O+D Wedding

Oona and Don's wedding took place at the end of September (I just love me some fall weddings). Let me tell you: It was one of the hottest autumn days I can remember! Despite the heat, everything about their day was just amazing.

The ceremony was outdoors at The Wayside Chapel in Palos Park. There was talk about moving it inside the chapel, but I'm glad it was outside (even though it was about 300 degrees). The location was simply gorgeous, and the lighting was so dreamy. It's such a neat little place. Both Oona and Don have children from previous marriages, and they included them in their ceremony, which was truly beautiful. They performed a sand ceremony, where each of the children poured his or her own glass of sand into a larger glass, representing them as one family. I had never seen something like that before, and it was breathtaking.

This couple was just an absolute blessing to work with. Check out some of my favorite moments from their special day!

L+T Wedding

I love that Lauren and Tommy trusted me with their special day! I did their engagement session the previous fall and they asked me to document their wedding. Originally, they chose October 15, what was supposed to be my husband's and my wedding date (if you don't know me and the amazing and heartbreaking story of my husband, I'll have to make a blog post about all of that at another time!), and I had to tell them I couldn't do it. Lauren messaged me a couple days later with a new date, October 22 (my birthday!), when my husband and I would have been on our honeymoon, but we decided to push off our honeymoon until the following week because I really wanted to be their photographer. Seriously, what couple changes their wedding date around so they can use the photographer they want? I was honored.  

I had never shot a wedding and was so nervous, but Lauren and Tommy are so in love and laid-back that I wasn't even nervous when the actual day came. They had an intimate ceremony outside on the balcony of a golf club in Bartlett. The weather was perfect, so taking pictures after the ceremony was actually a treat! Their friends and family were just so fun and lighthearted during the reception, the music was romantic and fun, the food was awesome... Honestly, though, my favorite part of the night was the Cubs making it to the World Series. The guests were watching the game and I (of course) kept peeking over to check the score. I'll never forget when they won. Practically every guest cheered and hugged each other, and the DJ played "Go, Cubs, Go" for everyone. My birthday AND the Cubs moving forward to the World Series? What a great day for a wedding!

xo