“Fall is a scenic time of the year for outdoor pictures in Illinois and a very popular season to get married. Picking apples, carving pumpkins, the changing of the leaves… Erika + Ernesto thought of all of these activities in deciding on their October date and decorating details for their wedding events. E+E went with a elegant and traditional Fall color palette incorporating vibrant oranges and yellows.

 

Erika with her family and bridesmaids prepped for the day at Erika’s family home in Geneva. The bride selected modern and simple bridal party fashion in simplistic black to offset the vibrant florals. The morning rain and wind subsided in just enough time for Ernesto + Erika’s ceremony to begin. E+E chose one of the most beautiful of all churches in Illinois Baker Memorial United Methodist Church to exchange vows in. The sanctuary is amazingly gorgeous and a popular location for ceremonies in the Western suburbs of Chicago. Baker Church is located in downtown St. Charles a convenient few minutes away from both the nearby Fox River and their reception venue of St. Charles Country Club.

 

Always difficult to predict exactly which October weekend each year the leaves changing will be at their peak, E+E really lucked out. : ) Their wedding day had the most vibrant leaves of the entire season! So capturing photos of them amidst nature was a definite must do. When Ernie and Erika’s vintage Rolls Royce rolled up to the entry of their reception venue’s clubhouse, we all noticed the mix of yellow and orange leaves beyond the course which was glowing with bright colors. The St. Charles Country Club sits on 140 acres of magnificent rolling hills the perfect setting for a luxury wedding, and as we predicted the nearby the clubhouse had a dense amount of trees in a fiery mix of orange and yellow. We captured a mix of some softer romantic photos in the wooded forest setting and a few of our distinctive high-fashion wedding photography style not only in the woods, but also in front of their vintage white Bentley.

 

Inside, the luxurious reception’s rooms were decorated to the season with candles, colorful leaves, and carefully placed floral embellished pumpkins scattered around the ballroom. The tables featured soft golden colors and floral centerpieces in varying heights with floating pumpkins, and rather than orange pumpkins selected were white pumpkins enhanced with metallic gold paint. Beyond the room’s already well stated elaborate chandeliers, warm wood burning fireplace, this was a luxurious and sophisticated reception setting. The burning fireplace was the centerpiece of the room located just beyond the dancefloor. After the wedding, I asked Erika about an extra special event at the reception… it was her unique daddy daughter dance. Erika surprised her dad with a video of her and him dancing together, previously recorded when she was 2. Their dance was playing on a large screen simultaneously, as they were dancing to the same song. It was truly memorable.

 

Erika + Ernesto getting to know the two of you more and spending the day with you the two of you was great. We enjoyed your enthusiasm and dedication in working with us to capture some unique pictures… hope you enjoy the unique + fun, added bonus “end of the night photos” with the cigars. We had fun composing those with you guys! You both looked stunning on your wedding day and we had a blast venturing around St. Charles with you and your families. Enjoy the photos, hope they take you back to the moments of your beautiful day. More photos will be coming soon.”

 

 

 

Ernesto + Erika selected a group vendors to work together on their exquisite ceremony + reception events:
Ceremony: Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, St. Charles, IL
Reception: St. Charles Country Club, St. Charles, IL
Couture Gown Shop: Veiled in Elegance Bridal Store in Geneva, IL
Hair by: Christy Schobert from Eddie Caruso Hari Salon, Saint Charles, lllinois
Makeup by: Nichole Clemens from About Face, Geneva
Tuxedos + Bridesmaids Dress: The Crystal Bride, Geneva, IL
Menu: Pretzel Crusted Chicken, ( Lobster and Filet for Bride + Groom )
Cake: The Artful Baker, Naperville
Flowers: All Flowers by Marissa, Wheaton
DJ: Keith Christopher Entertainment Group
Daddy Daughter Dance Song: “You Got It” by Roy Orbison

 

 

 

We went into Chicago in October of 2009 for Ernesto + Erika’s engagement photo session.
Click here to revisit Ernesto + Erika’s Fall Chicago Engagement photos.

“What a beautiful “picnic in the woods style” May wedding!! Ryan and I loved Sean + Stephanie’s wedding day. Remember when we photographed S+S at this same wooded Sugar Grove, IL Forest Preserve back in January? It was much greener this time around (and definitely warmer at close to 90 degrees plus humidity.) The wedding at the forest preserve was filled with bright colors of orange, warm touches of nature’s green and brown, and was buzzing with family and friends gathering for Sean + Steph’s wedding ceremony.

 

The picturesque outdoor ceremony spot Sean + Stephanie picked was on a rolling tree-covered hill, beneath the warm shining sun — intimate nature was all around and it was an absolutely perfect, naturally beautiful May day. S+S’s ceremony at Bliss Woods reminded Ryan and I of our own Nevada mountain wedding ceremony in a way… our favorite types of weddings to shoot are destinations or local Chicago area outdoor ceremonies.

 

Sean + Stephanie’s very personalized ceremony and “picnic-style” reception was a reflection of Sean+Steph’s relationship, engagement at the park and past visits to Bliss Woods. With the help of Mary Beth Kraft of Social Butterfly and her wedding planning & decorating expertise, the day encased numerous touches of picnic elements such as baskets, candles, cupcakes, wine bottles, wildflowers, picnic benches, picnic tables + table cloths, outdoor wooden touches brought inside, shades of oranges, and greenery. The guests enjoyed live music, everyone danced all night, it was truly a memorable and awesome time. During the ceremony the Aletheia String Quartet created a ceremonial ambiance and played “All you need is Love” as the exit song —a special request by Stephanie. Prior to dinner the Brent Shroy Recital (a live band who are friend’s of Sean+Steph) joined by Stephanie’s sister Amanda, the maid-of-honor, performed during happy hour. DJ Monty from St. Louis Missouri kept the dance floor going all night long. I fell in love with their first dance song “Can’t Help Falling in Love, Fools Rush In” a cover by Ingrid Michaelson. ( I downloaded this song myself. It’s beautiful & a perfect first dance song! ) The reception venue was a familiar place to Sean’s family and grandparents. It was a country barn style police lodge which was decorated with twinkling lights spanning the roof beams. Attached to lodge was a white tent which included picnic tables and a cocktail bar, so guests could enjoy more of the outdoors throughout the evening until the end of the reception. We loved the set up and so did the guests.

 

Thanks S+S for setting aside a little extra time in your busy wedding day for some on-location bridal coverage! It was fun photographing indoors at the restaurant & bar and getting creative with the Bride + Groom : ) Sean + Stephanie — we hope you love these fun pics and enjoy the photographed memories of your wedding day. Thanks for hiring us, we enjoyed celebrating with your family & friends and maybe we’ll see you again one day one soon at one of their weddings… if we’re lucky!!”

 

 

 

 

Revisit Sean + Stephanie’s Winter engagement photo session which also took place at Bliss Woods in Sugar Grove.

 

Sean + Stephanie’s outdoor wedding ceremony and reception were both in Sugar Grove Illinois. Their Spring wedding ceremony took place at Bliss Woods and following was the reception at the nearby Kane County F.O.P. wooden lodge and rustic barn. Wedding day planning and coordination by Mary Beth Kraft from Social Butterfly 630-631-9567. The live event music was by the Aletheia String Quartet, the Brent Shroy Recital, Stephanie’s sister Amanda and Scott Monahan of DJ Monty 618-567-6237.