“Ryan and I hold this wedding very close to our hearts!! ( You might even notice us standing up for this one! That’s because we not only took turns photographing their wedding, but we also played a big part in this one. Ryan was Scott’s bestman and I was a bridesmaid. )

 

YAY … Ryan’s sister Cherilyn married her high school sweetheart Scott and we’re so HAPPY for them! : )

 

But we can’t take all of the credit for this one. During the ceremony, the groom’s sister Corinne filled in with one of our cameras. A HUGE thanks goes out to Corinne from the both of us and Scott + Cherilyn in capturing some additional moments throughout the day and rising to the challenge. ( After all we proposed the idea to her just a few hours before the wedding rehearsal on Friday night. She admitted she’s always wanted to get more into photography, so it was perfect for her. )

 

Scott + Cherilyn’s early in May, Spring wedding fell on a bitter cold and windy day – which was a bit of a bummer. But thank goodness the clouds didn’t drop any rain on us all day. And after the ceremony, the bridal party was relieved to have a few minutes to warm up in the nearby private canyonside cabin at Starved Rock Lodge. S+C’s picturesque outdoor ceremony location was situated amidst a canopy of trees where close family members gathered all bundled up in blankets & jackets. Everyone kept the day warm with lots of smiles and happiness. Scott being an avid outdoorsman and hunter, Starved Rock was the perfect ceremony location for their wedding. ( Scott even works part time for Miller’s Old Fashioned Butcher Shop located in Plainfield Illinois… stop by their shop for a taste of the best meat you’ll find in Northern Illinois. )

 

S+C’s outdoor May wedding ceremony was at Starved Rock State Park in Utica, Illinois. Their Spring wedding took place just outside of the rustic, canyonside log cabin on a romantic flagstone terrace surrounded by nature. After the ceremony, the bride, groom and bridal party bundled up from the cold ( me and the girls even put on pants under our dresses ) and we headed into a canyon for a couple in the canyon photos. The hiking helped warmed us up. And later in the evening with toasting, laughing, celebrating and dancing at Scott + Cherilyn’s reception in Ottawa at Pit Stick Pavillion, everyone easily became warmed up again. In knowing all of the Miller’s very well, we know we will be talking about Scott + Cherilyn’s wedding at one of the next Miller family or Stewart farm get togethers soon and probably for many years to come!!

 

Scott + Cherilyn we hope you enjoyed your wedding day and the photo memories captured on your wedding day. Love ya both and we are excited about your future together as husband + wife. Wishing many wonderful years to come for you guys… Hugs + Kisses.”

 

 

 

 

We love the Starved Rock area!! We are out in the Illinois River Valley area often because it’s so picturesque. Be sure to visit our other wedding photos blog post from in August 2009 featuring images Starved Rock wedding photography from Mohsin + Heidi’s outdoor wedding ceremony, canyon photos and reception in the lodge. We are often in the Starved Rock for engagement sessions too. Be sure to visit our Starved Rock Engagement Photo Session Archive before you leave our blog.

“After a few weeks of several downtown Chicago engagement shoots, we were happy to switch things up and head out West of Chicago to LaSalle County for an Jonathan + Tamara’s Starved Rock engagement photo session. Plus, we love the small town feel of Ottawa and Illinois River Valley area. Although Jon + Tamara’s October 2, 2010 wedding day was already taken by another couple, J+T booked us for their creative engagement session and are planning on using the photos for their Save the Dates.

 

For Jon + Tamara’s engagement photo session, they decided upon a Spring “nature” focus, so we started their day early and hiked into “The Rock’s” canyons. A beautiful day, awesome for an outdoor photo session, we saw so much wildlife, deers, birds, an owl and even a quick glimpse of a bald eagle. On the ride out to the park, Jon was actually hopeful to have a bald eagle appear in the woods behind them for a photo! Unfortunately we weren’t so lucky, but seeing one was awesome enough. We had mentioned we could always Photoshop one in there if he’d like. LOL

 

As always, we have a great time getting to know our couples. Jon + Tamara work together at a nearby Insurance agency and met while working at the office. Tamara grew up in the Chicago area, while Jon as one of eight kids has lived in New York, Michigan, and currently now resides in Wheaton. It was fun learning both J+T drive the latest rivalry in 2010 muscle cars. On the day of the shoot when they arrived at our house in Jon’s shy of 1 month old, 2010 black Camaro, my jaw dropped!! I wanted to hop into it vs. our Xterra to travel out to Starved Rock. Tamara was quick to show me in her phone, her equally as awesome cherry red, Challenger. Seriously we were jealous!! : )

 

While hiking, Tamara was telling us of her eight years in the National Guard and her position as a drill sergeant. ( So don’t let Tamara’s petite stature fool you. She’s little, but one tough girl! ) The hiking reminded of her basic training and some seriously, strenuous hiking days. Tamara was telling us of her experiences while attending the US Army’s combat training center of Fort Jackson … which was especially interesting to us, because In fact as I write this very blog post – Fort Jackson just so happens to be the same location Ryan’s brother Brandon is currently training! Small world.

 

Jon + Tamara, we hope you had a great first time at Starved Rock State Park and enjoyed the photo session!! Please put us on your Save-the-Date mailing list, so we can see how you incorporate the images!!”