jackie is my favorite kind of bride. she wears shiny red shoes under her wedding gown and goes with a simple bouquet using just red. guess what color her trolley was. yep, you guessed it, red. the wine? red. actually mike ditka kick ass red wine. okay, okay you get the picture. though the jackie and mike did a “first look,” because of the limited amount of daylight at this time of year, after the church ceremony at saint alphonsus, it got dark outside very quickly. having to do creative wedding photos outdoors at night can sometimes have some advantages, such as having a sparkling array of city lights as a backdrop. i am really happy with the results.
from the bride:
“i’ve been so excited to see the photos, thank you sooo much for all your hard work on our wedding day. we had a blast and i’m glad we can now remember more of the moments through our photos. we love the pics. there’s so many that are truly amazing and totally capture the feeling behind the day. they were well worth the wait. i love a lot of the details shots of the flowers, the wine bottles, the table settings, the people signing the guestbook, the tiny flowers on the cake, etc. the outdoor shots after the wedding turned out fabulous! there’s nothing we appreciate more about living in the city is when we’re downtown and see all the city lights and the skyline and know that we live here…truly beautiful and those shots are my favorites!”
Vendors:
Ceremony: St. Alphonsus Church 1429 W. Wellington Avenue, Chicago, IL (773) 525-0709
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learn about photography:
bokeh happens when a photo is taken under certain lens conditions and creates certain aesthetic qualities in out of focus backgrounds. the reason i do this is to limit distractions and emphasize the important subject in a photograph. the two lenses i use that produce a nice amount of bokeh are my canon 85mm f/1.2 and my canon 35mm f/1.4. to the average consumer, these lenses are pricey, but you can get a similar effect with a 50mm f/1.8. both canon and nikon offer these little lenses commonly known as nifty fifties (or shifty fifties!) for around $85 dollars. its hands-down the number one starter lens for anyone picking up a digital SLR. if you happen to get a DSLR camera for the holidays, promptly toss the kit lens in the bin and pick yourself up a faster lens. fun fact: i won’t date anyone who uses a kit lens, and if need be, i will go buy a 50mm f/1.8. i still have my nifty fifty and have no plans on getting rid of it!
what about film? i love film. i have more film cameras than i do digital. film is cozy and familiar. i learned photography using film. i used a camera for five years that didn’t even take a battery. if you have a film camera tinkering around, i strongly recommend picking it up and reading up on some photography 101. when you shoot digital, you will have a better grasp on understanding manual photography. when i shoot film, i shoot less. it forces me to shoot for quality versus shooting for quantity. for me, its a needed exercise and good discipline for reminding myself to shoot for quality. the film cameras i use are medium format and take medium format film which means i get between 12 and 15 shots on one roll. its expensive, tedious, and rewarding all at the same time. when i was hired to do resort photography recently in jamaica, i took along one of my film cameras, my hasselblad 503cx. though the V-system cameras have been produced since WWII, my camera might be about 25 years old. old, but not ancient. i like the simplicity of it. during that particular architectural shoot, while i waited for the clouds to make way for sun, i sat down to clean my camera and lens. the employees of the resort watched as i took the camera apart in three easy steps. i took the film holder off, i removed the viewfinder, and finally removed the lens. “so basically its just a box?” one onlooker said? yes!
p.s. if i don’t update the blog before christmas, happy holidays! i worked on this wedding until the wee hours and plan to get through as many weddings as possible in the next few days!
the above photo was my one of my top wedding photos from this shoot. during this wedding, i saw some amazing light and snuck the bride and groom outside and were able to get some great shots right around sunset and the magic hour.
mary and steve hired me last year for their recent duxbury wedding. the couple met at boston college and while she grew up in florida, they decided to get married near boston since they both live and work in the area. the town they chose to get married is duxbury. it is often a choice as a destination wedding location because it is a charming new england seaside town rich with historic details and filled with so many natural elements including bumpus park, a wild life preserves and a quaint harbor. mary got ready at a rented cottage with the help of her mother, and twin sisters caroline and kathleen. at first, i didn’t realize there were twins and because they were already in their bridesmaid dresses, i momentarily was a bit confused how one person could be in so many places at so many times. i am bad at telling twins apart i guess.
before driving over to the church, i was lucky that mary allocated some time for some photos. there was a gorgeous backdrop of autumn leaves. new england is the perfect place for taking in fantastic views of foliage. this november 6th wedding got the tail end of the vibrant colors and we were lucky for such amazing backgrounds to work with.
