2011 September | Champaign and Urbana wedding photographer

Champaign and Urbana wedding photographer | Holly Birch Photography bio picture

Welcome to my blog!

Hey! Thanks for coming to my blog! If you're here as a bride or groom, I hope you like what you see. I'd love to meet with you in person to talk about your wedding day and how I can help you. I love photographing weddings and hope that shows in my work!

Things I love: the Illini, the color orange, lobsters, my husband, my son, weddings, my Nikon D700, socks, my dogs, Johnny Cash, American Idol, my iMac, The Sound of Music, Hereford cattle, a pair of good-fitting jeans, the Food Network, & macaroni and cheese (and my Grandma Hazel wants me to add her in here too).

Scroll down to view images from recent weddings and sessions! Also, be sure to "like" my Facebook page to keep up with announcements & specials!

Monthly Archives: September 2011

September 29, 2011

Jeanice + Joe | Crystal Lake Park Urbana wedding

Posted in Wedding 1 comment

I love outdoor weddings. They’re hard to do in central Illinois, but if you’re brave and can pull it off, it is totally worth it!! Jeanice + Joe picked a great day in September for their wedding at Crystal Lake Park in Urbana. The ceremony was held out on the dock just up against the water, followed by the reception inside the Lake House. It was an intimate ceremony of only about 40 people, but they were just as fun of a bunch as a large wedding let me tell you! And since it was a small wedding, and was outdoors with beautiful scenery everywhere we turned, I took advantage of the opportunity to be a little creative and play in the dark! Here are my favorite images.

Also, this is my 301st blog post! I can hardly believe it! I want to thank my loyal readers out there, and those of you who have just stumbled across this place for the first time. I do appreciate the time spend browsing through my work–thank you!

Leave a comment below the post and after 50 comments, Jeanice + Joe will receive a complimentary 16×20″ print.

Vendors (this group is one of my dream teams!):
Ceremony & reception: Crystal Lake Park, Urbana
Florist: Fleurish
Caterer: Michael’s Catering
Cake: The Cake Artist’s Studio
DJ: Bugbee’s DJ Plus (DJ Dan)
Videographer: Park Life Video (Jeremiah Cox)
Wedding coordinator: Savvy Expressions (Stacey Porter)
Photographer: Holly Birch Photography (with special help again from Mark Tom!)
Dress & tux: Michelle’s Bridal

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Tags: Crystal Lake, Urbana, Wedding

September 27, 2011

Baby Joey + Wedding Special

Posted in Babies No comments

My new niece arrived today at 4:44pm! Her name is Joslyn (Joey) Marie Elizabeth Smith and she weighed 6 lbs 2 oz and was 20 in long. I got to watch the whole thing, and welcomed her into the world with lots of photos for her parents to remember this special day forever. In honor of Joey’s birth, I am going to take $100 off any 2012 wedding package booked by this Saturday, October 1! And here’s one of my favorite photos from the day — the happy family, mom Toni, dad Brandon and baby Joey.

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Tags: baby, birth, newborn, Special, Wedding

September 23, 2011

Sydney + Steve | Kennedy’s at Stone Creek wedding

Posted in Wedding 9 comments

Sydney + Steve were married on about the most beautiful late-summer day you could ask for, sandwiched right between two considerably crummier days. The temperature was perfect and the sun was shining, and all of their families and friends were so cooperative and positive throughout the day (as Sydney said!) so the day went off without a hitch.

They were married in Robeson Park, just behind Meadowbrook Church in Champaign, and then we stopped off one other place for just a few shots of the gorgeous couple before meeting the wedding party back at Kennedy’s at Stone Creek for the reception. Thanks you guys for looking fabulous and for putting together such a beautiful wedding!

Leave a comment for Sydney + Steve below and after 50 comments, they will receive a complimentary 16×20″ print!

Vendors:
Ceremony: Robeson Park (with some facilities use at Meadowbrook Church
Reception: Kennedy’s at Stone Creek
Cake: Cakes by Lori
Florist: County Market
DJ: DJ Good Times with Dwayne Bishop
Officiant: Rev. Jim McClarey
Dresses/tuxes: Michelle’s Bridal Shoppe
Photographer: Holly Birch Photography

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Tags: Champaign, Kennedy's, Robeson Park, Stone Creek, Urbana

September 19, 2011

One frame | Sydney + Steve

Posted in Wedding No comments

Just had to share one frame from Sydney + Steve’s wedding this past Saturday… so dreamy!

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Tags: sneak peek, Urbana, Wedding

September 9, 2011

St. Jude Mason City to Peoria Run | Central Illinois event photographer

Posted in Events No comments

The first Saturday in August I was privileged to get to spend an entire day with a group of 60+ dedicated runners from my hometown (and county). I wasn’t sure what I was getting myself into! It was a very long, hot day, but I am so glad that I was able to be a part of it. In the end, my hometown of 2300+ people raised $110,000 for St. Jude Children’s hospital. Amazing. Here’s my view of the day.

After running through Mason City, we ended up on the east side of town at the cemetery where balloons were released in remembrance of Jessie, who was the team’s captain and passed away in November of 2010.

Here the team presents their check to St. Jude live on the telethon.

The whole team just prior to the run.

There’s my little brother Nate crossing the bridge into Peoria!

The team enters the Civic Center.