Lauren + Denise | Woodland winter wedding ceremony + portraits

Lauren + Denise planned a lovely intimate little ceremony on the day after Christmas while they had family in town. We met up at the Isaak Walton cabin at Lake of the Woods in Mahomet. These two actually had a commitment ceremony a couple years ago before Lauren's dad passed away, but decided to have another "official" ceremony since they can now be legally married in the state of Illinois. I was only with them for about an hour, but I always feel so honored to get a peek into such an important day in people's lives. I witnessed them exchange their vows, photographed their family groups, and then took the couple outside for some portraits for the remainder of our time together. The day was relatively warm, but was very damp from melted snow and a bit of rain. I kind of love the look the weather gave to the park area we were in though -- dark bare trees and a bed of wet flat leaves as ground cover. Lauren + Denise stood out from the background with their black and gray attire, plus Lauren's white and red bouquet, that she wrapped with her father's red tie. Such a heartfelt touch! Congrats to you two and I wish you the best!! Thank you so much for having me along for your extra special day. :)