2011 is a wrap! I finished up my 2011 year returning from shooting in Puerto Rico, heading to a New Year’s Eve wedding in downtown Chicago for a bride and groom who came in from Boston. The day was unseasonably warm, and we got a killer sunset. The following morning, I got on a plane for my first 2011 wedding, which was in Toronto at the Soho Metropolitan Hotel. My clients were from Chicago and Bermuda and hosted one of the coolest, most intimate little weddings I have ever been to. Back in Chicago, I photographed Jennifer and Kyle’s winter wedding at The Rookery. Before “wedding season” kicked off in the United States, I headed to shoot another wedding in Jamaica for a Jamaican bride and groom from Washington D.C. Jamaica is one of my favorite places, and each time I go, I meet new friends.
Wedding season kicked off in Boston, with lots of shoots in my favorite neighborhoods. This summer I had three brides named Annie, and two of them had back to back weddings one week after another at River East Arts Center. Annie and Sunil held their ceremony and reception at River East Arts Center, and Annie and Ian got married at Holy Family Parish and River East the following week.
In addition to Massachusetts and Illinois, this year I got to work with couples calling in from Scotland, Bermuda, China, Jamaica, Australia, Puerto Rico, Oregon, California, Virginia, New York, Arizona, Louisiana, Rhode Island, and New Mexico. I might be forgetting some locations as well. Skype calls have become the norm in communicating with couples who plan their weddings from far away. The above image is from Pete and Annie’s Martha’s Vineyard wedding. I think it takes the cake as a top favorite. After the ketubah signing, Annie and Pete made time for some photos on the sprawling grounds of Martha’s Vineyard where we got to walk and shoot amongst all sorts of farm animals. As we headed down a dirt path, roosters began chasing Annie in her cowgirl boots and wedding gown and Pete chased after her. Throughout the thousands images that fill up terabytes of space on my hard drive, I would like to highlight a small fraction of the moments that stood out as my personal best. Thank you for taking a peek at my Best of 2011 Weddings.
Silhouettes at the Rookery
Sarah and Ryan in the West Loop before their UCCO wedding.
Erin and Dean in Boston Common
Pouring rain made for some refreshing results! I’m shooting Sara and Paul’s Longwood Events wedding in 2013!
Here are a few from shooting on the tallest ship in perfect weather.
A kiss at the green monster.
A pug, a truck, and a kiss, featured on Sparkle & Hay
One of my favorite shoots, blocks from where I used to live, in a neighborhood that my clients lived in too.
Dreamy! The best time of day for photos!
I’ve gotten to photograph Ian and Whitney three times. A moment in Chicago before heading to Italy!
Jamie & Jakari’s solid gold shoot was on Beantown Bride
Chappaquiddick Island was the location for these beauties.
Twilight and drizzle was the perfect setting for this shoot for Trish and Griffin before their Oregon wedding.
Some Michiganders take on Chicago. It was a great night.
Looking forward to Jenna and Jarrod’s 2012 wedding at Smith Barn.
A hot shave before Dan married his cool bride Carolyn.
Shannon at the W Hotel before the fun Greek wedding!
Liz and Bridget, this one is for you! xo
I had so much fun with with Julia, her mom Beverly, and all the bridesmaids at the Chicago Guest House.
Daniella was ready to roll.
Sarah and Ryan’s first look at the University Club of Chicago
Kissing in the Boston Public Library
The Marilyn Monroe sculpture was a big hit for this summer wedding.
While this wedding was on Style Me Pretty, they mustn’t have had a taste for HOT TUNA because they didn’t put this shot up.
One of the destination weddings in Jamaica, for a Jamaican family!
Cooling down under the arches before the Omni Parker Boston wedding
Asymmetrical bridesmaid dresses made their mark in 2011!
Annie & Sunil before their wedding at River East Arts Center.
A week later, my other Annie got married at River East Arts Center too!
There was a noticeable closeness at Alex and Tim’s Bradley Estate wedding. Congrats to you both!
I was laying down on the ground for this one of Trinity Church.
This wedding was indoors, don’t be fooled!
Megan and her dad just as the ceremony began.
White and blue flowers were perfect for this winter wedding.
In 1885, the American Institute of Architects voted Trinity Church as the most important building in the U.S. and it is the only building from the original 1885 list still included in the AIA’s current top ten list.
