Champaign and Urbana wedding photographer | Holly Birch Photography » Wedding

Ainsley + Tim | St. Matthews Champaign wedding photographer

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 18:25:25 +0000

I had the privilege of second shooting a wedding on Jan. 14 with Nashville photographer Meishach Moore. The wedding and reception were held at St. Matthews Catholic Church in Champaign, and we went to the University of Illinois quad, Smith Hall and the Union for some photos in between the two. Here are some of my favorite images!

Photographed for Meishach Moore Photographers.

Elegant Bridal Expo | Champaign-Urbana wedding photography

admin — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 00:21:48 +0000

I want to give out a big shout-out and hello to all the brides who came out to the Elegant Bridal Expo today! I got to meet many of you, but some I know I didn’t, but I would still love to hear from you if not! I still have some remaining 2012 dates available, and plenty left in 2013. Just shoot me an email or call me anytime (217-737-0971) if you have questions — we’d love to get you into the studio for a consultation too if you want to chat in person.

Also, don’t forget about the Bridal Bucks special! You can redeem your Bridal Bucks at Holly Birch Photography for up to 10% off your wedding package (packages 1-3 only). The Bucks are valid for a month, but my packages will be changing some starting next Sunday. To book a date, I need a $500 deposit and signed contract.

I will also have a BOUDOIR SPECIAL starting on Saturday 1/15. Be sure to check back for that! It would make a great Valentine’s day or wedding gift!

I can’t wait to hear from several of you that I talked to today! I hope that we can set up a meeting and get you on the books!

THANK YOU!! -Holly
And here’s a look at our booth in case you missed it… we love the way it turned out!

Adrienne + Kevin | iHotel wedding Champaign Illinois

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:33:53 +0000

Kevin + Adrienne are high school sweethearts who finally tied the knot after 12 years together. They were surrounded by their closest friends and family on New Year’s Eve at the iHotel where they held both their ceremony + reception. Their ceremony ended just before sunset, so we didn’t get many photos in the daylight, but it gave me a chance to get some beautiful after-dark images with Christmas lights (with the help of my assistant for the night, Melanie). As everything was very hectic leading up to the reception, I let Melanie handle most of the detail shots that you see below, except for the ring photos, which I shot with my brand new (to me) macro lens!

I hope you enjoy these photos as much as I do! I especially loved being a part of their champagne toast at midnight, and was very happy that there were “2012″ props, noisemakers & hats galore.

Leave a comment below for Adrienne + Kevin, and after 50 comments, they’ll receive a complimentary 16×20″ mounted print. Thanks for looking!

Their guest favors were decks of playing cards. Such a cute and useful idea!

Adrienne’s signature “thumbs up”!

These next few images are going to give them a very unique wedding album! Can’t wait to put it together!

Adrienne definitely got some good dance genes from her dad.

Happy new year!!!

The beginning…

Vendors:
Ceremony + reception: iHotel
Cake: Cakes by Lori
Florist: Blossom Basket + UI Floral
DJ + Linens: Elite Entertainment
Officiant: Bob McCleary
Dress, bridesmaids + tuxes: Michelle’s Bridal Shoppe
Photographer: Holly Birch Photography

Upcoming Package Changes | Sneak peek iHotel wedding

admin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 21:17:17 +0000

Happy new year! I am excited for all the great weddings in the works for 2012. 2011 was a year of new techniques, assistants, equipment, & products (among other things) for Holly Birch Photography, and I am hoping for even bigger and better milestones for my business for this year. I have a bunch of new ideas floating around in my head, and am eager to implement them and announce them to my clients both here and in person.

As a part of these changes for 2012, I am changing my current packages on JANUARY 15, 2012. This will mostly affect package structure, but will somewhat affect pricing as well. To lock in the current packages, I must have your contract and deposit by Saturday the 14th. Additionally, I will be exhibiting at the Elegant Bridal Expo this coming Sunday, January 8, at the iHotel. I’d love to see you there! There will be a ton of great perks, including discounts from many vendors (including HBP!), Bridal Bucks, swag bags, a fashion show, and grand prize drawings, where you could win a FREE boudoir session from Champaign Boudoir by Holly Birch Photography.

Now, to appease your photo appetite, here is a photo from Adrienne & Kevin’s wedding that I did on NYE!

Heidi + Matt | University of Illinois wedding photography

admin — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:02:01 +0000

Heidi + Matt were married in mid-December, and we ended up with a pretty nice weekend considering we could have expected snow, sleet, high winds or all of the above! It was a little chilly but all in all not bad. After a little confusion, Heidi ended up joining Matt in front of the steps at Foellinger Auditorium for their first look. It was probably one of my favorite first looks ever! Matt is not really crazy about having his picture taken, and he definitely is not into the mushy stuff, so the First Look is where I got some of the best raw emotion out of him. Some of my best shots from the whole day are when Matt was just enjoying himself, and forgot that the camera was pointed at him. Heidi’s sister is a wedding photographer in Kentucky, and so the chose to hire me just for the group & formal photos, and the ceremony and then let Isabel handle the rest!

