Meet Roman. He's about 9-months old and pretty easy to fall in love with. Chad went to high school in Illinois with Roman's Mom, Angela, and we have remained friends with her and her husband, Jason, over the years. We love this adorable family! They now live happily ever after in Arizona, but were visiting their family farm in Illinois for a mini family reunion. Since Angela and her siblings (along with their children) were all in town, Chad and I had the opportunity to take some family portraits of them together. So priceless! We loved the laughter—and the John Deere outfits. :) Here are a few of our favorites from the shoot...
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A desk in between them, he was shy and she was "that cute girl" in the college classroom. Although it wasn't love at first sight, they certainly became best friends in a hurry. In 20 short days, Amber and Chris will be married! They have been best friends for six years now (dating for three of them), so August 18th cannot come soon enough. Chad and I have loved getting to know these two and are inspired by their solid, true-love relationship. Learn more about what makes them tick as you check out some of our favorite moments from their engagement shoot...
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There are situations that arise in life that do more than just "happen" to you. Some situations have a way of becoming lessons that change your thinking. They rattle you to the core. They convict your heart. This weekend, Chad and I experienced one of these moments of awakening and I want to candidly share the story of our conviction.
On Saturday, Chad and I were honored to shoot a gorgeous wedding in Kenosha at the Kemper Center. We loved every minute of it! As we interacted with the Bride & Groom and their guests throughout the day, our excitement was building over the images we were capturing for them. We had poured out practically every ounce of energy we had to make their entire day extra special.
On Sunday morning Chad and I managed to drag ourselves out of bed with a little extra time before we needed to get ready for church. We began to sift through the aftermath of camera equipment and open bags that had been strewn across our apartment in our exaustion after returning the prior night. Chad began sorting all of our memory cards, and to his surprised dismay, we were one card short. We were missing the card that contained all the photos of the Bride's preparations—her dress, her shoes, getting her hair & makeup done, creative and beautiful portraits of her with her bridesmaids, etc. SO not like us... How could this happen?
On March 31, 2012, Matt and Deana tied the knot in Libertyville, IL. They are a wonderful couple and Chad and I couldn't be more happy for them! We were certainly blessed that day by so many genuine friends and incredibly tight-knit family members sharing in celebration of life & love. There was plenty of laughter in the air, loads of dancing on the floor (even dance-offs!), and crafty hand-made details that creatively completed their "old classic movie" theme.
It's been a few months since their big day, but these photos are DEFinitely worth sharing anyway. Here are some of our favorite highlights from their gorgeous wedding day. Enjoy...
Ellie finished out her senior year at Bradford High School (Kenosha, WI) this year. I really enjoyed getting to know her throughout the process of our photo shoot together. She's a real sweetheart with a gorgeous smile to back up her friendly personality. I wish her all the best for the future!
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Check out some of my favorite highlights from her shoot:
Kristal & Rob wanted to get creative with the printed pieces for their wedding. We were so excited to work with them throughout the entire process! They were planning a 1920s art deco-inspired wedding and wanted all of their printed communications to play into that theme. Together, we came up with a style that was classy & elegant, with a bit of a modern twist.
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You can check out their creative "telegram" save-the-date postcards in this previous post. Above are a few shots of their z-fold wedding invitations. The design was fun and functional: the white section was a tear-off response card. This process also included the design of the rehearsal dinner invitations, ceremony programs, ceremony seat signs, reception place cards, various borders to be used on clever little memos, cake flags, and even the thank you cards. I love when everything is tied together so nicely!
Kristal and Rob were married on Friday! Here are a few beautiful photos taken by their wedding photographers (Ideal Impressions) of some of the printed pieces in action...
This is Eleanor. Her name means "sun ray" or "shining light". She was certainly a little ray of sunshine when I met her! What a cutie...she was workin' it for the camera, too! We've known Eleanor's parents, Shawn & Angie, for a while and were so excited to come take some 6-month photos with them. She's their first child, and what an adorable family they make. There is so much laughter in their home!
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Check out some of my favorite shots from our afternoon together...
This was my view of the sunrise over Lake Michigan on April 19. Gorgeous, right?
Makes me think... There's a sunrise every morning. We never wonder, "Do you think the sun will come up tomorrow morning? I'm not sure, but I really hope it does!" No, it just happens like clockwork. God orchestrates that, you know. How amazing is that? God is SO faithful. His perfect creation is beautiful and his mercies are new each morning.
Then I got to thinking... What are the mercies I have experienced lately? How has God been moving in my life and in the lives around me? Well, here are a few of the recent highlights that I'm grateful for:
Meet Kaylee Ann. Clearly, she's adorable. She's my wanna-be-niece—the daughter of two of our best friends, Amanda and Charlie. What a precious little face! And little fingers! Love her. A couple days before we took these photos, she had started holding her head up by herself. She's so strong! ...and a bit like a bobble-head at this stage, which totally adds to her cuteness. Here are a few of my favorite shots from when she was just turning 2-months-old...
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Back in January, little Rebekah turned one and she had all her biggest fans celebrating with her at her house. Her parents, Lauren & Andy, are dear friends of ours. It was so much fun to be a part of the festivities! Balloons, Packers, cake and sledding...what more could you want out of a Wisconsin birthday party?
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We snuck Rebekah away during some of the party prep and snagged some super-cute portraits of her. Once family and friends arrived, it was party time! Although she wasn't the biggest fan of frosting & cake, she did love the presents she received and all of the friendly attention, laughter and love.
Check out some of my favorite photos from the day: