The day I met this sweet couple, their love for each other was so visible, I knew I had to photograph their wedding. We met at Dollop Coffee on Ohio Street for their consultation, and let me tell you! I loved the details they shared about how they met, and their upcoming special day. Hearing their plans for a relaxed and intimate wedding at Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool in Lincoln Park Zoo, made me so excited to be part of their wedding!
Weddings are full of traditions. The classic example of this being the groom not seeing his bride before she walks down the aisle. It is absolutely ok (and special) to follow these classic wedding traditions. However, there is something so equally beautiful about seeing each other before the ceremony during “The First Look”.
Meet Mandy, the talented makeup artist and owner of Mandy Farmer – Makeup Artist and her new fiancé Tim. Here is part 1 of their proposal.
When Tim contacted me to share his plans for his secret marriage proposal to Mandy in Chicago, I was ecstatic! Dates were a little tough to come by in the timeframe but I knew I had to make any small space available in my schedule to capture this. And so, I did! My piece of the planning was to reach out to Mandy to plan a glamorous couple’s photoshoot by the Montrose Harbor at sunset, Tim would eagerly accept and the rest is history. Tim did a great job with planning every detail of the proposal, which included having both sets of out of town parents there. It was the perfect evening for their big moment at Lake Michigan. These two met on the water during a Royal Caribbean Cruise and so the location near the water was perfect. It was such a sweet moment to be part of it. I am so happy for my friends Mandy and Tim, they are just the perfect balance for each other. Here’s a look at all the happy!!
Part 2 of Laura and Kevin’s Chicago Garfield Conservatory Engagement Session. They wanted a natural, green-space and the nature in this greenhouse is endless and beautiful, it’s just such a peaceful and zen place in the middle of a big city. I love the city, don’t get me wrong between living in New York City the first 9 years of my life and Chicago the rest…I am 100% a city girl (Oh maybe add to that, a beach girl too…hahaha).
Kevin was literally the boy next door and that’s how Laura and Kevin met. They were neighbors and at a Christmas party that Laura and her roommate hosted, she gave him some leftover Swedish meatballs to take home and he texted her the next day to say he loved the meatballs; they went on a run together and the rest is history.
I met Laura and Kevin in July for their engagement photos and quickly was drawn to their personalities. They are such a sweet couple and I cannot wait to share more of Laura and Kevin’s engagement photos and love story soon. In the meantime, I wanted to start by sharing one of my favorite images of them in one of my favorite greenhouses in Chicago…the Garfield Park Conservatory. I had to start with my favorite room, the desert room! Why do I love this room so much? I love the desert room for many reasons but here are three of those reasons.
First, the light and colors in this room are absolutely beautiful; it serves as a perfect backdrop for your engagement, anniversary or wedding photos. It immediately became clear, that this was the perfect backdrop for Laura and Kevin. To add to the beauty of this day, we had the room (actually it felt like we had the entire conservatory) to ourselves, which was further proof that this was the perfect venue for the day. I mean, it really felt as if space was exclusively for them. Laura and Kevin’s engagement session is hands down one of my favorites here. From their outfit color choices to their easy personalities, I couldn’t have pictured any other space for them.
Second, this room holds a wide collection of cacti and succulents, which is unique to the Midwest. Therefore, it reminds me so much of the warm weather you will find in the West Coast and that I wish we had more of here in Chicago. I love the heat, so I will miss it as it will leave us soon.
Third, there is something very tranquil about this space. I mean I feel like that about the entire space as a whole but this room, in particular, feels even quieter and calm.
More images of Laura and Kevin’s engagement session coming soon. I hope you enjoy these few for now. I can’t wait to capture their wedding in October of 2018.
I needed to make time in the middle of my busy season to get this post out there finally! To believe our baby turned four this past Tuesday. I am feeling all kinds of emotions. Blessed for sure! Take it from an experienced mom of three — who’s feeling melancholy because I can’t slow down time — it just goes by too fast!