Leave a comment below the post and after 50 comments, Heidi + Matt will receive a complimentary 16×20″ print. Thanks for looking!!

Vendors:
Ceremony: Twin City Bible Church
Florist: Blossom Basket
Officiant: Shannon Caughey
Dress: Bridal Elegance (Bloomington)
Bridesmaids: David’s Bridal
Tuxes: Men’s Warehouse

Alicia + Billy | Packard Plaza Peoria wedding

admin — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:00:22 +0000

I love late fall winter weddings for the fact that the season is a little slower, and the weather is cooler and thus more comfortable (for me at least!). The only drawback is that the sun sets so much earlier. Alicia + Billy chose a mid-November day for their wedding (post-harvest for her farming dad!) near my rural hometown of Mason City (or Easton if you want to get technical about it) . It was overcast and windy, but we used both things to our advantage and came away with some beautiful images. Thanks for bringing me along as you begin your new lives together!

Please leave a comment below for the bride & groom (and/or the photographer!) and after 50 comments, Alicia + Billy will receive a complimentary 16×20″ print!

Vendors
Ceremony: St. Luke’s<br>
Reception: Packard Plaza
Limo: Peoria Executive Limo Service
Cake: Cake Connections
Caterer: One World Cafe & Catering
Florist:Drughes Floral Art
DJ:Absolute Light & Sound
Dresses: Michelle’s Bridal
Suits:Seno Formal Wear
Photographer: Holly Birch Photography

Ashley + Steve | Decatur Scovill Golf Course wedding

admin — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:26:48 +0000

I truly am blessed to be able to photograph such happy & loving couples who are beautiful both on the inside and out. I try to convey that through my photographs, and I hope my blog posts are evidence of that. I mean, just look at the last few weddings I’ve posted… love all of them! I am also privileged to be able to spend the day with people on one of the happiest days of their entire lives. What’s not to love about that? Ashley and Steve were no exception, and as they were surrounded by their closest friends and family throughout the day, I could just tell how important each one is to them. Ashley and Steve also made it a point to tell us a couple times throughout the reception how appreciative they were of our services (me and my assistant for the day, Misty). They were able to see some of our work from the day on the same-day slideshow I had set up just outside the ballroom. By the way, my same-day slideshows are a new staple for my 8+ hour weddings and will be included with all packages at no extra charge.

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

Now, on to the photos! Here are some of my favorites…

Vendors
Ceremony: St. Patrick’s Church, Decatur
Reception: Scovill Golf Course
DJ/lighting/chair covers: Elite Entertainment
Cake: Lana’s Cakewalk
Florist: Secret Garden
Dress: Michelle’s Bridal (Maggie Sottero)
Tuxes: Seno Formal Wear
Limo: L&L Limousine

CANVAS SALE! Take 20% off any canvas!

admin — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 19:42:51 +0000

I’m having a great 20% off sale this week through Thursday at midnight! Also, if your “early bird special” is still available on your gallery, you can get a total of 30% off! Just use coupon code “canvas20″ and the discount will be applied.

And since every post is better with a photo, would this image make a great 20×30″ canvas???

Jen + Marq | Champaign wedding Part 2

admin — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:41:10 +0000

So somehow I missed an entire folder of Lightroom exported images when making Jen + Marq’s original wedding blog post. Here are the ones I missed, including the beautiful cake, some fun dancing shots, a few more portraits and LOTS of details! Oh, you know I love my details. Enjoy!

The ring bearer’s pillow was made from Jen’s mom’s wedding dress. This is such a great idea!!

Total hotness on the shoes!

Photobooth fun!

I’m going to have to remember this excellent cell-phone holder idea.

Ah, yes! There’s Jen’s grandpa who coerced me onto the dance floor!!

Bling!

Katie + Jon | Decatur Conference Center + Hotel Wedding

admin — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 15:03:48 +0000

I’m trying something different with today’s wedding post! I’ve been loving making videos lately, and thought I’d try my hand at one with a bunch of candid moments from Katie + Jon’s day. These two make some of the best expressions I’ve ever witnessed from newlyweds, so I got some totally fun (+ funny!) shots! The details were gorgeous from the bouquet to the cake to the orange & pink uplighting. Leave a comment below (either on the blog or the FB section below) and after 50 comments, Katie + Jon will receive a complimentary 16×20″ mounted print. I hope you enjoy the video!

Katie + Jon | Decatur, IL wedding from Holly Smith on Vimeo.

Music Credit: “White Dress” by Ben Rector, The Music Bed

Vendors:
Ceremony: First Presbyterian Church, Decatur
Reception: Decatur Conference Center & Hotel
Dress: Priscilla of Boston (purchased in St. Louis)
Florist: Larry Delong, 217-422-8342
DJ & Uplighting: Elite Entertainment
Tuxes: Seno Formal Wear
Bridesmaid dresses: Michelle’s Bridal
Limo: LL Limousine
Photo booth: Forever Memories
Cake: Erica Duies, Sparkle Cakes
Band: The Veggies
Videographer: Kevin Addison, 314-267-2015