily married couple. They rode on the carousel and even went to the old fashioned jail… and Becky even got to “hold-up” her new husband while he was behind bars. We then returned inside and spent the remainder of the evening in dance and celebration. 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Congratulations Becky and Jeff!

 

 

Wedding Photography in Huntley and St Charles Illinois

By admin - Posted on 27 September 2009

Yesterday afternoon our photography staff photographed the gorgeous wedding of Susan and Michael from Dallas Texas. The weather was marvelous and held out! We had been watching the radar on the weather channel for days, hoping that the rain would pass over and leave us only clouds. We were in luck! The day was partially cloudy with no rain, perfect photography weather!
  
 
 
 
Our photographer met with the couple at St. Mary’s Catholic Church, at 10307 Dundee Road, in Huntley Illinois 60142. The church itself was a lovely vintage style building with great ceilings. Our groom entered in, nervous and excited to see his bride. Shortly after the ceremony the group stayed for formal and traditional wedding portraits at the altar.
 
 
After a wonderful ceremony, everyone drove to the Del Webb Golf Course at Sun City in Huntley, located at 12940 Del Webb Blvd, Huntley, Illinois 60142. There the family and photographer stopped for photos at the 16th whole, the spot where the bride’s father had scored a hole in one on the last hole of the green.
The remainder of the evening was spent at the St Charles Place Steakhouse, located at 2550 E. Main Street, Saint Charles Illinois 60174-2441. The couple danced the night away and even stopped for a few formal, artistic and silly photos.
 
Congrats Susan and Michael!

 

Starved Rock in Oglesby Illinois Wedding Photography in French Canyon

By admin - Posted on 12 September 2009

Today was another amazing and perfect day for wedding photography at Starved Rock in Oglesby Illinois. We met with the bride at Grizzly Jacks Grand Bear Resort water park, at the townhouses near Starved Rock Park. Such a great idea to rent out two side by side townhouses and for the bridesmaids and groomsmen to get ready at their respective locations. Our professional photography team split up, with our male photographer with the grooms and our female photographer with the bride.
 
 
While with the bride, we captured images of the bride getting ready, including makeup, hair, and dressed fitting. The balcony was an amazing place for romantic look out photos, as of Juliet looking down to her love Romeo on their wedding night. Lovely! The ladies all gathered in the master sweet for individual photos with the bride overlooking the forest behind their rented home.
While with the bride, we captured images of the groom getting ready, which at times meant pulling up the “how to tie a tie” application on the I-phone. Yeah, there’s an app for learning to tie your tie. Amazing! Those guys were such a fun group, with lots of laughter throughout.
We all traveled to the Starved Rock Lodge, where the wedding was about to commence. We highly recommend outdoor weddings at Starved Rock. If you are looking for “Romance at the Rock” then this is the place to get it. Their trained staff sets up plenty of chairs for everyone to sit comfortably. As the bride walked down the aisle everyone stared in awe. The beautiful bride to be greeted her groom with an excited and wide smile. I’ve never seen anything like it, a pure image of happiness and excitement.
After the ceremony the entire bridal party traveled down to the French Canyon for bridal photos into the heart of the hiking area. Along the way we met some nice hikers, applauding Jason and DeeDee on their wedding day. As the sun was setting behind the cliffs, we captured some beautiful wedding portraits at Starved Rock in French Canyon. We were deep inside surrounding by ancient walls of stone and history. Nothing like it. We captured some of the most amazing and unique wedding photos imaginable! After our hiking excursion through the trails, we headed back to the lodge for a relaxing evening of dancing and laughter.
In the coming months we will be working with the staff at Starved Rock lodge to get on their wedding preferred vendor list for wedding at the lodge. They are having a wedding expo called Love For Every Season-Bridal Expo. We are not yet confirmed to attend, so if you don’t see us there, please contact us directly for an in studio consultation and maybe even engagement photos.
Congrats DeeDee and Jason!

 