With less restrictive churches and a good lens, a photo can allow you to be in the moment.
Lots of hidden glances at this wedding ceremony. Congrats Dean and Erin!
Brookfield Zoo wedding
Bridget and Barrie, you put on such a fun wedding. Shout out to Beat Train DJs and Gracie Lou Events!
Eynat and Ryan win for being the hippest couple of the year!
Noses so close shot from so far, at the Modern Wing.
Sunset of the year!
Kehoe Designs does a phenomenal job on event design and flowers!
Cathedral Hall and the Michigan Room are both some very dark, but cool venues to shoot weddings!
Steve Edwards Orchestra rocks! Great working with them at Daniella & John’s wedding as well as at Katie & Matt’s wedding!
Can’t wait to share the rest of these photos! Winter weddings are my new favorite!
The W Hotel, decked out by Kehoe Designs, was a great modern venue for this fun Greek wedding.
Toasting!
During the first dance, it was neat seeing everyone watching the newlyweds first dance at the barn!
First dance at the Omni rooftop ballroom in Boston.
This University of Chicago couple had a blast at their Garfield Park Conservatory wedding, and I had just as much fun photographing!
Daniella was referred to as “the most beautiful bride in the world” and the room was filled with applause.
There is no part more fun to photograph at a wedding than a Jewish horah.
I am saving this fantastic Martha’s Vineyard farm wedding to share with you all! It was one of my all time favorites! Soon!!!
Craziest daytime wedding I have ever shot! You guys rock!
The best sequence of wedding photography from the year is below.
This photo was featured on Moment Junkie!
Instead of just garters and bouquets, maybe every wedding needs a football.
Adler Planetarium wedding decked out in blue and yellow for a lively evening full of Irish tradition.
Sometimes, stealing a bride for a night photo is the best time for them to spent 5 minutes (almost) alone on their wedding day!
Just a handful of the weddings that got featured this year are listed below:
Style Me Pretty: Gallery 1028 wedding of Laura & Mike
Style Me Pretty: Peninsula Hotel wedding of Cynthia & David
Elizabeth Anne Designs feature of Tara & Sam’s wedding
Style Me Pretty: Gallery 1028 wedding of Halley & Josh
Wedding Nuveau: Annie & Ian’s River East Arts Center wedding
Sparkle & Hay’s feature of Ashley & Nate’s barn engagement session
Be U Weddings: Tower Club Wedding of Dawn & Charles
Looking forward to the new Canon DSLR this year, and photographing at lots of cool new wedding venues with all of my new couples!
We had full access to the grounds of the Allen Farm Sheep and Wool Company, and saw the roosters, a donkey, plenty of sheep, and horses.
At Indian weddings, its fairly common to hire a horse for the baraat. If you happen to be lucky enough to host a wedding in a city with lenient restrictions, its not unheard of to be able to rent an elephant for this once-in-a-lifetime occasion.
If you don’t have access to a farm or a need to rent a horse, man’s best friend can sometimes make his or her way into the wedding day schedule.
You never know what sort of uninvited guests show up at a wedding. I was hired as the destination wedding photographer in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, and this resident peacock made an appearance.
Goats and sheep made more than one appearance this year at weddings. This photo below was from Alexandra and Tim’s wedding at the Bradley Estate just outside Boston.
The Brookfield Zoo is a popular location for weddings near Chicago. Often, couples are offered private tours and can see all the animals. Check out the dolphins!
I shot a wedding at a private residence where the groom brought out some barn kittens.
Some folks enjoy animals more than others. In this photo, the groom really wasn’t into checking out the polar bear.
On your wedding day, its your day and you can do whatever you want. In addition to being able to stop traffic for a quick photo, sometimes you can even bring your cat or dog down the aisle for your ceremony.
At this Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum wedding, this butterfly made a surprise landing.
If you know the schedule ahead of time, often times an animal’s arrival is a welcomed guest.
On occasion, you get an unwelcome wedding guest as well:
I saved the best for last. In just a few days we welcome Chinese New Year. 2012 is the Dragon, more specifically the Water Dragon. The White Elephant Hotel on Nantucket couldn’t have been a more perfect location to showcase these dragons with the ocean just steps away.
There you have it – animals at weddings from yours truly.
