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.

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.

Melissa & Kyle were married on July 17 at St. Matthew Catholic Parish in Champaign. These two lovebirds met at an athletic banquet a few years ago and Melissa is a volleyball coach, so we incorporated some fun elements into their photos. I think some of these are so fun and I hope you enjoy them too!



This was supposed to be a picture of the guys doing the “high school sports pose”… you know the tough look? The guys were doing terrible at it, so Melissa jumped in to show them how it was done. Fierce!

Then it was the girls’ turn for some attitude.




Melissa & Kyle’s wedding party was so fun & cooperative… they helped the day go smoothly!

MOH & BM

The limo took off to get more beer which left us with a little extra time for some portraits of just Melissa & Kyle. I was so happy that they decided to schedule so much time for portraits… 2 whole hours! It was a photographer’s dream.





Melissa was great at posing! She needed very little direction and seemed to understand what I was going for when I explained a shot to her. Doesn’t she look fabulous here?





Kyle’s dad secretly had his police officer friend come and handcuff them together. Melissa’s face was priceless when the handcuff was slapped on.




I shot some pretty fun dance photos throughout the night… no one is immune to my shutter finger!






See the white dot above their heads? That’s the moon.

Vendors:
Ceremony & reception: St. Matthew Catholic Parish
Caterer & linens: LA Gourmet
Cake: Round Barn IGA (Lori Martin)
Florist: Kelly Allsup
DJ: Bugbee’s DJ Plus (Dan Church)
Dress: Michelle’s Bridal
Tuxes: Kuhn & Co.
Transportation: Starr Limousine
Hair & makeup: Images Hair Design (Katie Gilbert)
Second shooter: Tricia Earp

All week long I had been hoping for a gorgeous blue sky with lots of fluffy white clouds for Chris + Michelle’s wedding… and I got it! Michelle and her bridesmaids were a really fun group, and the guys had me laughing most of the afternoon and evening. I was excited to shoot at two new locations (to me, at least!): The Community Free Church in Mahomet and the Laborer’s Union Hall in Urbana, which is just a mile or so from my house! We took a little detour through Lake of the Woods too to get some fabulous outdoor shots of the wedding party and of course the bride and groom.
See what I mean? Hellooooooo!


Multitasking. LOL

Bling.

Mr. & Mrs!

Take cover!

MOH extraordinaire, Donica, helps get the birdseed out of Michelle’s hair and dress… it was everywhere! I even found it inside my clothes when I got home!

Gorgeous!

Chris was so good at making Michelle laugh… it was adorable!

LOVE!





Another fave!



They went crazy with the cake!

Vendors:
Ceremony: Community Free Church, Mahomet
Reception: Laborer’s Union Hall, Urbana
Cake: Bonnie Wright
Florist: Patty Rudicel
Caterer: Town & Country
DJ: Generic DJ
Dress: Bridal Elegance, Bloomington
Tuxes: Michelle’s Bridal
Transportation: Starr Limousine

Sallie and Nick had a gorgeous July day for their wedding at Faith United Methodist Church in Champaign. I’ve been to Jupiter’s at the Crossing several times, but never to the upstairs portion. I thought it was a fantastic place for a wedding reception! I used the balcony for several pictures, including the photo above.


The beautiful bride!

Those flowers look good on you, Nick!



A few from the ceremony. I LOVE wide angle church shots like this one!


Mr. and Mrs. at last…

Some details… their aqua blue and red/poppy color scheme was to die for!

The bouquets were gorgeous, courtesy of the Blossom Basket.



I thought it was so sweet (and a fantastic idea!) that Sallie decided to put a basket of flip-flops by the dance floor for her guests.

Ok, Sallie MADE these cake toppers. Are you serious?! They are the most adorable birds I have ever seen!

A couple from the first dance:




To quote the bride: “I’m from the south. I need punch.” So cute!

Here’s a shot of the happy couple during the toasts.

Vendors:
Church: Faith United Methodist Church
Reception: Jupiter’s at the Crossing
Florist: Blossom Basket
Cakes/cupcakes: Cakes by Rosie (another fantastic job by Rosie!)
Caterer: Uncle Jack’s
DJ: Kris Ehler (E Entertainment)
Hair: H2O Salon
Dress: Low’s Bridal, Brinkley, AR
Tuxes: Men’s Warehouse
Transportation: Eastland Suites
Photo shoot location: Mattis Park
Assistant: Dylan Fischer

Here are a few shots of me working at Lauren & Grant’s wedding reception at Memorial Stadium, courtesy of my second shooter Kara Slating.



This one is a terrible one of me, but I want my current and future clients to see the real me!