Wedding Photography at Independence Grove in Libertyville Illinois

By admin - Posted on 28 August 2009

This Friday we spent the evening photographing the wedding of Jackie and Paul, at independence grove in Libertyville Illinois. The morning was full of rain and clouds, so we all crossed our fingers in hopes that the day would turn positive. Just as our lead photographer arrived on site, the skies opened up and the sun peeked through. The rest of the evening had an amazing fall orange glow to everything. Simple radiant!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Jackie and Paul decided that they were going to see each other before the wedding. This allowed our photographer to focus our efforts on the family and posed portraits before the wedding ceremony itself. Further, we have seen from past weddings that once the couple has already seen each other, that it opens them up to have more fun, rather than be nervous about the ceremony itself. Then once the sermon starts, they are relaxed and actually get to enjoy the moments and enjoy each other.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
After the wedding, the couple had about an hour long cocktail hour with mingling in the room next to the main area. During the cocktail hour, our photographer grabbed the couple outside for a quick romantic sunset photo. The sun glowed an amazing color tonight… full of light, full of red, and full of orange. It was as if the sky had parted for us, for just those few minutes. These images reminded us of a Hawaii sunset, except it was here in the Midwest over the lake at Independence Grove.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The rest of the evening was spent in the company of DJ Rod Stare from Memory Makers Entertainment (www.memorymakersentertainment.com). Rod really got the crowd dancing and was superb to work with.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Congrats Jackie & Paul!

 

Wedding Photography at the Country Squire in Grayslake Illinois

By admin - Posted on 16 August 2009

This Sunday we returned to Country Squire Restaurant in Grayslake, Illinois for another 2009 wedding. We met with Randy and Adam alone for their getting ready photos and their family portraits. Things were a little behind schedule at first, however we managed to catch up and start things fairly well on time. Since the wedding itself was at noon, we had plenty of time with us.
 
The bride looked amazing as she walked down the aisle to her groom. She was simple glowing and laughing as the groom stood waiting for his bride to be. Both Randy and Adam somehow managed to smile, giggle, and laugh out loud during their wedding… keeping both themselves and their photographer smiling. Such amazing spirits!
 
The traditional Jewish ceremony was outside in the lovely gazebo and concluded with the breaking of the glass. This tradition represents the changing of the relationship, just as the glass will never again be the same, the couple will also be different as a newly united and married couple. The ceremony also included sharing of the wine, with the entire nuclear family and signing of the wedding certificate with the mothers.
The remainder of the afternoon was spent in traditional dancing, lifting up family in a chair (in a chair dance), circle dances, and finally newer and more modern dances. It was a wonderful afternoon full of laughter, dance, song, and good spirits! This family really knows how to have a fun party. 
Congrats Randy & Adam!

 

Wedding Photography at Bryon Colby Barn in Grayslake Illinois

By admin - Posted on 28 June 2009

This afternoon we were the professional wedding photography studio at the wedding of Shannon and Matt at the Bryon Colby Barn at Prairie Crossing. The barn is located at 1561 Jones Point Road, Grayslake, Illinois, 60030. The day was perfectly vibrant with plenty of sun and clouds mixed together.
 
The couple decided to see each other before the ceremony, which allowed us plenty of time for portraits and formal photography of the families and bridal party. Once we finished up the group photos, we proceeded with photos of the bridal couple, both formal and informal. And the two lovebirds even agreed to pose in the “American Gothic” setting with a barn in the background and the groom holding up a pitchfork. Lovely! Thanks guys! In a few months, after wedding season calms down, we will super edit the photo to make it a better design. We are thinking about adding in a brighter blue background and scratching up the image in an old fashioned manner. Just a few idea’s of what we can do with a solid image.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Back to the wedding… so after the formal portraits, the ceremony commenced with each side proclaiming their vows to each other in front of their dearest friends an family. During the vows the couple was in tears as were both mothers and the father. Glad we got the formal portrait complete earlier before the waterfalls. We were lucky enough to capture this beautiful moment of emotion from the parents. We loved seeing the love and the happiness!
 
The ceremony then also included a formal Celtic hand binding ceremony. In ancient Celtic culture, couples announced their marriage through what is now called, a hand binding. “When a couple joins hands and takes on a new life together, their destinies are tied into one future”. This tradition includes various colored cords to represent the four blessings in life, also known as the four elements of Water, Earth, Wind, and Fire. The green ribbon represents North, which is the symbol of earth, the foundation and sustenance of life and provides blessings of good health, happy home, groundedness and steadfastness. The yellow ribbon represents east, which is the symbol of air, which provide blessings of wisdom, good communication, learning, and intellectual growth. The red ribbon represents South, which is the symbol for fire, providing blessings of creativity, harmony, sensuality and vitality. And the final ribbon is blue, which represents West, and is a symbol for water, whose blessings bring upon us understanding, emotional support, intuition, and friendship.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The couples’ right hands were then bound together by their closest family and friends. In ancient Celtic times the newly married couples were bound together until they performed their first “act” as man and wife, meaning until they consummated the marriage. Since this is the 21st century, this couple decided to unbind their hands after the ceremony portraits were complete. Thanks guys! Our studio runs a PG-13 show here!
 
