A few weeks ago we teamed up with Rin and Nick’s cinematographers from I Do Films and their wedding coordinator/floral designer, Debi Lilly from A Perfect Event, for a fun Marie Antoinette inspired engagement story at the amazing Drake Hotel in Chicago. Rin has a refined taste for classic and elegant style so we knew this French inspired shoot would be perfect for them. Debi did a wonderful job with all of the over-the-top styling including lots of delicious sweets from Vanille Patisserie, Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique and More Cupcakes. The set up included a cake bar draped in French pleated silk linen, oversized candelabras, elegant silver cake stands, macarons, cupcakes, icing shots, truffles, french pastries and much more! I am not going to lie. We couldn’t wait to indulge ourselves in all of the yummy sweets after the shoot was over. We ate cupcakes for a week! We had such a fun time and can’t wait to see all of the exciting things this weekend will bring at their wedding along with Debi and the I Do Films team.

Be sure to watch the really cute short film starring Rin and Nick below by I Do Films!

Rin & Nick from I Do Films on Vimeo.

This film was produced by I Do Films, LLC.

Thanks to Katie and David, Anne Marie and Mark contacted us almost a year and a half ago about shooting their wedding. It’s hard to believe that much time has already passed and that they’ve now been married for 1 week. We got together the week before the wedding to do this engagement shoot. The sunshine was perfect and besides all of the pesky bugs and the melting temperature we had a great time. Looking at these images makes me wish summer would stay forever. Congratulations AM + Mark! We love you guys!

In other news, we were excited to wake up several times last week to find that we were featured on some great blogs. Be sure to check them all out and add them to your RSS feeds as they are some of our favorites. We’re also excited to announce that the girls at Junebug Weddings just launched a new photography section including some of the world’s top photographers. We were thrilled when they asked us to be a part of it as we are in the company of so many other talented artists. If you are a bride or know of anyone planning a wedding, be sure to send them over to Junebug. The site is full of lots of helpful resources and tips.

We have 3 days this week to cram in lots of work before we leave for a wedding in Stillwater, OK on Friday. Then on Sunday we’re off to Engage!10 Grand Cayman for a week of learning and networking at the world’s leading luxury wedding business summit. Can’t wait!

1.// Elizabeth Anne Designs featured Paul and Katie’s DIY peacock feather inspired wedding at Hidden Falls Ranch, TX.

2.// Cake and Pictures featured Lia and Jake's military wedding that Matt shot with Tony in honor of Memorial Day Weekend.

3.// Oprah.com featured a few images from our Wedding Trends event with Debi Lilly from A Perfect Event this past winter.

4.// A few weeks ago, we photographed our friend and amazing food photographer, Stephen Hamilton. He caught us off guard and had his wonderful assistant, Regina, grab a quick interview of us. We weren't prepared for that but were excited to be featured on his "Who's Hungry?" blog. Click here to watch the interview.  P.s. No, Matt does not have makeup on. We had just gotten back from our cruise so he was really tan. I know, it looks like he bronzed his nose!

Today we are off to shoot Chris & Cheryl’s wedding at The Ivy Room. It’s one of our favorite places and we can hardly believe the amazing weather Chicago is having this weekend. It’s just perfect.

Before I go any further though, I have to mention that Cheryl and Chris just finished up a the Soldier Field 10 mile run this morning in celebration of their wedding day. Talk about inspiration. These two are so passionate. When I asked Cheryl to describe what an average day is like for her, one thing that stood out is that she runs to and from work with her backpack full of her work clothes. That is the only way she can fit exercise into her busy schedule right now. I love this girl and Chris is a perfect match for her. Here are a few pictures from their engagement session last week at University of Chicago. Congrats on your race Cheryl and Chris! We can’t wait to party with you guys tonight!

Tomorrow we will be waking up early hop in the car and drive 6 hours to Leonard, MI for Jill and Nick’s wedding. It’s going to be a whirlwind of a weekend so let the fun begin! We will be back in the office on Tuesday to return emails and phone calls. Enjoy the holiday everyone!

Beth & Nick from I Do Films on Vimeo.

Beth & Nick from I Do Films on Vimeo.