It feels like just yesterday, the little baby we were praying for was finally here. On another blog post, I’ll share more details about our 8-year journey, but this one is about wishing this gorgeous, sweet, and spunky four-year-old a Happy Birthday! We pray God will bless her with many more years of grace, mercy, good health and protection. We love you, Hazel! Or as you like to call yourself right now “Joy” (as in Disney’s Inside Out).
I met Brenda and Alex for the first time at a Starbucks in Forest Park, IL. Within minutes, I realized three things. First of all, they were so sweet. Second, their wedding would be just as incredible as they were. Finally, I just had to work with them. Thankfully, they felt the same way! I’m so grateful to Tionna Van Gundy, owner of Wedicity for introducing us.
Brenda and Alex’s story is one I often share with others. Again, they are a very sweet and also successfully driven young couple. Brenda and Alex were living in Indiana. They had to plan a wedding and a big move to Texas for Alex’s residency, all at the same time. Luckily they had their wedding planner, Tionna, to help them carry on with all the wedding details while the couple focused on their move.
Their wedding was perfect and intimate. I started at Brenda’s AirBnB at The LEX, in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood, and my second photographer, Alexandra, was capturing the groom at his future brother-in-law’s place in the Uptown neighborhood. We then made it out to the Promontory Point venue, right alongside Lake Shore Drive, which overlooks Lake Michigan — a perfect Zen scenery for this intimate wedding. The perfectly overcast sky — the rain holding off for the entire wedding — provided the perfect lighting on this early May day.
Alex was escorted by his mom and Brenda by her brothers. And since the couple adores their German Shepard, she was, of course, part of their day. (Fair warning to dog-lovers, you are going to fall in love with their Mila!) While their wedding was short and sweet, they managed to blend some traditions simultaneously with modern simplicity, which was perfectly suited to this young couple.
The reception was also lovely — it was more evidence of how much love these two had from their loved ones and you can see how happy they were to celebrate each other. All my best to you, Brenda + Alex on your new and exciting journey as Husband and Wife!
I love my weddings, and 2018 weddings are full of lots of fun and love. In between my weddings, I take on a few other events. Before my 2018 wedding season started, I had the honor to celebrate a sweet sixteen.
Nadia’s sweet sixteen ceremony took place at the beautiful space the Marriott Lincolnshire has to offer. The weather in early May in Chicago is unpredictable but the day actually turned out beautiful. Therefore, the ceremony was held outside overlooking the fountain and it was the perfect back drop for it. The reception was held in one of the tents at the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort, which was my favorite one of them all.
When I arrived at the hotel, Nadia had her make-up already done by Sandy of Beauty Within, and hair by Marisela from MN Hair Designer. The hair and make-up highlighted Nadia’s youth and beauty. Her blush ball gown was to die for! I’m a sucker for blush. Nadia was radiant!
This was such a fun celebration and Nadia looked like she was having a blast! Her parents, Damaris and Tito, did a great job with the planning. A sweet sixteen can be as involved to plan as weddings, I am sure Nadia will forever be grateful!
We hope you enjoy these highlights. Join us once again in wishing Nadia a very happy birthday!
A shout out to my assistant for the day, which was crucial in running my timeline for me. Thank you, Linda Ocasio!
Hello! I have something a little different today — a new fruit-and-veggie combo smoothie. I prep these for the week and freeze them in a large Ziploc bag (one bag serves two people). These smoothies are delicious and refreshing! If you have picky eaters in the house, or you yourself find it hard to eat veggies, this is a great way to get them in.
Before her big celebration, Nadia scheduled a fun session in downtown. Rather than rescheduling this portrait session for later in May, due to Chicago facing crazy weather lately (snow in mid-April!), we decided to go with it!
First, we started the day visiting Sandy of Beauty Within, for a perfect makeup application that enhanced Nadia’s natural beauty, keeping in mind that she was sixteen and not a bride. Later, we headed off to downtown and stopped by the Art Institute of Chicago, and though the museum was filled with people, we managed to find a few empty spots before braving the cold on Michigan Avenue.
I’m looking forward to photographing and sharing Nadia’s upcoming Sweet Sixteen party in the next few weeks. For now, here are some of my favorite shots from our portrait session. Enjoy!
