23.12.11

Merry Christmas from Us!

//If you're looking for my most recent wedding or engagement work, click here!!\\


Happy Friday! And more importantly.... Merry Christmas from Wil and I :-)

I can't send out cards to all of you, but I wanted to share our holiday cheer!
I hope you all have an amazing holiday weekend and find joy with your families and dear friends.

Many thanks to the beautiful Lauren Wakefield for taking our Christmas pictures :-)

I'll be back next week.....drumroll please....on the NEW BLOG!!!!! With my 2011 wrap-up posts!


Would you like to have me take pictures with the love of your life? Please use my super awesome new contact page :-)

22.12.11

Downtown Chicago Engagement Sneak Peek | Lauren and Stefan!

//If you're looking for my most recent wedding or engagement work, click here!!\\

Monday afternoon just before this wedding, I met Lauren and Stefan for their engagement session! I couldn't be more excited for the wedding next Labor Day weekend. They'll have a full post in a couple weeks, but wanted to give you all a quick sneak peek!

I can't get over the holiday lights downtown! I just love them.
You two are awesome!



Would you like to have me take pictures with the love of your life? Please use my super awesome new contact page :-)

Downtown Chicago Engagement Sneak Peek | Lauren and Stefan!

//If you're looking for my most recent wedding or engagement work, click here!!\\

Monday afternoon just before this wedding, I met Lauren and Stefan for their engagement session! I couldn't be more excited for the wedding next Labor Day weekend. They'll have a full post in a couple weeks, but wanted to give you all a quick sneak peek!



I can't get over the holiday lights downtown! I just love them.
You two are awesome!



Would you like to have me take pictures with the love of your life? Please use my super awesome new contact page :-)

21.12.11

How to Survive Winter in Chicago or other Tundra-like Locations

//If you're looking for my most recent wedding or engagement work, click here!!\\

Today is officially the first day of Winter so I want to tell you how to survive.

I love Chicago. I really do. Mostly I love Chicago in the summer, but I have learned how to make it through the winter as well. Sadly no one told me what steps I needed to take to take to prepare my first winter here so I blindly layered thinking it would help. It didn't really.

So I'm going to fix this problem and share what I've learned with you. Please note, I have invested in these pieces one at a time and so they aren't all currently available online anymore. What I have pictured below are the most similar options I could find.

First and foremost, the longest coat Northface makes for women. This is crucial. You need it.
Next step, boots you could brave the arctic in. I can't find mine online anymore, but these are really similar.
With these two items I can wear dresses out in two degree weather.

Next step is when it's slightly warmer, when I'm shooting, or going out. You want a jacket that still covers your butt but cinches in the middle to give you a waist, preferably something with a taller collar so you can get away without a scarf. I got mine from Gap two years ago, but this is the most similar thing they have now. Mine isn't shiny like this, but it's puffy and super lightweight. This is a great jacket for stuffing behind you in a seat and honestly it fits rolled up in the front pocket of my suitcase for when we travel to warmer climates but are coming in and out of Chicago.

You also want to find a pair of rain boots that you can wear in light snow that don't necessarily look like rain boots. These are also great for shooting in or just running errands and you can wear them all day! I found mine at Banana Republic but they don't have them anymore. These are from JCrew and very similar. Aren't they sooo pretty?

And then the most basic step, under everything, all winter, I wear HeatTech turtlenecks from Uniqlo and fleece lined leggings.

You're welcome! Now go and be warm.






Would you like to have me take pictures with the love of your life? Please use my super awesome new contact page :-)

20.12.11

Sneak Peek of the Century...Okay Maybe That's an Exaggeration

//If you're looking for my most recent wedding or engagement work, click here!!\\

Yesterday was my last wedding of the year! I am so excited to share the full wedding with you when they get back from their honeymoon. But this will have to tide you over for now...

A million happy wishes to the beautiful couple. I am so excited to share the rest of these with you all!!


Interested in having me take pictures with you and the love of your life? Please use my super awesome new contact page :-)

19.12.11

Downtown Chicago Engagement | Megan and Kyle

I am so excited to share these pictures with you all today! Megan and Kyle are positively the sweetest couple. We had so much fun with their engagement pictures last week. I'm sure you'll notice her gorgeous ring... they worked with Larry who I have also referred to Julia and whom I found out about from Rachel. Clearly he does AMAZING work :-D Okay enough about the ring, did I mention that I also love their outfits? Right right okay here are their pictures!!




















Love you two!! I can't wait for your wedding in July :-D




Interested in having me take pictures with you and the love of your life? Please use my super awesome new contact page :-)

16.12.11

Violet Hour Wall

//If you're looking for my most recent wedding or engagement work, click here!!\\

I have raved about the Violet Hour to you all on countless occasions. It's my absolute favorite cocktail bar in the city. Beyond having amazing drinks (which obviously they do) it feels a little bit like Alice in Wonderland inside with super tall backed chairs, and velvet curtains from floor to ceiling. What's more is that it's a speak easy! Literally no sign. It's a door in a wall. And to make things even more fun, the wall changes every season. That's right every 3-4 months a different local artist comes along and completely rehabs the whole thing.

I'm so sad to be posting this after they just took it down... but at least you can see it here...
Most recently, Keith Skogstrom of Geodesic Designs spent months hand cutting wooden panels and drawing on them with black sharpie to create puzzle piece gear shifts that all perfectly fit together. I honestly cannot really imagine the level of brilliance it takes to not only come up with this, but also to execute it. So of course, I took pictures of it and I absolutely had to share with you.








all images taken with the 5d mark ii and 35L

Needless to say, I can't wait to see what's next!!


Interested in having me take pictures with you and the love of your life? Please use my super awesome new contact page :-)

15.12.11

Necessary Breaks

//If you're looking for my most recent wedding or engagement work, click here!!\\

This summer at Justin & Mary's Walk through a Wedding here in Chicago I had the joy of meeting Christy Tyler and Amanda Megan in person! Lauren recruited me to be a Style Assistant for the day and we all have stayed in contact online.

We decided to get together last week for a few cocktails and catch up. Of course this was the perfect excuse for us to pull out our glitter and "fur." It is too easy to get sucked into working all day, and all night, every weekend, and completely forgetting to socialize and spend time out! We're also all going to Vegas for WPPI in February! So we had to start planning what to wear, of course.

You all are the best!! XOXO


Interested in having me take pictures with you and the love of your life? Please use my super awesome new contact page :-)

14.12.11

Nerd Boyfriend

//If you're looking for my most recent wedding or engagement work, click here!!\\


I interrupt my regular programming to share the most hilarious/awesome website I've seen this week.

Meet, nerdboyfriend.com for the men and nerdgirlfriend.com for the ladies.

Featuring funny and fabulous pictures and where to find similar outfits!

Who doesn't love a little Rob Lowe? You can find his outfit here coat/sweater/scarf
Okay LOVE this picture! Albert Finney ladies and gentlemen.
I am in love with this ASOS skirt similar to Gilda Radner's here.



Interested in having me take pictures with you and the love of your life? Please use my super awesome new contact page :-)

13.12.11

Chicago Family Photography | Brandy & Kendall

//If you're looking for my most recent wedding or engagement work, click here!!\\

Brandy and Kendall live in our neighborhood and we met one Saturday morning two years ago on Stephanie's porch. I bring blueberry muffins, she brings coffee. We sit on the porch and catch up on each other's lives, people watch, and soak up summer. When I say it's the idyllic way to pass a Saturday, I am not joking. I love these ladies!

Brandy reached out to me about taking Christmas pictures of them a few weeks ago and we planned for Saturday. She wanted to take pictures of them having a tea party, because that is one of Kendall's favorite things! So adorable.























Love you two!! XOXO


Interested in having me take pictures with you and the love of your life? Please use my super awesome new contact page :-)