J+A Just-Married Session

Justin and I have been friends for 12 years. We met our freshman year of high school and pretty much clicked instantly. He became a family friend and also best friends with my late husband. Justin is such an amazing human and friend, and has been there for me through so much, even from afar, as he now resides in California.

He and his other half, Andy, got married this past Saturday at Pine Lake Camp in Wisconsin. It was such a simple and beautiful wedding. We all slept in bunk beds in cabins, had bonfires, spent time in the lake, watched a meteor shower, and got to celebrate the love between two awesome people. I wasn't able to photograph the wedding because Justin asked me to stand up as his Best Woman! I was sad I couldn't capture their special day, but so honored that I could enjoy the wedding without my camera in-hand.

I decided to do a post-wedding session the day after the wedding, after everyone left camp to head home. We drove a couple miles to a place called Red Mill. There was a creek, a cute chapel, and some pretty walking paths. I typically shoot my sessions early in the morning or before sunset because the lighting is perfect at those times. The lighting in the afternoon is too bright and the shadows are too harsh, but I made an exception for this. I struggled a bit to find spots with appropriate lighting for posing, but got a little lucky. I also looked over at the creek and had some ideas in mind for photos. I thought, "How amazing would it look to get them standing in the middle of the water?!" Justin was pretty against it at first, but I convinced him these photos would look great and perfect for displaying on the wall. "What's a few minutes of muddy, cold water?" He finally agreed and thank goodness he did because the photos turned out beautifully!

More importantly, thank goodness for a lifelong friendship with these men, and I wish them nothing but happiness and health in their marriage!

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