Sarah and Greg’s Classic Summer Wedding set in the heart of Chicago’s Gold Coast at the beautiful historical landmark Germania Place was a wedding unlike any other. So many personal details went into the making of this wedding starting with the sweet gift exchange the couple gave each other before the ceremony at The Renaissance Hotel– followed by the interactive sermon (SO fun!) given by Father Mike Gabriel at the second oldest Roman Catholic Church in Chicago Holy Family Church.You could just feel the love and support from all 200+ guests from the start of the ceremony leading into the reception. It meant the world to Sarah and Greg as they had many guests who traveled near and far to gather together to celebrate with them for their one special day on August 27th.

The weather was perfectly sunny and kept the Bride, Groom and Bridal Party in high spirits as we ventured around the city in a Chicago favorite “Marilyn Jean” Trolley. I love when couples trust me enough to lead them to the best locations that this city has to offer including the uber pretty Cancer Survivors Garden in Maggie Daley Park. Followed by my favorite The South Gardens at the Art Institute. My fav and most fun DJ- Alli Klein from  Toast and Jam curated the best playlist for the evening and helped to created some very special moments for Sarah, Greg and their families while keeping the dance floor packed and pumping all night!

Not only was this day filled with heartfelt speeches and toasts from family members and dear friends of the couple but I could feel that Sarah and Greg were as excited to be celebrating and even more excited to begin their lives as a newly married couple. Thank you both for inviting Joe and I to photograph all the sweet details, tears, laughter, and love- we are truly honored! Cheers to you both as you continue to celebrate all the beautiful milestones in your lives together. xo

Head over the Borrowed & Blue blog to see Sarah and Greg’s amazing celebration featured today as well!

Ceremony: Holy Family Catholic Church

Reception: Germania Place

Wedding Coordinator: Macrina Oscampo with Germania Place

Florist: Friend of the Groom

Catering: Kenmare Catering

Cake/Sweets: Mariano’s

Videographer: RAC Visual

DJ: Alli Klein from Toast and Jam

Bridal Dress: Alvina Valenta

Bride’s Shoes: Nina New York

Bridal Shop: Dimitra’s Bridal Couture

Bridesmaids Dresses: Adrianna Papell

Bridal Hair: Salon Soca

Bridal Makeup: Deanna Lewis

Transportation: Premier Trolley and Limo

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We were thrilled to see one of our most favorite weddings we shot last summer featured on the Artfully Wed blog last week- we couldn’t wait to share a few highlights from Chris and Crisselda’s beautiful boho Chicago rooftop wedding! We had a beautiful bright summer day to celebrate alongside Chris and Crisselda’s nearest and dearest. Paired with a dream team to work alongside of making this romantic and bohemian Chicago style wedding one that will forever be one for the books! A special thanks to Naturally Yours Events for helping to pull the best Chicago wedding vendors to help make The Rudd’s wedding day a day to remember for a lifetime. Check out the Artfully Wed blog post for more details on this fab celebration!

Event Planner: Naturally Yours Events

Event Venue: Ignite Glass Studios

Lighting: Atmosphere Event Group

Floral Designer: Becca Blue Flowers

DJ: Cage and Aquarium

Cake Designer: Elysia Root Cakes

Bakery: Insomnia Cookies

Cinema + Video: Old North Film Co.

Photobooth: Glitter Guts

Heirlooms + Extras: Nimble Well

Catering: Paramount Events

Design + Decor: Shadowbox Dreams

Love is all around today- can you feel it?  I like to think that love for each other should be celebrated on a daily basis.  It’s the little things that add up like daily hugs and kisses in the morning with your loved one or cooking dinner together while sharing a bottle of wine. Or my favorite when Joe folds my laundry or makes the bed in the morning- haha- these little nuggets of daily love are what keeps love alive and a daily celebration of appreciation! May you celebrate with your love(s) today and for the rest of the year! xox

When Jamie reached out to us after seeing our feature on Wedding Chicks I knew that we had found our ideal client!  When we first met with Jamie to talk over initial wedding day details her energy and passion for her wedding day was what got us excited to work with her and her fiance Chris. That and the fact that they were having a ceremony overlooking Lake Michigan at Illinois State Park Resort was a huge bonus ( psst: we LOVE outdoor ceremonies!) A big part of the start of their relationship revolved around bike riding along the lake front so Jamie made sure that their engagement session AND wedding included her beloved beach cruiser in one way or another! It’s always such a great feeling to walk into a venue and just know that all the work the couple has done has really paid off and that it looks like THEIR wedding!