Recently Matt and I have been traveling and spending time with so many of our amazingly talented friends (new and old). We have tried to make it a point to surround ourselves with people who are excited about facing challenges and living their dreams. There are so many opportunities that await us if we only keep an open mind and stay out of our comfort zone. One of the most exciting experiences for us was in Las Vegas a couple weeks ago where we joined 14,000 other photographers for the world’s largest wedding and portrait photography trade show, WPPI. It was awesome. One of our favorite partners, Pictage, who provide our online gallery service was organizing a small event called “Lens and Learn” involving a few of the country’s most well known wedding photographers (all of whom we admire and look up to). Our wonderful friend, Kenny Kim, invited us to come along and we will be forever thankful. The event was an experience we won’t forget and will always be inspired by. For a whole day, we joined the other photographers in teaching a group of kids from the Las Vegas Boys and Girls Clubs about photography. We spent time talking and goofing around with the kids before we broke into groups so that a few of the photographers could share their own personal stories of why they chose their career and the ins and outs of shooting a camera, composing an image, etc. The kids were encouraged to ask questions and one of my favorites was from a little guy who said in disbelief.. “So people can actually make money taking pictures?!” At that moment I realized just how powerful the day was for those kids. Some of them may have never been inspired to learn about photography or any other art form before that day. Afterward, we all went to a nearby Preserve for an organized photo scavenger hunt. The day was so fun for us.
Jim Collins, the CEO of Pictage, was the visionary for the project and after hearing him share his heart for why he wanted to do the event, we totally felt a connection to what he was saying. He knows that he has the ability to help people and he has a passion for it and isn’t afraid to get out and work hard to accomplish his goals. The success of the day put a huge smile on his face that made me so happy and so thankful to be there. Fortunately, Ron Dawson, was there to capture footage and interview some of the photographers. It is a beautiful production.
So all of this being said, Matt and I want to send a huge thank you to Kenny Kim (w/o him we wouldn’t have had the opportunity), Pictage, Jim Collins, all of the kids from the Boys and Girls Club, Canon (who donated the cameras for the scavenger hunt, and all of the other photographers and people that came out to help. We were inspired and motivated to get up and live our dreams, help people and most importantly not let anything hold us back from being ourselves. We feel so proud and so blessed to be a part of this community.
Enjoy the video!

Lens & Learn – Inspiring Kids Through Photography from Ron Dawson on Vimeo.

One of my favorite memories was on our recent trip to Italy. Matt and I were out walking one night when the near by gelateria cranked up the new George Michael album. There were only a few strangers walking by when Matt grabbed my umbrella and toboggan and ran out to the middle of the street and began dancing like I’d never seen before. I stood there with joy and happiness watching him be as serious as he could be, knowing that he was dancing just to see me smile. I thought, “Wow, I am so lucky! I can’t believe I got to marry this guy. He is perfect.” After a few minutes, the rest of our friends came down and all 10 of us joined Matt and danced as hard as we could to George Michael. It was an awesome moment. One that I will never forget. We had no cares. Only freedom. And I’m sure the gelato man was thoroughly entertained. To be ourselves completely in front of each other without fear of embarrassment is a wonderful thing. It’s one of my favorite parts of being married.

Happy Anniversary my Love. Everyday I get to wake up next to you is the best day of my life.

These photos were taken last week in Las Vegas by Jory Cordy.

Matt and I have been photographing weddings for about five years now, but it wasn’t until only a year ago that we truly realized the importance of sharing ideas, knowledge and our passion for photography with other photographer friends around us. We didn’t quite grasp what the photo community was all about and didn’t even know it existed until our trip to WPPI in February of 2009. Since then we have been blown away by the amazing friends and colleagues that we now have to grow with and lean on for support. The industry is full of passionate leaders who are eager to share what they know and help others along. One of the best things that we have done for ourselves and our business is to surround ourselves with photographers that love what they do and are continually challenging themselves to be more creative and innovative. Though there are many that I would love to list here, there is one that I just have to mention. Kenny Kim from Kenny Kim Photography is someone who is constantly inspiring us and has truly invested time into helping us grow our ideas and broaden our horizon. He challenges us to be more confident in our brand and to look at every experience as a way to learn and grow.

Kenny recently teamed up with Ray Santana to host what they call the Portfolio Plus Workshop. It is chalked full of valuable lessons and tips that they have each learned through their journey in being a wedding photographer. Jim Garner and Dave Cross also attended as guest speakers and packed in a mountain full of solid information about efficient workflow in photoshop, business philosophies, and much more. The workshop was held at The Biltmore Hotel in Miami and it was the perfect spot to get away and just soak up all of the goodness and included a group shoot out with models wearing beautiful gowns from Ines di Santo. Below are some of my favorite shots with Kenny & Thalita. You can find more on my facebook page. Also a huge thanks to Barbie and Lucy who also came out to model for us. For a more thorough review of the workshop visit Kenny Nakai’s blog! Matt says he will post his images soon.

All of this being said, Matt and I leave in one week from today for an inspiration trip to Italy with the Kenny Kim Photoventure crew. We are excited to bring back new ideas and stunning portfolio images and can’t wait to travel with our friends, old and new!

One of our favorite services and a recent photography trend that we offer our clients is the “photo booth.” It is such a great way for guests to get involved at the reception. At our event on Sunday, Debi helped take the idea one step further to create a photo/sketch drawing souvenir for the guests to take home with them. The photos you see here were actually taken with a cool iphone app called Epson iPrint. Debi’s husband helped us out on this one. Mike Rowe from Write by Mike did an incredible job at making the cute little sketch drawings to compliment the photos which you can see below. We think this is a fantastic way to add some extra fun to any party and gives your guests something that they are excited to take away. Check out his beautiful calligraphy work here.

A HUGE thanks goes out to Matt from I Do Films for stopping by and doing some stellar video coverage of the event. We really love what this company is doing and encourage everyone to visit their blog. They are fun to work with and incredibly talented. Enjoy the footage that he captured below!

Wedding Trends, Tips & Treats from I Do Films on Vimeo.