Sade & Alphonso | Wedding

For Sade and Alphonso’s wedding back in May 2021, I was the second photographer as I finally had the opportunity to work with my friend, Sandy. It’s always an interesting challenge to be a second shooter as while you feel a little less pressure to get some of the shots, there is also the need to add a little bit of a different perspective sometimes. This wedding was quite a drive for both of us being as we are both in the Chicagoland area and the wedding venue was all the way down in Farmington. So Sandy and I ended up carpooling for this wedding and had some time to catch up as well during the long drive.

Ryan & Billy | Wedding

To date, Ryan and Billy’s wedding in September is the furthest I’ve traveled to do photography. Their wedding happened at Brighton Acres in Oshkosh, WI. I was really hoping that we would get a chance to explore the grounds a bit more, however, we decided it was best to stay inside for photos since it was a very blustery outside. If you look at the full gallery, you may notice hints of Disney in some of the details. The reason for this is because they are big Disney fans and they even met while they were in the Disney College Program.

Ashley & Isaiah | Wedding

After traveling to Wisconsin and Indiana for weddings the previous two weekends, it was a welcomed relief to photograph a local wedding once again. Ashley and Isaiah’s wedding day helped to remind me how unique every wedding day really can be. Going into this wedding day, I thought I had a pretty good idea of what to expect since I had photographed a wedding at Bowen Park a few weeks prior. However, I soon found out my thinking was a little off in that regard.

A couple differences that I noticed early on was the seating layout and energy from the guest from the previous wedding I photographed at Bowen. Granted what sets this wedding a part from others in my mind was the fact that ceremony started much later than planned. I’m used to weddings occasionally being behind schedule and the ceremony starting a little, however, this one ended up beginning almost 50 minutes late. The reason for this drastic of a delay was the officiant was running late and then got caught in a bit of a fender bender. I did my best in dealing with this delay and I’m only a little disappointed that my time photographing the bride and groom together was limited.

Nancy & Cary | Wedding

In my attempt to get caught up on posting, I am now in the month of August. This wedding was my the third weekend in a row with a wedding booking and was the first time ever photographing a wedding in the state of Indiana. As a result, I made the rookie mistake of leaving a little later than was ideal and being nervous that I wouldn’t make it for my planned start time. In the end, I can happily say I did make it just in the nick of time.

Probably what stands out most in my memory of this wedding was how was the rules the officiant had for the the ceremony. For the processional portion of the ceremony, I was allowed to be at the front of the church. However, after that portion was finished, I was expected to be in the row after the last seated group of people. I guess I can be thankful that the wedding was on the smaller side.

Katie & Dylan | Wedding

It feels kind of fitting that I’m posting photos from Katie and Dylan’s wedding today since I saw them just this past weekend for a family session of them with their son, Landon. When you finally see photos from that session, it’ll probably be a sign that I’m getting close to getting caught on my posting. Although, for now I’m still getting caught up and as a result, here are photos from Katie and Dylan’s wedding that happened back on the last Saturday of July. It certainly was interesting having a client with the same name as myself. On the plus side, there was no way I was going to forget the groom’s name. Of course at the beginning of the day there was a little confusion as to which of us was being called when people said, “Dylan”. By the end of the day, people became pretty good about just referring to me as “the photographer” to make things less complicated.

Dennis and Dareth | Wedding

Taking a step back a little ways today as I post photos from Dennis and Dareth’s wedding back in March. This was my the first wedding I shot this year and definitely up there in terms of the most fun I’ve had photographing a wedding. It was very rewarding looking back at these images to make this post. Before I choose the photos, I was expecting that I’d post 30 images, but I eventually found out that wasn’t going to be possible. Definitely was glad that I got to capture the beauty and fun of Dennis and Dareth’s special day.

Veronica & Kevin | Courthouse Wedding

On a Saturday morning in late October, I was a at the courthouse to photograph the wedding of Veronica and Kevin. The funny part is that the last time I did photos for a wedding at the courthouse, it was the same weekend of the previous year. Surprisingly, the two days could not have been any more different from one another. First of all, the location has changed to the newly opened Lake County Court Tower after previously being performed at the Babcox Justice Center. Also, the wedding party for this one was a friend of the bride, while the one I photographed last year had the parents of the bride and groom in attendence

The biggest difference this year to me was the weather. I remember last year being surprised by how beautiful the weather was for late October. This year I was keeping an eye on the forecast and I wasn’t too optimistic about how it would turn out so I suggested we take photos inside the courthouse. For a moment when I arrived, I thought maybe my concern would be unfounded as the weather seemed alright. However, taking photos indoors looked like a very good decision when I went outside after the ceremony was over at received a greeting from cold weather and gusty winds. Plus, since the security at the courthouse knew I was a photographer they told me the best location in the building for portraits.

Tim & Korona | Wedding

I’ve been slacking once again on posting photos from the last couple of months so you can expect some new posts over the next week or so. I can’t believe that it has been almost two months since Tim and Korona’s wedding. I think part of it is the contrast in weather between that day in mid-September and today. I remember Tim and groomsman after the formal portraits at South End Park being happy to finally be able to shed their suit coats so they could cool down a bit. Meanwhile this morning after a brief trip out to my car grab something, I decided it was finally time to figure out where I had put my gloves and hat after last winter.

Well, enough about the current frigid temperatures we’re experiencing here and on to Tim and Korona’s wedding day. Their wedding was by far one of my favorite weddings that I have photographed. I always like when people I’ve known for awhile contact me about my photography service and I think that’s what helped make this wedding so enjoyable for me. Tim and a couple of his groomsmen were all connected by the fact that we went to Waukegan High School. It was truly a day where my job did not feel all that much like work.

Amber & Eric | Wedding

A few weekends ago, I photographed Amber and Eric's lovely backyard wedding in Burlington, WI. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect being as it was my first backyard wedding and since it was actually the grandmother of the bride who hired me. Also, I was a little worried about the weather since there was some rain in the forecast for the day. Ultimately, everything went very smoothly and the rain held off until later in the evening. Also, it was pretty neat that since a few member of the family were from Waukegan, they food catered by a couple Waukegan restaurants, rib tips from Hillery's Bar-B-Q and sandwiches from Leno's Sandwich Shop.

Tiffany & John | Wedding

On the first Sunday in December, I had a busy day with a couple photo gigs. These photos are from the afternoon when I had the privilege of photographing the wedding of Tiffany and John. Going in I wasn't very sure what to expect since I had only communicated with the bride via a few e-mail and messages beforehand. I was very happy with how smoothly everything went and to have the opportunity to capture a lovely wedding in the process.