mary and her groom steve chose to see each other before their wedding in order to make some time for photos. they are part of an ever increasing amount of newlyweds who choose to do a first look. first looks are basically a moment set aside to see each other on the wedding day, before the walk down the aisle. the first look is done alone, not in front of your wedding guests, and it is documented with photos. historically, seeing each other before the wedding has been a hot topic, but i am noticing more and more couples want to get photos done beforehand rather than skip out on guests midway during their wedding day. even though the first time you lay eyes on each other as bride and groom will not be in front of those close to you, the benefit of doing this is that before your wedding ceremony, you can budget time for photos and still have time to mingle with friends and family during cocktail hour later. having a first look during late autumn weddings and early spring weddings is something important to think about. this time of year, days are shorter and with less sunlight, the possibility for outdoor photos for afternoon weddings is sometimes slim.
mary’s aunt created all the floral arrangements for her wedding including this arrangement called the bells of ireland. this is popular in ireland and in the boston area due to the large irish american population. i have a lot of brides asking for information about incorporating irish traditions in their wedding so below is a photo of the flower arrangement. while this one was used at the church, i have seen these also used as centerpieces for tables at wedding receptions.
the wedding ceremony was at Holy Family Church at 601 Tremont St. Duxbury, MA 02332 (781) 934-5055
steve stands before his groomsmen, awaiting patiently as mary walks down the aisle.
mary’s sisters watch as she gets married during a full catholic mass
a bagpiper awaited for the newlyweds to exit the church. he played during the receiving line.
the wedding reception was held nearby at duxbury bay maritime school located at 457 Washington Street
Duxbury, MA 02332 (781) 934-7555
before the wedding, mary had sent me snapshots of the wedding reception venue as it was just being built. the smith building at the duxbury bay maritime school is part of a state of the art facility directly on the water. it made for picturesque views of colorful trees in the distance, while sailboats dotted the bay under the blazing sunset. if you are looking for a unique location outside of boston, or are considering a destination wedding but don’t want to deal with traffic in the cape cod canal tunnel or want to go far for a nantucket or martha’s vineyard island wedding, duxbury is a perfect option.
with the bay as a backdrop, mary and steve braved the brisk seaside breeze and the result was an memorable set of seaside wedding photos.
after cocktail hour, the newlyweds enlisted silent chef for a french style dinner service. with all the weddings i have photographed over the years, this was my first wedding i shot that was served in this manner. french style dinner service offers waiters that bring a large presentation dish of the food (whether soup, salad or entree) to the guests. often, the waiters continue to refill the large dish until the guest indicates they are done.
silent chef is located at 113 Front Street Scituate, MA 02066 and their phone number is (781) 545-6665.
mary and steve thanks for selecting me as your wedding photographer! both jim and i had so much fun shooting your wedding!
wedding vendors that were used include:
wedding dj: beat train productions: ari with beat train is one of my favorite dj’s in boston. i will be photographing a wedding at the oceancliff hotel in newport, ri this summer where ari will be dj’ing. check him out at zu zu’s in cambridge, ma. beat train productions is listed in the little black book put out by style me pretty wedding blog. wedding photographer: heather parker photography: available to shoot weddings in boston, chicago, and destination weddings including negril jamaica. wedding caterer: silent chef: 113 Front Street Scituate, MA 02066 and their phone number is (781) 545-6665 wedding cermony venue:Holy Family Church at 601 Tremont St. Duxbury, MA 02332 (781) 934-5055 south shore boston wedding reception venue: duxbury bay maritime school 457 Washington Street Duxbury, MA 02332 (781) 934-7555. a newly designed, modern, loft-like feel for the interior, and historically inspired white cedar exterior that sits directly on duxbury bay.
p.s. – subscribe to my blog* for an upcoming post of this january’s cohasset, ma wedding at Second Congregational Church with a classic, New England church complete with white steeple with a reception at the colonial style red lion inn at 71 South Main Street Cohasset, MA
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one of my brides has a new nickname, jen the great. seriously! jen selected me as her boston wedding photographer this past summer. before her wedding, the engagement photos i took for her in chicago were featured on rock ‘n roll bride. when i find myself time after time getting engagement shoot requests against that same familiar skyline or in that oh so familiar tourist park, i can’t tell you how refreshing it is to get couples that want to shoot at a colorful mcdonalds, on abandoned elevated railroad tracks, or even in the couples’ loft apartment. jen is your quintessential offbeat bride in every way.
