Wedding day road closures, flash mobs, sporting events, anime conventions, blizzards, parades, protests, and comical invasions can have an affect on your wedding day. Whether you are having a winter wedding on the same day as SantaCon or during a movie filming, stay up to date on what might happen on your wedding day if you can. Here are some interesting things that have happened during weddings that come to mind:

Elizabeth and Mike joined me for a shoot on an overcast afternoon at the harbor which was already full of personal sailboats and private yachts.

Elizabeth and Mike | Harbor Photos

Kristen and Mike might just be one of my favorite couples ever. Why? They’ve actively sought out green, eco-friendly wedding vendors for their upcoming wedding at Chicago’s Greenhouse Loft. Understanding the environmental impact of a wedding is an oversight for most couples but selecting recyclable materials and working with vendors that compost and have a waste reduction policy is an important step to keeping our planet green. Kristen and Mike are on top of it! I met with them recently to take some photos and learn a bit more about how their wedding planning is coming along. Perfect weather and great enthusiasm made for a fun evening and memorable shots. They arrived to the shoot styled and ready to go. I love her blue dress!

Looking forward to working with Laura at LK Events again! Check out her knowledgeable wedding insights on Facebook.

Hair: Livia Caporale
Makeup: Brian Sutherby at Muse Beauty

Here is a sneak peek from a recent shoot at Gallery 1028. I have shot many weddings at this “blank canvas” modern wedding venue in Chicago including the Laura and Mike’s wedding as seen on Style Me Pretty which had the best lighting design and event styling I have ever seen. You might also remember Halley and Josh’s indie wedding featured on Style Me Pretty, as well as Angela and Sam’s ceremony and reception held there. Jason’ and Kristen who got married at St. Clements in Lincoln Park, also had their rockin’ reception at the Gallery 1028 warehouse venue.

This time around, PJ from Studio AG transformed the raw warehouse space to create a welcoming, cozy atmosphere adding natural elements. The long farm tables and raw wooden chairs fit perfectly. Chandeliers and dozens of candles added the perfect glow for the evening and were a huge hit!

Loft Chicago wedding venue Gallery 1028

Photography: Heather Parker Photography
Venue: Gallery 1028
Catering: Calihan Catering
Event Design: Studio AG
Music: guitarrista Neil Dixon Smith
Florist: Studio AG
Specialty Items: Hall’s Rental Service

Not long ago, I photographed Whitney and Ian’s wedding at Boston’s Fairmont Copley Plaza. Days ago, I photographed Andrew and Liza’s wedding ceremony and reception which took place in the luxurious Grand Ballroom of the same hotel. Each ballroom at the Fairmont Copley Plaza has its own special qualities. Whether you are having an intimate wedding in the St. James Room or large wedding in the Grand Ballroom, the hotel is home to Boston’s most elegant reception event spaces! If you follow the hotel on Facebook, you might have already seen the newly renovated suites too. Liza began her wedding day getting ready on the top floor with Lindsay Griffin Boston Hairstylist and Tara from Tada Makeup. I will have more photos to share, so if you’d like to stay up to date subscribe to the blog by clicking here. Congrats Liza and Andrew on your marriage.

Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel Grand Ballroom Boston Wedding

I’m often asked about what locations are good for wedding photo sessions as well as engagements. Subscribers of my blog know that first and foremost, I love focusing the shoot on the connection between my clients rather than bagging shots in front of as many backgrounds as possible. I’ve always felt that if you have a crisp, clear landmark in the background the shoot becomes just as much about the scenery as it does the main subject. This shoot involved no outfit changes, a few thoughtful props, and lots of smiles. This shot could have been taken anywhere: at the edge of a suburban mall parking lot, in an urban park, at a nature preserve, or in the clients’ own backyard. The image encompasses joy and laughter that happened naturally at a planned picnic date.

