“We spent a foggy, but awesome, mild weathered March afternoon with the two of the nicest people ever Joe and Megan!! It was fun wandering around capturing their engagement photos at Busse Woods Forest Preserve, the popular nature haven and forest preserve just east of the Woodfield Mall and bustling Schaumburg business area. J+M live near by in a Northwest Chicago suburb and visit this park frequently to hike and bike the number of paths through forests, meadows, and often they canoe and fish the Busse Lake – they are huge outdoors people just like Ryan and I are. : )

 

With their wedding only a few weeks away, Joe + Megan are getting very excited for their April wedding date to arrive. J+M are tying the knot at St. Matthew Catholic Church and their reception is to follow at Chandlers at the Schaumburg Golf Club. To Joe and Megan… we hope you enjoy the variety of photos from the e-session. You guys looked amazing. We loved the soft light during the overcast day shots and the vast icy lake – wow – such a beautiful winter engagement photo spot. Not to mention later, we had some fun moments after dark + fun with lighting for creative photos. Thanks again for treating us to an awesome dinner and all the great conversation in getting to know each other. We can’t wait for your wedding! We’ll see you both very soon.”

 

“As you can imagine, with freezing temperatures and bitter wind gusts, outdoor Winter Chicago engagement sessions are only occasionally featured here on our Chicago wedding photography blog. Most couples would rather shoot during warmer weather. : ) We were excited when a slight February warm up in temps came along for these guys.

 

A rare experience for us, we photographed some of Stephanie + Sean’s engagement photos at the same place their outdoor wedding ceremony will also take place. A picturesque location with a creek, tall grasses and amazing 150 year old plus towering oak trees, we can see why they love spending time at Bliss Woods Forest Preserve. The entire park is beautiful! Since they are planning a Spring wedding, they were enthusiastic about changing up the season and shooting Winter engagement photos in the snow. Located in the town where S+S grew up, Sugar Grove’s Bliss Woods Nature Preserve is a very familiar park to them with many milestones in Stephanie + Sean’s relationship. The park is a romantic reminder of their weekend biking, picnicking and hiking dates, it’s the location where Sean proposed to Stephanie, and not to mention it’s where their upcoming May 2010 wedding ceremony will reside.

 

All of our Chicago engagement sessions are a good time and we enjoy talking and getting to know better each of our couples. Ryan especially won’t be forgetting this shoot anytime soon. He was just laughing the other day telling his “Man vs. Wild” story of maneuvering around the creek, trying to get the best angle, getting a little too close to the creek bank and breaking through the ice! About a 1/4 of his leg went deep into the cold, icy water. Needless to say, he was much colder than the rest of us for the remainder of the day.

 

Stephanie and Sean we look forward to photographing you, your family and friends at Bliss Woods again in a few months! Enjoy counting down the days… your wedding is less than one hundred days from today.”

“Just before the winter cold set in, our close friends The Green Family, contacted us with one mission in mind… to stay away from the boring photos everyone else seems to have hanging on their refrigerators and shoot some beyond-the-norm and far-from-ordinary family portraits. We eagerly accepted – as we love creating out of the box photos! We set out upon a couple of our favorite Chicago area outdoor photo spots and captured some ultra modern family portraits.

 

Ryan “Dad” is also an artist, so he not only liked our edgy and unique portrait photo style, but also loved our photo wall art products. The Green Family recently moved into a new home so taking their artistic family photos and enlarging them on one of our huge Metal Wall Art Murals ( super mod ) was a perfect decorating solution for their home’s blank walls. They also used the photos for their Christmas cards and enlarged a few shots on Canvas Gallery Wraps for grandparent’s holiday gifts. Enjoy!”

 

 

“Ryan and I hope everyone is enjoying their Holidays and Christmas celebrations this Winter season. Hard to believe 2010 is already upon us! We are extremely grateful looking back at 2009 in how many wonderful people we have met throughout the year. We’re looking forward to the number of new photo opportunities yet to come and the handful of weddings already booked throughout 2010.

