When Cathy and Tine approached me about photographing their wedding, I was so touched. Cathy has been like family to me ever since I can remember, and for her to trust me with a day like this was one of the biggest compliments I could ever receive. They started off thinking it would be a pretty small and intimate celebration, but as the Filipino way would have it, it turned into a wedding with over 200 guests (OK, I guess for some people that is a small wedding, but still!).  I’ve never seen St. Martha’s chapel so full before! It was a testament to the fact that Cathy and Tine have so many people who love them, and their day was a beautiful celebration of love, life, and family.

I’ll start off with one of my favorite images of the day:

Here is what she looked like the first moment that I saw her,  just about to put on her dress – looking gorgeous already:

Cathy got ready with her mama sitting by just a few feet away. Happy Birthday Tita! You looked amazingly beautiful!

Since the day was literally packed from beginning to end with no time between the ceremony and the reception, Cathy and Tine opted to see each other before the ceremony, what we photogs call doing the ‘first look’. I love when the bride and groom do this because it allows me as the photographer to capture the beauty of these real moments -  just the two of them seeing each other and interacting without being distracted by hundreds of people watching them. One of the most wonderful God-given gifts about being a photographer is having that ability to share  a unique perspective. Knowing this couple for as many years as I have, I wanted to make sure they could really see what I see when I look at them. Cathy and Tine, here’s what your love looks like to me:

It is deep, and profound, and beautiful…

It is strong and nurturing:

It is exactly the perfect kind of love that everyone hopes for:

A detail shot of the beautiful bouquet:

Just a pretty, soft portait of Cathy:

Tine ready to make this bride officially his!

We headed over to the church right after the first look. This is the same church that Justin and I got married in four years ago, at the grammar school that Cathy and I both attended growing up, so it has such a special meaning to our families:

Cathy is absolutely glowing here:

Married!

A few more heart felt moments at the reception. I’ll admit this is exactly when I lost it and had tears flowing down my face as I was shooting these:

How could you not? This is what wedding days are all about – these moments right here:

Their first dance together as husband and wife. Cathy sang the song to Tine with her whole heart:

Congratulations again Tine & Cathy. Love you both!

To view more images from Cathy and Tine’s wedding click here.

Earlier last month, I was one of the lucky few able to attend a workshop with Bob and Dawn Davis. I had always admired them from afar and was so ecstatic to finally be meeting them in person. They are such wonderful and giving people – even more amazing in real life than I expected them to be.  I have to say, I was truly floored by the amount of knowledge I walked away with after two days with them. On the first day, we had an incredible shoot with several models. Bob spent time with us in the morning lecturing us on finding the light and also using our flashes to enhance our images.

While I had many successful images using my flash, the first set I’d like to share is all natural light – I focused on finding that light and documenting the dreamy feeling of this gorgeous scene. Our location was the Narnia Estate in Lemont, IL.

This location was an absolute dream! There was beautiful light peeking through the trees giving that perfect touch of rim lighting around Gigi and Carter.

They are devastatingly beautiful, no?

I cannot believe we had a horse in this shoot – so much fun!

I’m in love with dancing, so these next two images really speak to me…

A very Alice in Wonderland kind of moment – Dawn really thought about every detail of this shoot! Can I please have balloons in every session from now on?

Thank you so much Bob and Dawn for being such an inspiration. And just for being the awesome people that you are. You reminded me of what it is that I’m striving for and how to have fun chasing down my dreams.  More images coming soon… stay tuned for part 2

There’s been a lot going on this past month and I’m still catching up on my blogging! Fall is definitely my favorite time of year! Here are a few things I’m working on, starting with these adorable little girls:

Besides sweet little girls in their costumes, I worked with some fabulous models on a trash the dress session a few weeks ago:

More coming soon!

Here are some images from my latest wedding. We started off at the Hyatt in Deerfield where Suzie was getting ready. Check out some of the details:

It is so much fun photographing a bride getting ready for the big day. There is such an amazing energy in the room here!

We had plenty of time to get some gorgeous portraits.

So pretty!

Here she is, just hanging out looking fabulous. It’s a tough job…

We hopped in the limo and made our way over to St. Patrick’s Church in Wadsworth. Ren had a little help from his best man Al with some music to calm the nerves right before the ceremony:

I loved this sweet moment between Suzie and her mom:

There was a beautiful forest right behind the church so we  went outside for a few shots. I fed an entire mosquito population while taking this photo. I think it was worth it though!

I love how in love they are.

We had a few more minutes to enjoy the delicious lighting outside just before the reception.

They had such cute place settings, and beautiful flowers:

And desserts! Yes, please!

 Thank you SO much Suzie and Renmar for letting me document this day. I wish you so much love!

For more wedding photos, click here.

If you’d like to contact me to inquire about weddings click here.

I love people. As corny as it sounds, it couldn’t be more true. I love that what I do allows me to meet and interact with people I may never have spoken to otherwise. I love seeing what makes people tick, watching how families interact and how they laugh together. Because in the midst of all the newness of the family I’m working with, I find myself reminded of my own home and family and remember that at the end of it we are all very much the same. Today I spent the morning with a beautiful family…

…who were gathered in celebration of Jack’s baptism… (You knew I had to sneak in a cute baby photo. I simply can’t help myself when one is so readily available!) But really, who could resist this amount of chub? Not me.