following the wedding, jen the great got my photography featured on the popular wedding website rock ‘n roll bride and on skull a day, and now today on the wildly popular blog for brides who thrive for something more unique: offbeat bride.thank you jen and grant for sharing with the world your awesome blue, skull infested, vans sneaker wedding with the entire world through the various blogs you have submitted to. i feel like we’ve gone on a blog tour and can’t wait to see what else you have in store!
things about jen and grant’s off-beat wedding that have made it so popular on the blogsphere:
use of skulls as a recurring theme throughout their wedding day
getting proposed to at a mcdonalds
wearing vans sneakers at the wedding
incorporating playstation (cufflinks, groom’s cake) at the wedding
having blue as the sole color at the wedding, and rocking it!
having a wedding dress with pockets
proudly displaying cartoon characters at your wedding
having the first dance to a song with lyrics that include “if a double-decker bus crashes into us, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die” (listen here, yes i too am a smiths fan)
jen and grant had their wedding at hampshire house, boston’s most historic, sought after wedding venues and still pulled off a tasteful integration of many non-traditional details for their wedding.
cheers to you guys! (oh wait did i mention that they held their wedding above the famed cheers pub in boston?!)
this fall, i was the wedding photographer hired to photograph naomi and andy’s wedding/vow renewal ceremony. the event was held at oak brook bath & tennis club over at 800 oak brook road in oak brook, IL 60523 (phone number is 630-368-6440). in the weeks leading up to the couple’s big day, they enlisted the services of chicago area wedding planner amanda from la ‘di events. because the bride had taken on a new job, juggled raising two young children, and was planning a wedding that was well over an hour away from her home, a day of coordinator made things a lot easier for her. amanda, the owner of la ‘di events kept the ball rolling and made sure all the details came together for the couple. naomi carefully put together a very fitting autumn color palette and did a lot of DIY wedding decorations to go alongside the fall-inspired centerpieces and decor created by kristen at kio kreations. before the wedding day, i touched base with amanda a few times to go over the time line of the day, and photo related information. on the wedding day, while i was photographing the bride getting ready, having her makeup applied by cynthia sally, amanda was at the wedding ceremony venue getting everything ready. on a chilly afternoon drizzling with rain, the day of coordinator made the important decision to hold the wedding ceremony indoors.
as la ‘di events is becoming one of chicago’s fastest growing wedding planners. i decided to feature la ‘di as part of a vendor spotlight.
It’s hard to really pinpoint how I started down the path to becoming a
wedding planner. I have been planning parties for friends and family since
I was in High school. I always intended on starting my own business and
wedding planning was my ultimate choice. But what really kick started my
journey to start my own business was planning my sister’s wedding. After
that all my friends looked to me for wedding planning assistance and I had
such a great time! I knew this was what I wanted to do always.
3. What do you do on your weekends off?
Sleep in! Haha! I actually usually try to schedule venue walk thrus and
consultations on Saturdays that I am off. But if I don’t have meetings I
spend time with My Husband David and Peanut Butter our Yellow lab.
4. What are some of the most popular requests this season?
5. What sets your company apart from the competition?
We can accommodate every level of planning services. We have Full, Partial
and Day Of Coordination Packages. We have two Planners myself and my
Associate Aubrey. We have assistants available as well. We understand that
every client is different and we can be there to assist them with their
planning needs no matter if they are big or small.
here are some of the best wedding photos from naomi and andy’s big day where both myself and amanda worked alongside each other.
all star vendors for this autumn chicago wedding include:
i’ve been somewhat M.I.A. on the blog these days as i have been editing photos ranging from resort shoots, to weddings, and corporate shoots from sometimes 8am until 1am trying to get as much done. i wanted to wish a happy chanukah and/or hanukkah to all my clients who celebrate! i can’t say i celebrate haukkah, nor am i a firm believer in any religion, i have a tree. as a wedding photographer i spend more time in church than many americans. so i feel i’ve done my time. below i decided to post some photos of my tree and ornaments. the tree that i have is an original evergleam aluminum tree. i am not a fan of the color wheel, and since you can’t string electric lights on an aluminum tree, i have decorated it with colorful ornaments instead. its decorated with vintage shiny brite ornaments. here is my favorite ornament: rather than chopping down a tree and hoping a company really replants enough trees, i go faux! this year i have made many green choices and hope to make even more in the future.
