mamta and nishant had their engagement shoot in downtown chicago so that they could show their friends and family where their “home” was for several years. their upcoming wedding is in mumbai (formerly bombay). we met on an early brisk morning and avoided tourists, hitting many popular locations for photos in chicago. we talked a lot about indian wedding ceremonies such as mehndi and the sangeet/gaun parties, as well as the shaadi and mandap. the reason i really enjoy indian weddings is because of the many ceremonies that happen with a backdrop of such vibrant colors. mamta and nishant will have a five day wedding and hundreds of wedding guests. during our shoot, we talked about holi; i am dying to photograph the festivals.
Posts Tagged ‘wedding photographer’
Chicago indian enagagement & wedding photographer
November 2, 2009mad hatter tea party themed wedding on halloween
November 1, 2009people often speak of having a storybook wedding. well, this wedding comes literally straight from teh storybooks of alice in wonderland. shortly after photographing sam & hezzie’s wedding at gallery 1028, i was hired for sam’s sister liza’s wedding. i am picky when it comes to photographing on holidays, so if i was going to forfeit halloween, it had to be for a fun shoot. they convinced me right away when i was informed that the wedding was going to be themed as a mad hatter tea party. i met liza at her brother’s wedding, and at the time, i had no idea i would get to work with her again. liza plays by her own rules, she is an offbeat bride. heck she even made her own blue wedding dress! with the help of her mother deborah who owns norton’s usa (a unique all-american general store), the wedding would go down in the books as being one of the most memorable for everyone in attendance. they merged a mad hatter tea party theme with elements of autumn. the wedding was held at home, in a strikingly beautiful, yet mysterious house. during the ceremony, the bride emerged from a secret bookcase door, surprising guests. the groom, richard, is from manchester, uk.
it was a real pleasure photographing this wedding, as there was such great scenery and carefully thought out decorations to work with. liza’s family has two amazing horses, and a barn full of teeny kittens!
from the mother of the bride:
Hi Heather!!! They are wonderful! Glad you had fun! We all looked with Sam’s computer yesterday and we’re thrilled. Thank you so much for coming and shooting Liza & Richards wedding.
“I didn’t get to see all of Sam and Hezi’s pics but what I did see are fabulous! You really are so very talented!
Thank you from the bottomof my heart
Deborah”
caterer: moveable feast
decor: norton’s usa
cake: sugar hills bakery
flowers: barrington fresh flower market
happy halloween everyone! don’t forget to adjust the time on your cameras to daylight savings time.
chinese wedding in chicago by heather parker photography
October 31, 2009i always love having opportunity of shooting cultural weddings. i met with charlotte last year and was so excited to be hired to photograph her and mike’s wedding. earlier this year i photographed charlotte and mike’s engagement shoot, and since charlotte and mike travel frequently for work, we did a lot of communication via email regarding the details of the wedding day and her photography plans and ideas. in addition to wedding-related chatter, charlotte, being a foodie, she gave me some great tips on where to find true Québécois poutine made with real cheese curds.
charlotte is from singapore and her family spoke mandarin, while mike’s family spoke cantonese. i love being able to document cultural and family traditions, and this wedding in particular had some especially fun parts to photograph. i witnessed some hilarious games and a pretty tea ceremony which happened before the traditional style wedding ceremony that i am used to. before tea, the groom was quizzed by bride’s friends and family and had to partake in humorous demands before the mother of the bride released her daughter to the groom.
i asked charlotte about some of the details of her wedding day and she said:
The Chinese tea ceremony was requested by my mom. Basically it is a way for us to thank our families for raising us. The groom comes to the bride’s house to collect the bride. But the bride’s friends and family will try and block the groom and his men. The groom will have to go a series of games to prove his love for the bride. At the end, the girls will negotiate a price for the bride. Usually the number ends in 99. So $299, $399, etc.
When the groom claims the bride, they are supposed to go to the groom’s family to do the tea ceremony. Then they return to the bride’s family to do the tea ceremony. We did it all in the same room to save time!
Mike and I are so laid back, so we wanted fun pictures. Mike requested the lakefront shots and I like indoor shots and vintage looking locales, so Union Station was awesome! I love the look and feel of your photos! Very different from the others I have seen and very imaginative! That was ultimately the reason why we picked you!
after their wedding, the bride and groom headed to Curaçao for their honeymoon where they went to explore the island’s shores via scuba diving.
