I can honestly say that we work with THE best couples. Thankful for this great wedding review from one of our amazing 2015 couples Michelin & Will. They were married at beautiful http://www.qasbasilica.org/ where Michelin’s mother and father also held their own wedding ceremony at as well. Their elegant reception was held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Chicago. Such a special day for this couple that we were so honored to be a part of. Here is more from the bride:

 “Planning our wedding from a far was a bit of a challenge. We could not have a face to face meeting or see everything in person. Liz & Joe were the absolute best at working through that challenge. When we first decided to consider them as our photographers Liz was great about emailing us materials. When we were pretty sure they were what we wanted they set up a Skype date so we talk through our expectations in detail. A few months before our wedding they set up a meeting with us on a weekend when we were in town to discuss last minute logistics. They also put up with viewing our engagement pictures that we had done in Philadelphia (where we live) so I could show them what I believe are our best angles.”

“On our wedding day they were amazing. It was a long, HOT day and their energy kept us going. We were really ready to get into the air conditioning at some points throughout the day but they encouraged us to get a few more photos, which I am VERY grateful for because they turned out amazing. They captured every moment I wanted. Whenever I wanted to snap a photo with a group of friends they were right there. The photos are unbelievably beautiful, my husband and I, as well as our family and friends look like our best selves. Liz & Joe had their work cut out for them capturing difficult subjects: small children, our beloved dog, and our big families, but it all turned out great. We are a relaxed couple – we do not take ourselves seriously and I really think all our wedding photos capture who we are and what the day was to us. I could not be more thrilled. They are the BEST!”

Looking to gift someone special a family or kids photo session this Spring or Summer? Wanna surprise your wife with an Anniversary OR Maternity session? Or traveling to the Midwest and want to capture an afternoon on the lakefront? Personalized gift certificates for any occasion are now available! Message me to start planning your next photo session. Email: info@coachhousepictures.com

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 a blast photographing Eric and Natalia’s urban Engagement session last week. We started at the beautiful Chicago Riverwalk and ended the evening at Olive Park where I got to know more about their love for Northwestern (that’s where they first met), Harry Potter, and musicals. We are so excited to be working alongside Naturally Yours Events for there wedding next July at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago.

I’ve been photographing the May family for over a year now so when Katie asked me to photograph her sweet baby girl’s 1st birthday bash- I knew it was going to be

a great celebration!  Arabella celebrated in style with a zebra themed birthday bash. Her talented mama- Katie created lots of sweet touches to help pull all the decor together!

It was a great afternoon spent outdoors at their Lake Forest home among close friends and family. Happy Birthday Arabella!!

After months of staring at this pile of beautiful looking (and smelling) Walnut planks- the day has finally come to announce the newest addition to the studio!  Joe and I scoured Pintrest for inspiration before he made any cuts and we finally came to a consensus on this final design. We both LOVE mid century modern design so we were inspired to create something that had sleek and somewhat angular lines on the legs.  If you are in the market for a DIY table I would highly recommend checking out Owl Lumber in Lombard or Des Plaines for a great selection in lumber. The guys there were super helpful and answered all of our assemble questions. We also utilized our local Crafty Beaver store for some hand tools and other miscellaneous items.

Joe was the real mastermind behind this whole project from start to finish.  I was his assistant (and safety police) while running the 8 ft planks through the table saw. Since we don’t have a basement we lived with sawdust in the air for about a week straight. But all the cleaning afterwards was well worth the finished piece. Our table now serves as a place to meet with clients and we are excited to be hosting my family next weekend for lunch too! We so look forward to creating many more happy memories around our newest addition.

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!!