Finally, after the ceremony we proceeded directly into the barn for hors’devours, cocktails and dinner. One of the highlights of the evening was when the couple danced their first dance as husband and wife surrounded by mountains and mountains of flowing bubbles. As the dance started, their friends and family started blowing the bubbles, which were supposed to be for just after the ceremony, but had not yet been used at all. Everyone seemed to have joined in and blew the bubbles towards the center of the dance floor as the couple danced together to their wedding song. The photographer circled around the couple capturing this truly amazing and loving moment! Gorgeous!
 
Congrats Shannon and Matt! 

 

Wedding Photography in Village of Round Lake Beach Illinois

By admin - Posted on 13 June 2009

Last weekends wedding weather was nearly perfect for Lilly and Jody’s Round Lake Beach wedding. The clouds were mixed with lovely sprinkles of sunshine, which brought out the extra sparkle in all of the dresses! The ceremony and reception was held at the Village of Round Lake Beach Cultural and Civic Center in Illinois.
 
The couple decided to see each other before the ceremony, so we were able to complete a good quantity of important family portraits before the ceremony began. This allowed the couple to spend time socializing with guests, versus standing in place doing portraits. We were able to go from portraits, to ceremony, to reception, to dancing, all without any delay.
 
 
 

 

Wedding Photographer Lincoln Park Chicago Illinois

By admin - Posted on 11 June 2009

Wedding Photographer Lincoln Park Chicago Illinois. Affordable wedding photography and engagement portrait photographer in Chicago. Quality and professional photography services for nearly any price range. We are local to mckinley park, brighton park, archer heights, forest view, clearing, west lawn, back of the yards, gage park, canaryville, lincoln park, wicker park, uptown, cicero, berwyn, Bridgeport, Chicago, north riverside, Brookfield, lyons, la grange, westmont, downer’s grove, willowbrook, oak brook, roselle, elk grove village, franklin park, northlake, melrose park, darien, willow springs, hickory hills, oak lawn, chicago ridge, palos hills, worth, everygreen park, bedford park, wheaton, flossmoor, tinley park, orland park, romeoville, joliet, aurora, Naperville, batavia, Warrenville, west chicago, carol stream, south elgin, lansing, oswego, mokena, matteson, oak forest, palos heights, hazel crest, justice, hinsdale, berwyn, and chicago. Bridgeport Chicago, Mckinley Park Chicago, Back of the years Chicago, Fuller Park Chicago, Canaryville Chicago, Grand Boulevard Chicago, Douglas Chicago, Kenwood Chicago, Oakland Chicago, Dunbar Park Chicago, South Lawndale Chicago, Little Village Chicago, Greek Town Chicago, Little Italy Chicago, China Town Chicago, Ukranian Village Chicago, Wicker Park Chicago, Lincoln Park Chicago, Goose Island Chicago. Ask about your location if you do not see your city on the list. In addition our service extends up through Madison Wisconsin and down to Champaign Urbana. We are available for photography services anywhere in the Midwest, across the United States and through Europe. Please view our “recent events” for samples of recent weddings! Wedding photography in Chicago. Click on any image below to view the gallery of images. Thanks!

 

 

 

Family Portrait Photography in Uptown Bucktown Lincoln Park Chicago

By admin - Posted on 27 May 2009

Family Portrait Photography in Uptown Chicago, Bucktown Chicago and Lincoln Park Chicago area now available. See images below of samples of recent work. The family below is from Oak Park Illinois and visited us at your Bridgeport Chicago location, just off of I-94. Contact us today to schedule your babies first portrait, a smash the cake session, or new born family portraits. Our spring and summer calendar is filling up quickly… it is never too early for Christmas photos for those Christmas cards!!

 

Engagement Portrait Session In Libertyville

By admin - Posted on 26 May 2009

This afternoon was a marvelous day for an engagement portrait session through Independence Grove in Libertyville Illinois. The clouds gentle rolled across the sky and a gentle breeze came across the rolling fields. Every different season allows for different types of seasonal poses and use of the foliage.
 
I meet with Jennifer and Mark for their engagement portraits. We walked around the loop in the grove for the standard poses. It amazes me every time I meet with a couple about how different each session is. With the variety in the time of day, the wind, the sun, and the relationship itself, every engagement session is totally different.
 
Mark and Jennifer were both eager and happy to try the different locations and poses. Whether it meant hoping up on the bridge, walking through into the woods (and fighting the prickly pears), or snuggling up next to the cattails, both of these lovely people were quite adaptive to each scene. And Jennifer… I do think GQ and Modern Bride Magazine might actually be calling you for the jpg from today’s portrait session! Just send them my way and I’ll handle the rest! LOL! Click on any photo to view gallery.
 
Congratulations to Jennifer and Mark on your engagement!