From morning until evening Jamie and Chris’ loved ones came together to celebrate the joining of two amazing people. We couldn’t have asked for a more fun, creative, and friendlier couple to work with!  Its always a huge honor when a fellow photographer (Jamie is a talented children portrait photographer) invites us to photograph their love story. Here are a few kind words from Jamie:

” I am also a photographer and finding my perfect wedding photographer was tough because of my own artistic visions and high standards, then I found Liz & Joe, the answer to my photography wishes!!!  Liz & Joe were amazing at bringing both my visions and theirs to life in such a gorgeous way…and I am AMAZED at how they brought my fiancé (does not love getting his photo taken) out of his shell! They really loosened both of us up so that we were natural and could have SO MUCH FUN….and we feel so lucky that we can call Liz & Joe new friends, they’re that great!! ”

Thank you Jamie + Chris for inviting us to photograph such an amazing day!  We wish you a beautiful marriage and many more dirty dancing solos! Love you guys 🙂

Wedding Ceremony + Reception: Illinois Beach Resort

Flowers: Balmes Flowers

Cake: Sweet Discoveries

Catering: Illinois Beach Resort

Hair + Makeup: RC Beauty

Dress: Gigi’s Closette

It’s been an exciting month hosting a few families for our first Chicago holiday mini sessions in our Logan Square studio. I love the fact that every family brought so much great energy to the set that it made it hard for me to pick my most favorites to send to my clients. As soon as they arrived we cranked up our Holiday Collection of tunes on Spotify to help get everyone into the Christmas spirit even more. We have a few more sessions lined up for the following week and I am so excited to keep our studio doors open for our clients this season.

I had the joy of meeting up with the Holden family on a beautiful Saturday morning. Nothing like kicking off the weekend on the amazing grounds at Elawa Farm in Lake Forest. There grounds are just exploding with flower beds which made for the perfect backdrop for this sweet family photo session. We had a blast!  Can’t wait until our next session!

We are thrilled about creating our first Guestbook sample using one of our favorite Engagement sessions to date. We are so passionate about offering these to our current and future clients mostly because I so wish that we would have done this with our own engagement photos. Not only is it a great way to bring together all of your favorite photos but its also a way to share your Engagement photos with your guests. Leaving plenty of white space on each page allows your guests to write there best wishes too.

And we are beyond thrilled to have found such a great book making company as well. Redtree Albums are hand crafted and bound using beautiful Fuji Crystal Archive paper with lay-flat binding. The front and back cover make the best canvases to show case your favorite image, with a single photo that wraps around to the back. We love these albums for there modern and minimalistic take on an heirloom.

It will surely be the best coffee table book you will love to flip through for years to come!

When we first met up with Jamie to talk about what she was envisioning her Engagement session to be like, little did we know that she already had her favorite spot on the lakefront picked out. Loyola Park is a special place that Jamie and Chris visit regularly either by taking long walks or by riding their beach cruisers. Needless to say that our engagement session was one of our favorites to photograph for sure! It’s so special to spend time in an area that means so much to a couple. We cannot wait to photograph Chris and Jamie’s beach wedding this summer too!!

We couldn’t have ask for a more perfect way to jumpstart this weekend by having our FIRST (eek!) official wedding featured on my favorite blog Wedding Chicks. Hop over to see all the gorgeousness from this Chicago Garden Wedding  and the coolest  couple to date!  We loved capturing Andy + Malerie’s romantic wedding story. There is truly no better feeling than spending the day in the presence of  love, family, and friends. A BIG thank you to Tiffany of A Splendid Occasion for introducing us to Andy and Malerie. We loved working alongside you and your amazing team!!

Venue: Chief O’Neill’s Pub
Flowers: FabFlora
Hair & Makeup: Lia of Nika Vaughan Bridal Artists
Dress Shop: BHLDN
Bridesmaid Dresses: Little Borrowed Dress
Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse
Dj: MaryMonica Music, Inc.
Lighting: UltraPom Rentals
Cake Stands & Dessertware: Vintage Place Settings
Macarons: Delightful Pastries