Engagement Session | Milly and Ross

Websites for faith-based communities are very rewarding projects to be a part of. This was one of the projects along with Theory One Design that I collaborated on as the photographer. I will soon be posting another project that I worked on as well! The team behind Theory One Design is known for building communication tools for communities of faith that are functional, sophisticated, reflective of each community’s unique spirit and genuinely welcoming to others. The challenge I had was to spend time with this community and  Theory One Design to create an honest set of photographs that accurately portrayed its members, mission, the church as a whole, and the unique details that could tell a welcoming story. The shoots spanned several days where I was able to meet with parishioners and staff, attend member interviews, capture lively music events, and document architectural details of the church itself. Designer Alicia Pritt is one of the most down-to-earth people I have ever worked with and I can see why her design firm is a leader in creating modern, easy-to-navigate websites for faith-based organizations. Her professionalism paired with her warm personality and passion for the project echo throughout each site’s design.

From Theory One Design:

First Church Cambridge

Founded in 1633, First Church in Cambridge, rightfully claims an incomparable legacy of early American history, venerable ministers, progressive ideology and 375 years of faithful service to the community. Aware of its history, the current congregation is also deeply committed to living lives of faith in the modern age marked by radical hospitality and justice advocacy.

Our process

We fall in love a little with each of our clients and First Church in Cambridge was no exception. We loved the joyfulness of Sunday morning worship, the exhuberance of the monthly Jazz service and the respite that is the Night Song service. Our interviews also connected us to warm, well-informed members who see themselves as citizens responsible for doing their part to repair the world. We discovered that the people of First Church strive to tangibly live out the message of the Gospels. Our task was to design a site reflective of this in the form of a beautiful invitation to join in.

Under the hood

Behind the photography and custom illustrations, this site provides sermons, music, a comprehensive list of service opportunities, a fully integrated master calendar and news feature, photo galleries and online giving. The site map reflects the community resource that the church building provides by hosting events, rehearsals, concerts and even office space for area non-profit organizations.

Why we love this site

Simply put, this site was fun to design. Successful designs are borne out of strong collaborative relationships and the staff and committee at First Church in Cambridge excelled in partnering with us to develop a site completely customized to their needs and visually unique. We also found a treasure trove of inspiration in the architecture and artwork created by church members (don’t miss the enchanting illustrations expertly created by church member, Perry Neubauer).

The response

A Senior Minister at another church has this to say:

“It is a beautiful piece of work. I’ve been all over it. Exploring the site is a bit like exploring a venerable old building. It was fun to poke around and see what was behind this door or that one. It’s a great web site. You’ve definitely got me thinking…”

Credits:

Copy writing: the staff and Arts & Communications Committee
Copy editors: Nancy Weil and Kate Layzer, members
Photography: Heather Parker Photography
Illustrations: Perry Neubauer, member
Design, programming and project management: Theory One Design
Website: www.FirstChurchCambridge.org

Websites for Faith-Based Communities by Theory One Design

Chicago photography | Meaghan and Sean. More to come soon, stay tuned.

Wedding blogs are often buzzing with catch phrases like “real weddings” and parading around lots of creative, personalized details that piece together a common theme. When browsing the web looking at wedding details and searching for a wedding photographer, photos of peonies, or a Vera Wang gown hung up are without a doubt useful in planning ideas. Details that may be more meaningful to you in 20 years that are rich with emotion tell a story in a different way. The trendy theme that you put together (that might seem quite dated looking back) might be less relevant than the little details a seasoned photographer captures. Rather than the reaction photo of a bride smiling as she listens to her maid of honor toast, I wanted to share this photo. This shot weighed in with just as much emotion as the expression on the bride’s face.

Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church Chicago wedding photography by Heather Parker. This church made of Michigan buff sandstone has red oak pews, an historic Johnson & Son tracker organ and some very unique stained glass. These are a few photos from Jennifer and Kyle’s wedding ceremony held here. After they got married, they held their reception at the Rookery building.

If you’d like to see more photos of Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church Chicago wedding photography, click here.