婚礼摄影师在芝加哥
中文和粤语的新娘和新郎
charlotte purchased adorable containers for the wedding rings which were enscribed with to have and to hold.
the bride’s mother watched over over the groom during some lighthearted games
the groom answered questions regarding his new bride
mike and char were a very easy-going couple – they joked around a lot and had a blast all day!
two families came together during a tea ceremony overlooking famous michigan avenue. they had one of the best hotel suites i have ever photographed in.
charlotte takes tea to present to the families.
i heard someone mutter that some of the tea had some wasabi in it!
the groom leaves the room before the bride changes into a white wedding gown.
simple bouquet of flowers to match a simple elegant dress.
the groom waits in the hotel lobby for a scheduled “first look” as the bride descended down a grand glowing staircase.
we took a limo to museum campus and played a little game of trust over lake michigan.
the chicago skyline is in the distance as the groom holds on tight to his bride.
charlotte forgot the disposable adhesive heating pads in her hotel room to keep her bridesmaids warm for outdoor photos so we went to union station after museum campus. she had prepared for inclement weather by buying a photo permit in advance for union station so that we would have no issues if we needed to use the location as a setting for her wedding photos.
the groom looked dapper don’t you think?
the groom looked dapper, don’t you think?
we wrapped up our 90 minute photo shoot by heading back to michigan ave and the bride and groom were cuffed by a chicago cop (all in good fun of course!).
the newlyweds had beautiful rings which i photographed on the stem of a tulip.
cocktail hour…
what a cute nephew and a proud father!
here are some of the wedding reception details including favors, cupcake centerpieces, and an overall theme of red – the color of happiness.
and a toast…
and a cake cutting and a cake smoosh followed by a smooch.
guests seemed to be having a great time
charlotte’s matron of honor was just as fun as she, and raised the bar on the dancefloor getting everyone going!
the bride and groom were a very fun laid-back couple to work with, and definitely know how to throw a party!
wedding ceremony & reception: marriott magnificent mile
makeup: monique madrid styling
dj: one stop dj (peggy liao, speaks mandarin and taiwanese)
alterations on white gown: Ms. Couture
alterations on qi pao/chengosam: oriental fine tailor
engagement shoot for a garfield park conservatory wedding couple
October 21, 2009i am the photographer stacey and steve chose to hire for their 2010 wedding at the garfield park conservatory. we scheduled an 8am shoot and made great use of a park during a relatively desolate time of day. the colors of the leaves were unreal. i like to think of an engagement session as a warm up photography shoot before the wedding day. they had quite the warm up before heading off to work.
autumn engagement shoot
October 20, 2009au·tumn n. – when they turn off the fountains and the leaves go orange.
it was a surprisingly tolerable morning, weather-wise! i photographed victor and nicole for their engagement shoot at their favorite park. their dog gizmo is hiding in one of these photos… where’s gizmo? 
i will be photographing their wedding in july 2010 at pazzo’s 311 located at 311 South Wacker Drive Chicago, IL 60606-6627 (312) 913-1600
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taj boston hotel wedding photography | real weddings
October 15, 2009“We’re getting married and figured it was a good excuse to throw a party for our friends and family!” this is what Bonnie and Jeff told me when i asked about their wedding. they were having a non-traditional wedding at boston’s quintessential luxury hotel, the taj boston (formerly Ritz Carlton Hotel). steeped in history, the hotel was the first Ritz Carlton, and the first hotel to offer private baths in guest rooms. what a luxury.
The wedding day coincided with the five surviving presidents and other dignitaries in town, though Bonnie wasn’t going to be outshined! with potential traffic from some heavy rain and dignitaries’ security, i arrived early at the salon on Newbury Street and photographed Bonnie getting ready. we headed next door to the hotel for her to get into her dress and have a “first look” with Jeff before the ceremony. the couple had a simple ceremony in the lavish tea room. their officiant was a close friend of the bride’s who got the JP for a day certification. friends and family filled the room with laughter when Jeff’s young son muttered “are they getting MARRIED?!” as the bride and groom stood face to face under the handmade chuppah. after the ceremony, everyone headed up to The Roof Top at the Taj for a fun celebration surrounded by friends, family, and fantastic views of Boston city lights.
Boston Wedding Vendors:
Ceremony venue and reception venue: Taj Boston Hotel
Wedding Florist: Winston Flowers
Boston Wedding Photographer: Heather Parker Photography
Wedding Hairstylist and Wedding Makeup Artist: Avanti Salon 11 Newbury St Boston, MA
things that make an engagement shoot better
August 21, 2009i love when engagement shoots have props, couples that dress smart, and loads of colors. alison and steve arrived ready for some fun. i pedaled to the shoot on my vintage schwinn yellow bicycle and alison asked if we could use it during the shoot. the yellow bike and her fun red shoes coordinated perfectly wiht the vibrant colors we passed while making our way through their neighborhood.
the couple will be using me as their wedding photographer for their upcoming wedding at loyola university’s beautifully restored madonna della strada chapel and reception nearby downtown.