 

On Tuesday, we had some outdoor, winter fun shuffling around in the snow for Robert + Lindsey’s Naperville Riverwalk engagement photo session. It was six months ago when R+L first contacted us looking for not only an artistic engagement photographer, but also a unique Chicago wedding photographer for their distinctive estate wedding. When we decided on an outside engagement session in the snow, we imagined it would be a chilly day. And cold, yes that it was, but it was also a fun time!! We were loving Lindsey’s yellow jacket which added a fun punch of color against the monotone, snowy scenery.

 

Robert + Lindsey it was great spending the day with you! We hope you enjoy these blog photos and our favorites from the photo session. Enjoy the rest of your planning for your May wedding at The Redfield Estate at The Grove in Glenview.”

 

Sarah + Ryan Miller:

“When Jorie first contacted us in October, she was anxious to squeeze in an e-session before the cold, Fall weather approached. We picked a great day… the sunny, 70 degree weather in November was definitely a treat!

 

Derek + Jorie found our Chicago wedding photographer blog and fell in love with our unique style of combining nature and modern engagement photo locations for each of our couples.

 

Every photo shoot we go on seems to evolve differently. For Jorie and Derek, all of the elements aligned and we stumbled upon a hidden gem of a location! The first, softer location incorporated a bridge, creek, trees and open field providing a breathtaking, natural setting. Our next stop, provided the perfect edgy, industrial photo op! A chic contrast and ideal for Jorie’s requested modern photo style. Not only did the burned-out, rundown factory mirror exactly Derek’s profession ( being he’s a Fireman for Plainfield and Joliet ), but it also provided a grungy, mix of backdrops for some amazing engagement photos. WOW – - we just might have to return to this awesome location again.

 

Thanks Derek and Jorie in working with us, exploring and letting us get creative. The combination of romantic, modern and edgy images – we can’t say enough about these editorial-style photos! Happy planning Derek and Jorie while you are still narrowing down your plans for a Chicago to Mexico destination wedding. We love locally shooting engagement photos first and then traveling with couples on their destinations. D+J, we hope the e-session shoot and experience was a memorable one for you two. Enjoy!”

 

We are VERY happy to announce a few of Derek + Jorie’s industrial engagement photos are featured on the www.trendsettingwedding.com blog! : )

Sarah + Ryan Miller:

“The months of October + November have been incredibly busy for Miller + Miller! Actually, the busiest we’ve been all year. While balancing a hefty schedule of photographing weddings, commercial photo shoots, engagement photo sessions and Fall family portraits, plus juggling the varying weather forecasts – needless to say our blog has suffered. Therefore, we’re a little behind in blog entries.

 

For this photo session, simply put… Sergio and Kristen are a super cool couple! Very easy going and obviously madly-in-love with each other, they put their trust in us to create some unique engagement photos and memories. For S+K’s engagement photo session, we choose to go out West exploring a few of our favorite spots within the Starved Rock area. We had an incredible Saturday afternoon with some brisk chilly wind, but a crystal-clear, crisp blue Illinois sky. The outcome, dramatic and amazing engagement pictures! The colorful sunset paired with an incredible couple, makes for some vibrant engagement photos. We love these photos!

 

Sergio + Kristen… we had a wonderful time getting to know you during your engagement session. We can’t wait for your 2010 October wedding at Timbercreek Hotel and Lodge. We hope you enjoy your engagement photos – choosing 10 favorite images for your engagement guest book will be a challenge. There are too many options!”

 

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!

Sarah + Ryan Miller:

“For Aaron and Elizabeth’s Chicago Fall engagement portraits, we started mid-afternoon taking photos in downtown Oak Park. The Lake Street near Harlem Avenue area is a favorite local spot for Liz and Aaron to shop and enjoy dinner, entertainment and movies. She requested some local streetscape photos to include the Lake Theater sign, followed by photos in a nearby park’s garden. As the sun was going down, we travelled downtown to capture some magnificent Chicago skyline night photos. Inspired after seeing a photo we previously captured at the Adler Planetarium, Liz envisioned this photo spot as a perfect place to illustrate the vast City of Chicago for their Latin American families living back home in South America.

