“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.

Sarah + Ryan Miller:

“First comes love, then comes marriage. But, before the wedding is an engagement session with Ryan + Sarah. : )

 

For Ernesto and Erika’s engagement session, they came to us interested in a far from standard engagement photos style. Which was no problem at all. For E+E’s shoot, we married a combination of photo styles because Ernie wanted raw, graffiti and industrial and Erika liked both urban and edgy photos, but also wanted a few soft, romantic and fall inspired leaves locations mixed in as well. After foregoing our original Morton Arboretum plans (when we realized how crowded the Arboretum was) we choose to head straight Downtown which provided both some amazing leaf colors + unique urban shooting locations. A very chilly fall day, Erika fought the cold, especially during the phenomenal night photos! We love the overall variety of Chicago urban engagement pics from this photo session. An not to mention, E+E make a very handsome couple.

 

We had a great time shooting your engagement photos and getting to know you, Ernie + Erika! ( We especially remember discussing your wedding day’s music selection. ) After stopping at the graffiti shooting spot, Ryan and Ernie bonded about early 90’s house music, like that of Bad Boy Bill, Julian Jumpin Perez and Bobby D. Too Funny! That next day, Ryan was of course inspired to find old mixes on YouTube as inspirational music during the editing of the engagement photos. Will any house music become part of the wedding reception is the question… : )

 

Ernie + Erika are celebrating their October 2010 wedding in Saint Charles at the St. Charles Country Club and ceremony at Baker Memorial Church on Main Street. We’re looking forward to hearing the results of your upcoming wedding planning.”

 

Some of E+E’s engagement photos have been featured on the www.trendsettingwedding.com blog. Thought we’d share the link and our excitement with you all!