I swear. This May has been tricky! Rain, Rain and oh yea, MORE Rain! Krystal and Lukas were nice enough to flex their shoot schedule with me from a Saturday evening to an early start Sunday morning of Mother's Day. I'd say it worked out well. She's a runner and he's her biggest cheerleader.... among many other things. Together they are adorable! I am so looking forward to their wedding May 2020 at Ashley Farm! Check out their 7am engagement session at the beautiful Cantigny

Well, almost.... My brother and sister-in-law will be celebrating 5 years married this fall. We unfortunately don't get to all be together that often, so we try to have as much fun while we can. During their visit this week we went kayaking on the Fox River, played yard game Olympics (Can-Jam, Croquet, boccie, big jenga and badminton), western burbs brewery tour and squeezed in a 20min photoshoot. I totally guilted my brother into it. I needed a cute couple try out some new

When Lindsey and Tim asked me if it be OK for Tim to bring is guitar to their engagement session, I began to understand the vision for their images. As Tim began to play and sing the original songs he wrote for Lindsey, I completely understood their connection. Everything and everyone around them disappeared while they snuggled on a blanket in the Lincoln Park. I caught myself just listening and adoring them together. After the "concert" ended, we took a stroll down to Nor

Julia and Brian booked their fall 2017 wedding with me earlier this year and were really excited to get their spring engagement session on the books. With March weather being questionable at best, we somehow managed to get a warm, partly sunny, spring day between some heavy rain storms. We met at the entrance to Waterfall Glen in Willowbrook and started on our little journey to get to know each other and capture some fantastic images for them. First off... these two are so

Another chilly January day in Chicago-land but the Schram Memorial was warm and cozy inside. Full of smiles, laughs and love from the closets family and friends of Katie and Matt. This sweet couple invited me to capture their ceremony services and create some memorable portraits for them. I was happy to oblige. With the Bride running a little late from hair and make-up, I had a chance to to spend of time with Matt, his bestman/brother and Katie's parents. We decorated the t

Kirsten and Daryl did it right... honeymoon prior to the wedding in Hawaii and show up to your winter Chicago-land wedding well rested and with an amazing glow. It was an intimate affair with close family and friends, hosted at the Medinah Country Club. Fortunately the interior has stunning architecture to stir the creative mind because it was FREEZING out on their wedding day. We did brave the 10 degree day or about 10 min right before sunset -- when their skin was startin

Nestled in River North, Mastro's Steakhouse Chicago hosted an engagement dinner for Ines and Kamel. The room was warm, cozy and full of sparkles! As multiple family members filtered in, the decorating began! Balloons, photos of the beautiful couple, glitter, candles, the works! As soon as the couple arrived, the room lit up with hugs, kisses and smiles. Family members meeting for the first time and others for the 100th. Multiple generations in the room. Needless to say, a v

Angie and I have been friends since kindergarten... for real! So there was no worry we were going to have a good time during the shoot. I was so excited to do this session for her and Steve because of our friendship and because we would be wandering one of my favorite cities... Pittsburgh!! Steve graciously conceded to "doing whatever you want dear". So Angie and I got to planning. Pinterest board in full swing, mapping out the walk along the river, over bridges, through al

With a chance encounter later in their lives, Angie and Pam found each other. Their shared love for outdoor adventures put them together for an out of state, multi-day, bike ride adventure. The connection was instant. Pam and Angie contacted me about a month before their event and warned me that this wouldn't be my typical wedding. They were right. From their Star Wars themed dresses, full mass, lightsaber send off and theater receptions at the Hollywood Boulevard Theater t

From the beginning of the day, the weather was questionable. On and off rain and the radar wasn’t giving us a lot of hope but everyone stayed positive. Checking the weather report every 20 min and willing the clouds away if only for an hour. I bought some cute umbrellas as a back-up plan... just in case Mother Nature didn't play nice. As Ashley and her Dad approached the crowd, the Imperial March rang out. Lightsabers rose to allow her pass and join her fiancé at the altar.

Lauren has always been one of those people that you know will be in your life forever. Her goofy personality, relentless loyalty and ability to make you feel like you always have 120% of her attention are just a few reasons I love this girl. So when she started dating this Ken guy/future fiancé/future husband, I was very interested in meeting him. Unfortunately, our paths didn’t cross for a few years into their relationship. Fortunately, with Lauren living on the east coast

You always know when you have an instant connection with someone. Chemistry. Sometimes it turns into a fun night out, sometimes it turns into a friendship or sometimes it turns into a 10 year love affair. The latter is true to Ashley and Justin. Ashley and Justin met as youngsters at Florida State University, grew up together through typical college experiences. They spent some time apart while Ashley was in grad school at Indiana State University and Justin was working for

The places we find love... Martina and Patrick grew up about 400 miles apart in Sweden. Martina to the north and Patrick in the south. Both found themselves attending the oldest university in Sweden - Uppsala University to study law within a year of each other. That is where they first met but that isn't where their love story began. It wasn't until they both traveled 4350 miles in 2009 to Illinois for an exchange student program at Illinois State University where somethin