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.

The best way to jump start a wedding weekend? Capture love in action by photographing a wedding proposal with the greatest cityscape as your background.  Planned by the best Proposal Event Planners (aka) The Heart Bandits– Along with the talented  Run for Cover the University of Chicago’s A Cappella group sang the couples song “Sweet Disposition” while CJ got down on bended knee to propose to his love  Elizabeth in front of Buckingham Fountain. Elizabeth’s surprised reaction was priceless and made the whole moment so amazing to capture! Congrats to you both CJ +Elizabeth- this is just the beginning!

Wedding Planning Proposal by: The Heart Bandits

 A Cappella Group: Run for Cover

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!

A few weeks ago, Joe and I jumped at the chance to adventure around the quaint Michigan town of Sawyer, with an amazingly sweet couple Chris and Criss! Chris’s childhood summers were spent in Sawyer at his families cottage.  We met with them their  first for coffee and chatted about how we would spend our day traveling around the town together stopping on the side of the road whenever something caught our eyes. And boy,  this little town did not disappoint, with its choices of beautiful rustic barns (check out the one covered in leaves!), open fields, and surrounding wineries. We had a blast hanging out with Chris and Criss while chasing the Michigan morning light. And what better way to end our engagement session than by savoring the local beers at The Round Barn Winery. We can’t wait to capture your wedding story next year!!

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

One of the most rewarding parts about being a photographer is the chance to experience tender new family moments like these. Greg and Katie welcomed the sweetest baby girl into their hearts and home and life will never be the same. Spending time with them at the Mellody Farm Nature Preserve in Lake Forest I experienced first hand what awesomely nurturing parents they both are. It was a joy filled afternoon spent alongside the a rustic landscape. Congratulations to you both!