here is my green gift guide. i hope it inspires many of you to give green, and also to live green.
i am using sanyo eneloop rechargable batteries at all my shoots. they now come in fun colors, and are a good buy for anyone, not just professional photographers. even if you can’t find the rainbow packs, they make pretty nice looking regular white ones. i had many reusable grocery bags bottom-out and for several years have used these awesome nylon rip-stop shopping bags, the german-made reisenthel
mini maxi shopping bag. if you are the type to brown-bag your lunch to work, consider a fun Zojirushi Mr. Bento lunch container for your leftovers. there is even a flickr group for inspiration if you are considering a mr. bento. there is plenty of jewelry available nowadays made from recycled materials, but re: vision is extra cool for recycling old camera lenses into jewelry. for those coffee drinkers (not me, i’ve never drank a cup in my life) help them cut down on paper waste by using a sustain recyled &recyclable insulated tumbler. they are made with eCycle™, a recycled & recyclable material. you can grab them at CVS, Office Depot, and drugstore.com. they seem especially appealing after you look at coffee cup waste statistics. it might be nearing that “too late” time to buy too many more gifts. but i hope this spawns some creative green thinking!
aside from the obvious bachelors or masters degree, many college and university campuses offer the benefit of having beautiful churches, chapels and reception venues for their alumni, students and others. loyola university in recently renovated their madonna della strada chapel. this catholic church is on their lakeshore campus in chicago at 6525 North Sheridan Rd., Chicago, IL 60626 and their phoen number is 773.508.2089. in addition to having a bright, modern church, loyola also has opened up a new reception and meeting facility called kasbeer hall. with its loft like feel, tall ceilings and breathtaking views from the 15th floor at the water tower campus, i am going to have to bet this new wedding reception venue will be a big hit for upcoming brides in chicago. their website now even has a link for information on wedding packages at loyola university.
the bride and groom had a catholic mass and after they were married, the newlyweds and the bridal party had photos taken on the loyola lakeshore campus as well as downtown around the michigan ave. area. as party of their wedding day time line, they budgeted from 3:30 until 5:00 for photos around town with an itinerary of outdoor and indoor locations in case of rain. during the hour and a half, guests were able to go back to their hotel which was near the reception venue.
during their reception, there were both kindhearted and funny toasts, and from the first dance to the parent dances, they really raised the bar in terms of skill involved at wedding reception dances.
congratulations to you on your wedding, it was a blast to shoot!
remember theresa & bob? perhaps you remember the bertoia chairs from their engagement session at millenium park? fast forward a few months, and they send me their wedding invitation – it is a passport! this is so fitting for a multicultural couple that clearly loves to travel. i remember immediately taking snapshots of the invite (below) with my iphone and sending it to a few of my creative friends. theresa is an architect and with a design background like that, she put her fiance to work, and together made the coolest wedding invitation i have ever seen. during their wedding, guests were encouraged to bring their own passports and get stamped with a rubber stamp from various tables as a way to meet and mingle with other friends and family.theresa got ready with her bridesmaids at her grandmother’s house. theresa’s grandmother had a bunch of cool vintage furniture that i was in love with, including this fun velvet chair.her flower girl gave her a big hug as they were getting ready.at st. giles church the ring bearer and flower girl walked down the aisle flawlessly. no tantrums, no dropping stuff, it was perfection! on a side note they call the bride theresa tee tee! its so cute to hear them squeal tee tee!!!the groom watched as his bride made her entrancethe mother of the bride listened to the pastor’s comments about marriage. he created a dialog with friends and family which everyone seemed to enjoy.at theresa and bob’s wedding, they had placecards on a table that was covered in coins from various currencies to go with their passport travel themed wedding.in chinese tradition, they kept with the theme of luck, and provided each guest with an opportunity to win instantly. i love their choice of blue. i shot another multicultural chinese american wedding that also chose blue as their wedding color over the summer.here is one of the passports that had gotten stamped as this guest visited other tablesthe maid of honor did a toastand the bride and groom were laughing quite a bit at some of the stories that were toldnice big cake and a nice big kissit was pretty easy to catch candid moments at this wedding, lots of laughter all nighthere is a photo from the first dancein addition to wearing a white dress, theresa changed into a blue chengosam / qi pao chinese wedding dress that was originally the mother of the groom’sshe also changed into a red qi pao wedding dress as welltheresa has compiled a list of her wedding planning details below:
VENUERiver Forest Country Club 15W468 Grand Pl. Elmhurst, IL 60126 (630) 279-5444 CEREMONY St. Giles Catholic Catholic Church 1025 Columbian Avenue, Oak Park, Illinois 60302. Phone, 708-383-3430 CANTOR Bride’s Sister-In-Law, Maria Hercik CELEBRANT Father Michael Gabriel, currently located at St. Josaphat Parish in Lincoln Park at 2311 N Southport Ave, Chicago PHOTOGRAPHERHeather Parker Photography DJ Brett Anderson with SoundQ Productions FLOWERSThe Elite Flower (wholesaler for Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Jewel; arrangements put together by a friend CAKE(Rhino & Ela’s) Pastryhouse 7545 W Montrose Ave, Norridge, IL 60706 DRESS (BRIDE)White One (one of the Pronovias lines) DRESS (BRIDESMAIDS)Mori Lee (Purchased at House of Brides – Schaumburg) DRESS (FLOWER GIRL)David’s Bridal FAVORS Instant scratch-off lottery tickets HAIR STYLIST Erika Romero (630)805-1272 INVITATIONS Carlson Craft – Black Tie Duo PASSPORT INVITATIONS Design & assembly by the Bride & Groom: Combination of Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Powerpoint, QuarkXPress (The materials for the covers were purchased online, at Michael’s Arts & Crafts & Target) JEWELERSBride’s engagement ring:Dimend SCAASI 5 South Wabash Avenue 17th Floor, Chicago, IL 60603 (312) 857-1700 Bride’s wedding band:Golden Crown Jewelers 1 N Wabash Ave Chicago, IL 60602 (312) 782-8633 Groom’s wedding band:COSTCO LIMO Elite Chicago Limo 400 E. Randolph St. Chicago, IL 60601 (312) 201-1055 MAKEUP ARTISTBeth Follert NIGHT OWL SNACKHome Run Inn Pizza SLIDESHOW Bride’s brother, using Adobe Premier Pro TABLE ACTIVITY Rubber stamps: Michael’s, Stamp pads: Oriental Trading Company TUXEDO (GROOM) Armani Formal Wear at Neiman Marcus TUXEDO (GROOMSMEN)Mens Wearhouse
below i decided to post some photos of my tree and ornaments. the tree that i have is an original 
“oh what fun it is to ride over to heather’s studio for a shoot… against the green screen chomping on candy canes”
fast forward a few months, and they send me their wedding invitation – it is a passport! this is so fitting for a multicultural couple that clearly loves to travel. i remember immediately taking snapshots of the invite (below) with my iphone and sending it to a few of my creative friends. theresa is an architect and with a design background like that, she put her fiance to work, and together made the coolest wedding invitation i have ever seen. during their wedding, guests were encouraged to bring their own passports and get stamped with a rubber stamp from various tables as a way to meet and mingle with other friends and family.
theresa got ready with her bridesmaids at her grandmother’s house. 
theresa’s grandmother had a bunch of cool vintage furniture that i was in love with, including this fun velvet chair.
her flower girl gave her a big hug as they were getting ready.
at st. giles church the ring bearer and flower girl walked down the aisle flawlessly. no tantrums, no dropping stuff, it was perfection! on a side note they call the bride theresa tee tee! its so cute to hear them squeal tee tee!!!
the groom watched as his bride made her entrance
the mother of the bride listened to the pastor’s comments about marriage. he created a dialog with friends and family which everyone seemed to enjoy.
at theresa and bob’s wedding, they had placecards on a table that was covered in coins from various currencies to go with their passport travel themed wedding.
in chinese tradition, they kept with the theme of luck, and provided each guest with an opportunity to win instantly. i love their choice of blue. i shot another 
here is one of the passports that had gotten stamped as this guest visited other tables
the maid of honor did a toast
and the bride and groom were laughing quite a bit at some of the stories that were told
nice big cake and a nice big kiss
it was pretty easy to catch candid moments at this wedding, lots of laughter all night
here is a photo from the first dance
in addition to wearing a white dress, theresa changed into a blue chengosam / qi pao chinese wedding dress that was originally the mother of the groom’s
she also changed into a red qi pao wedding dress as well
theresa has compiled a list of her wedding planning details below: