Julie and Josh were positively radiant on their wedding day this past Saturday, August 28. See those two photos above? I have TONS of photos like that of them where they are just staring into each other’s eyes. They chose to have a somewhat destination wedding at the beautiful Starved Rock State Park near Utica, IL. I had a wonderful time hanging out with the couple and their friends and families all day, and I wish them the best as they enter this next phase of their lives together.

This was one of those days where I shot one absolute favorite getting ready photo, and I once again knew it was going to be a fabulous day. I love the way the light falls around her eyes:

Ready to roll!




Another one of my absolute favorites from the day. The light here was perfect.

Julie’s new last name is “Hartke.” Get it? (Thanks, Andrea, for explaining it to me!!)

The printed materials were amazing, from the programs, to the placeholders, to the menu signs. I loved all of it.

The bride requested this special shot. I haven’t done this one in a very, very long time! Josh is a writer so it’s very fitting.

Julie arrived at the ceremony site by horse-drawn carriage. Here, she and her dad are beginning their ride.

So happy to be getting married!

At the beginning of the ceremony, they both took a few moments to look out at their friends and family.



MOH is concentrating on the bustle.

Julie wanted a shot with the horses.

Oh my goodness… I LOVED the cake. And the best part? One layer was strawberry, so when they cut it, it looked like a slice of watermelon!

Julie is a goldsmith at Browne’s Fine Jewelry and actually designed her own ring! Here’s the story in Julie’s words:
“…He planned it so I would set-up my own ring with out knowing it was mine. The funny thing was that I remember setting the ring up and saying to myself, “I would take this” while looking at it on my hand. Little did I know it was really mine!” Love that story!!

Vendors:
Ceremony & Reception: Starved Rock State Park, Utica, IL
Florist: Danny Whitehurst, St. Louis, MO
Catering & Cake: Starved Rock
DJ/Band: Dawna Nelson & the Crazy Johnny Band
Officiant: Rev. Derek White

Katie and TJ were married August 21 at St. John’s Catholic Chapel in Champaign. In between the ceremony and reception, we headed over to the Quad for some wedding party photos. We then moved on to the Hilton Garden Inn for the reception. Katie looked stunning in her gown and TJ didn’t look too bad himself! Here are some of my favorite shots from the day.
You may remember the Model T from their engagement session.

I’ve mentioned before that I rarely get to shoot the bride and her father just as they enter the church because I’m usually in the front. For Katie & TJ’s wedding though, I decided to stay in the back for the processional, and I’m so glad I did!

I love the look on her face here!

So happy!




Again, LOVED the bouquet, from Lori at County Market on Kirby/Duncan.

It’s always fun going out to a public place with a wedding party. The students had just returned to campus, so the Quad was full of onlookers wishing them congratulations.




Isn’t she fabulous?

They requested a re-make of my infamous ring photo!

Ceremony: St. John’s Catholic Chapel, Champaign
Reception: Hilton Garden Inn, Champaign
Florist: County Market (Kirby/Duncan)
Cake: Erika’s Cakes and More
DJ: Party On Productions
Dress: David’s Bridal
Suits: Men’s Warehouse
Linens: Linen Tablecloth (theirs are for sale if you’re in purchasing some for a good deal! email me and I’ll hook you up!)

Lindsey + Sam were married on one of the hottest days I think I’ve ever experienced as a wedding photographer. As far as I know though, no one passed out and there were umbrellas and ice-cold water bottles for the guests at the ceremony, and the reception AC was cranking to cool everyone off for dinner. Theirs was a beautiful wedding (regardless of the heat) full of tons of wonderful details. They’re enjoying a honeymoon in Maui right now, but they’ve seen a few of these on my same-day slideshow I had set up at the wedding. Hope you guys are having a great time!

Not only was it Lindsey’s wedding day, but it was also her BIRTHDAY! This girl knows how to party!!

This may be one of my favorite bridesmaids shots ever. Ever!

The beautiful bridal bouquet courtesy of English Hedgerow:

I am loving the pink and green, and also dresses with pockets!!

Another shot of the bouquet… this one was Kara’s idea!

All the paper products were designed by Courtney Callahan Paper. Here Brett is modeling one of the dual-purpose programs/fans for me.

Lindsey and her dad Mike having a laugh before they head down the aisle:












Sam went to Mizzou. I HAD to sneak in this photo.


Ok, I take it back… maybe THIS is my new favorite bridesmaid photo.


I believe this was during the Best Man’s speech. Priceless!

Ok, so I loved the bouquet!

Vendors:
Ceremony: Allerton Park
Reception: Memorial Stadium
Florist: English Hedgerow
Dresses & tuxes: Michelle’s Bridal
Paper: Courtney Callahan
Band (reception): Fantasy Band
String Quartet: 1st Choice
Wedding party transportation: Larry’s Limousines
Guest transportation: Starr Limos
Planner/coordinator: Stacey Porter (Savvy Expressions)
Videography: Park Life Video
Photography: Holly Birch Photography
Second Shooter: Kara Slating
Cake: Diane McPheeters (Monticello)
Linens & light monogram: Signature Events, Springfield

Sneak peek from Lindsey + Sam’s wedding this past Saturday (8/14) at Allerton & Memorial Stadium. The heat index was ridiculous but everyone made it through! And there’s definitely more photo awesomeness from this wedding to come later this week!

Edited to add: this is DEFINITELY one of those times where I wish I had a tilt-shift lens.

Here’s a little hint for you to keep you in suspense…

(sorry for the crappy photo… obviously my camera phone does NOT compare to my D700!)

This is what I’ve been up to this week! I’m still supplying a ton of photos for InsideIllini.com (Scout.com), and also gathering photos of some individual players for their parents. After all, Moms and Dads want to know what to know what their boys are up to! Contact me if you’re interested in seeing or getting copies of photos of any particular players.

Here are a few of my favorite images from this past Sunday’s wedding/bridal expo at the Hawthorn Suites. Thanks so much to all of you brides, grooms, families and friends who came out! If you were there and you’re interested in hiring me as your wedding photographer, please email me asap at holly [at] hollybirchphotography [dot] com to take advantage of the special I have going on through the end of this week! The photo above was one I’ve been wanting to get for a long time… a bride with a birdcage veil! I pulled this awesome volunteer outside for a few quick shots of it. Love it!!

The outfits were all provided by David’s Bridal. Look at this little stud!
They had a short dress that I LOVED, but I didn’t have a chance to get a photo it.

A photo of the Holly Birch Photography booth:

How often do you see 3 brides dancing at the same time? Not very!!

Also, thanks to Complete Music DJ for providing the music and the dancing entertainment (along with the models). Kyle (on the left) and I have worked together at 2 weddings already this year!

Please come out to the wedding show on Sunday, August 8 at the Hawthorn Suites in Champaign. It’s from 2-5pm and I will be set up in the NE corner of the main room. You’ll get the chance to see my spiffy BRAND NEW canvases from 2010 weddings and engagement sessions, as well as my new 5×7 full-color glossy promo cards! There may also be some other perks for attendees, but you’ll have to come out to see!

When I go through and do the post-processing for my weddings, I inevitably come across a few more that I would love to share with the world on my blog. Today’s post shows a couple more of my photos that I didn’t blog in the first pass (after my initial rough blog selection/edit), and a few shots from my assistant for the day, Tricia.

I am IN LOVE with this new sample album I received from Forbeyon yesterday. This album was necessary for a few different reasons: 1) I was drooling over the new 2010 eco materials Forbeyon recently released, 2) I needed a sample boudoir album, and 3) I wanted to try one of their non-flushmount products–the linear-bound book. I could not be happier with this book, and I hope that with this sample and my cover swatches, that maybe I’ll get some more album cover orders (my current packages include only the classic black cover with square metal cameo).

And of course, as I was taking photos of this delightful little book, the idea popped into my head to do a short stylized shoot. Luckily I also have a RED kitchen full of red utensils.

The photos definitely do not do it justice. You need to see it in person.




Actually, I was a bit surprised (pleasantly!) by the pages. I was expecting the linear-bound pages to be much more flimsy than the flushmount pages, but they are still very sturdy and shiny.