And I was assisted by my good friend Chris. Thanks Chris!

After a quick stop at home, I met up with some fellow photographers for a ‘trash the dress’ session, organized by the lovely and insanely talented Melissa Diep.

I had a great day filled with all sorts of people – clients, models, peers, friends, family- they all put a smile on my face keep me going!  Two very different shoots to culminate in one perfect day. More photos coming soon!

You can wait an eternity for everything to be perfect, while the rest of your life passes you by. When I watched them commit their lives to each other yesterday, it was hard to believe that only a month ago, none of this might have happened. A fraction of an inch, another split second, and the world could have been so vastly different today. Last month, Cicily and Alec were struck by a hit and run driver as they crossed the street, which landed them both in the hospital and with some pretty serious injuries.

They didn’t have immediate plans to be wed at the beginning of the year. They knew they loved each other, and they thought they’d wait for that perfect moment for things to fall into place for their wedding. But almost dying changed all that. They realized they had this second chance at life, and love was too important to wait for perfection.

And so, on Saturday, February 13, 2010 at 11AM they wed. In front of their family and a handful of close friends, they spoke their vows in a very intimate ceremony at the Chicago Cultural Center. And in that moment, their not-so-perfect life became completely right.

Thank you Cicily and Alec for letting us share this day with you, and for letting me document your story. And without further ado, here are my favorite images of your amazing day!

I started off meeting Cicily at Roots Salon, where she works as an esthetician. They did an amazing job on her hair!

A couple shots of her getting ready:

I was floored by how magnificent this room was at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Loved this silhouette:

I think I could have shot in this building the entire day, there were so many amazing details!

This might be my favorite:

Stunning, isn’t she?

I almost got arrested for taking this photo. Well, no not really, but security came up to me to inform me I needed  a permit… well better to ask for forgiveness than permission right?

We spent some time at Cicily’s favorite place ever, the Art Institute. The lighting in there is incredible.

We found a really cool looking phone for an interesting ring shot.

Another favorite:

To see more photos, click here.

If you’d like to contact me to inquire about weddings click here.

I had an incredible time today photographing the wedding of a close friend who has been around for almost all my life… There are so many images I want to share, but for right now, here’s the one that sums it up for me. Love you Cicily and Alec!

The charm of any wedding has so much to do with the details, and in Becky and Phil’s wedding there was no shortage of that! When I walked in to the Wesleyan Community Church in Oak Lawn and everyone setting up, I was immediately in love with this wedding.

Becky was still at the salon when I got to the church, so I had lots of time to document all the delicious details:

Kim at Blooming Creations did a fabulous job with the flowers, didn’t she?

Loved this shot of the bouquets!

Becky’s dress:

Becky had her hair done at a nearby salon and slipped her dress on literally 10 minutes before the ceremony started! Wow, I thought she was brave. I love her practicality and she pulled it all off so effortlessly and gracefully.

The mother of the bride:

The rings:

Phil seeing his bride for the first time:

A quick moment together right after the ceremony and then we were off to the reception!

I love the feeling of this one:

They held their reception at Francesca’s, a cozy Italian restaurant:

Her dad started off the speeches:

Becky gave an impromptu and very heartfelt speech:

Becky & Phil – I wish you two so much love! Thank you so much for letting us share your day with you!

To see more photos click here.

And thanks Scott Nolen for second shooting with me!!

If you’d like to contact me to inquire about weddings click here.

Jaime and Dan were married at the end of October on a sunny beach in Florida. They had a beautiful Chicago celebration reception in November at the Wilder Mansion in Elmhurst. I had never been to this location before, but here is what it looked like when I pulled into the parking lot that evening…

When I stepped into this room, I knew it was going to be a good night. I loved the vibe of this location!

I loved this shot of the two of them. One of the things I love best about this couple is the fact that they are so easy-going. Jaime had a minor incident with her dress earlier that day, when the tie for her corset style dress went missing. She got creative and borrowed a red sash from her sister’s dress – adding a unique detail to her gown. Problem solved!

This shot was set up with the help of my lovely assistant and great friend Annalisa (check her blog here), who is holding a video light off to the side of them. It was pitch black out there!

They had the most delicious food there, catered by Food For the Soul in Chicago.

Jaime’s sister started crying as soon as she began her toast. She was so sweet and well spoken.

Dan’s mom decided to give an impromptu toast of her own, never having had the chance to toast at her other children’s weddings. I think she did a great job… Well she got everyone laughing

Their first dance:

And finally back to that room I adored so much. Don’t they look amazing?

Congratulations Jaime and Dan! Wishing you all the best!

Scott and Anna were married almost a month ago. It’s amazing how fast time is passing by! There were so many special moments and it was terribly hard to pare it down into just a few to put into this slideshow but here it is.

Congratulations again you two! Thank you for trusting me with your memories!

To view their slideshow click here.