 

As the day progressed, we couldn’t help but notice the natural way these two interacted with each other. Aaron couldn’t resist making Liz giggle. We agreed, it must be their true love and chemistry for one another! Oh and thanks again Aaron for being quick on your toes. When a hefty Chicago wind gust came in, one of our umbrella was blown into Lake Michigan. Quickly responding, Liz was afraid Aaron was going to dive in after it! Luckily it washed back towards the break wall.

 

Aaron and Liz, thanks for the wonderful conversation and spending the day with us! Good luck in the rest of your planning for your November 2010 destination wedding in the amazing coastal city of Lima, Peru.”

Sarah + Ryan Miller:

“We enjoyed reuniting with two wonderful people Joshua + Stacy photographing the celebration of their Chicago North Shore wedding ceremony and reception. If you remember J+S’s high fashion engagement session in Chicago, this couple has a connection for each other which shines in front of the camera. Not to mention, they photograph like bridal magazine models! On their wedding day, unfortunate approaching clouds and rain prompted for an indoor ceremony and improvising during the bridal session pics. ; ( The solution… some awesome covered bridge bridal photos and romantic fireplace indoor pics. From J+S’s beautiful ceremony and reception, to the festive celebrating, smiles, dancing, music and fun times had by all, we personally had a fantastic time!

 

When we first met Joshua and Stacy, they told us of their search for a unique Chicago wedding photographer. We are so happy you stumbled upon our wedding blog and contacted us. Thank you J+S in hiring us to be a part of your wedding day! Two amazing people, we know you are off to an incredible life together as a couple. Congratulations!”

 

 

Stacy’s talented wedding day, bridal make-up artist was Viktoria Zarovsky.
For more information about her and her services, we invite you to visit the Color Vision web site.

 

10.26.09 Update: Take a look at Joshua + Stacy’s wedding photos and featured story on the Trendsetting Wedding blog.

01.04.10 Update: Read about J+S’s wedding planning and photos featured on the Wedding Nouveau wedding blog.

Sarah + Ryan Miller:

“Fall is definitely a popular time to schedule an engagement session with Miller + Miller! However the unpredictable weather and scheduling an outdoor shoot can naturally provide for some unpredicted variables. For Mike + Aimee’s Chicago engagement photos, the wind was blowing and some super moody clouds rolled in. Thankfully, the rain cooperated holding off until after our final City shots were completed. ( And actually, we loved the clouds and created some real artistry with them! )

 

We had a great time creating both elegant and creative photos for Mike and Aimee. We loved our first Downtown shooting spot that Aimee suggested! The park where Mike’s proposal took place incorporated both nature and beautiful, classic detail elements. Next we crossed Lake Shore Drive to the Chicago Harbor – we love boating Lake Michigan and suggested this location to M+A. The dock photos were great, but wow we were very grateful that a local Chicago sailer and his wife invited us aboard their massive, 50 foot sailboat to shoot some amazing, front bow photographs! Our boat is only 20′ and fun on Lake Michigan, but shooting onboard their sail boat was truly photographic gift. Many thanks to everyone we met on Sunday and of course to Aimee and Mike for a great day. A special thank you to Aimee, who despite her recent foot surgery and difficulty putting tons of weight on her right foot, she was determined to shoot some unforgettable photographs.

 

Mike + Aimee are completing final details for their Spring April 2010 wedding taking place at the historic and beautiful The Patrick C. Haley Mansion in Joliet, IL. We look forward to your wedding. M+A were a referral from Joshua + Stacy. We love appreciate referrals and enjoy the opportunity everyday in meeting new couples and capturing some of their happiest moments of their lives from their engagements and weddings, to baby and family portraits as their families grow.”