Avery House

“Let Them Eat Cake” | Rin + Nick | Drake Hotel Chicago

Stevi Savage — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:58:00 +0000

Rin and Nick stole our hearts from day one. Their adoration for each other and their gentle and kind words would put anyone at ease. They have soft and quiet spirits but that doesn’t stop them from having huge smiles. Everything Rin does and says is graceful yet strong. She’s like a beautiful ballerina. You can almost see Nick’s heart melt every time he looks her way. When we met with them last year during their planning process it seemed like Labor Day weekend 2010 would never arrive. Well, it’s finally here and we are so excited for their wedding on Sunday.

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.

A Dog Day Afternoon at Tompkins Park, NYC | New York Lifestyle

Matt Savage — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 00:55:26 +0000

What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than with one of your best girlfriends and a little pup? We unfortunately don’t have a dog but would like to adopt this one of Kathryn’s named Baily… he was so cute! This was part two of our shoot in the East Village of New York City. You can view part one here. We had this idea of going to the dog park in Tompkins Park so Kathryn had her husband bring Baily down and it made the shoot even more fun. Shirley and Kathryn are literally best friends and it shows, they have so much energy and chemistry with one another. This is key when shooting fun lifestyle work; that your subjects are completely care free and up for just having fun. It also helps that they are extremely talented at their jobs. We wanted to keep things fun so I shot almost all of our shoot at a true 35mm so you feel like you are right there with them.

Thanks to Ford Models, Courtney Rust for wardrobe styling, Kerry Crawford for makeup and Julius Toussaint for hair.

Anne Marie + Mark | Chicago, IL

Stevi Savage — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 05:09:05 +0000

Anne Marie and Mark are full of laughter and love. They share a respect for each other and their relationship that I admire. Mark is quiet and reserved but he doesn’t let that stop him from showing Anne Marie how much he adores her. During their engagement session we talked about the dance they were learning together for their wedding reception. Mark was nervous about it but it was sweet to hear that he was practicing diligently to make sure he would get all the steps down in time for the wedding. I’m sure he knew it would make Anne Marie so happy. Well, we photographed their wedding a week ago and I can’t give either of them enough props for nailing their dance together. They looked like they came straight out of SYTYCD! They had a standing ovation from the whole room. It was nothing short of awesome.

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!

New York Lifestyle Shoot | Rooftop

Matt Savage — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 18:49:12 +0000

A couple of few weeks ago we had a meeting in New York and wanted to extend our trip and have a little fun. We collaborated with Courtney Rust, a commercial wardrobe stylist friend of ours here in Chicago. In less than a week we had a concept, models, hair, makeup and location. Arriving in New York on Friday we settled into a quaint walkup in the East Village near Tomkins Park did some quick scouting then off to shopping for wardrobe. Courtney has an amazing talent of seeing colors and patterns and visualizing how everything will come together . While Stevi and Courtney were shopping I ran for coffee and gave my occasional appoval, but I have learned not to get in the way of women and shopping. Truly I trusted Courtney and knew she would do a fantastic job. All in all we pulled for three scenes in a “girls afternoon out”.

Surrounding yourself with talented people, especially on a shoot like this, is vital. Stevi produced the shoot by coordinating travel, lining up models, hair and makup. She really made my job easy. I have to say the same for Kerry Crawford (makeup artist), Julius Toussaint (hair stylist), Courtney Rust (wardrobe stylist), and of course our models Shirley and Kathryn from Ford Models, all of whom are professionals and masters at their craft. We focused on having a good time and collaborating on looks so everyone came out happy and had great images for their books. The images below are from the first scene on the roof of the apartment where we were staying.

Special thanks to the crew for making this such a fun shoot!

Photographer: Matt Savage / www.averyhouse.net
Producer: Stevi Savage / www.averyhouse.net
Wardrobe Stylist: Courtney Rust / www.courtneyrust.com
Makeup Artist: Kerry Crawford / www.kerrymakeup.com
Hair Stylist: Julius Toussaint / www.hairormakeupusa.com
Models: Kathryn & Shirley from Ford Women’s Division New York / www.fordmodels.com

Engage!10 | Cayman Islands

Matt Savage — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 19:45:35 +0000

Last week Matt and I attended a luxury wedding business summit in the Cayman Islands called Engage!10. We came home feeling inspired and renewed. We firmly believe that in order to continue growing as artists and as entrepreneurs, it is important that we take time to surround ourselves and learn from the people in our industry who have already successfully paved their own way.

Some of the conversations we shared with other attendees left us dreaming bigger than we ever have before. Without big goals and dreams, we will never be able to fully grow into the person that we are called to be. We also feel that while working with your spouse is great, it is an even bigger challenge to constantly make sure we are growing together and always open to respecting each other’s perspectives.

Taking time to travel and attend a conference like Engage is a great way for us to feel challenged and refreshed. Thank you to everyone who made our experience unforgettable. We’ll let the photos below tell the rest of the story!

A little video recap from our friends at I Do Films!

engage!10 Cayman Islands from I Do Films on Vimeo.

Visit these blogs for more Engage!10 recaps:

(if you want to add your recap to this list email me, contact@averyhouse.net)

Tradition & Technology | Cypress Albums iPad Presentation Box

Matt Savage — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 18:00:41 +0000

We have been using Cypress Albums since we have started our business and have truly enjoyed getting to know their team. In our opinion they have the finest made albums and the most friendly team in the business. Lately we have been using the matted presentation box with mattes for our client meetings as well as offering them in our collections. These boxes are valuable to us because we can exchange the prints for each client meeting in order to be relevant and speak to the type of wedding they are having.

With the advent of the iPad, so many people have been using it for client meetings, presentations and have had great feedback. The iPad, if you haven’t used one by now, is impressive. One of the things I like about it most is that it is extremely tactile, this is also something I like about the matted presentation box which I have to say, I think is equally impressive.

We wanted to implement the iPad into our client meetings especially when we are not meeting in our studio or traveling but didn’t feel the cases you can buy for the iPad while useful are not very elegant and don’t really reflect our brand. We decided we wanted to combine the two into somewhat of a dichotomy between photographic prints and brand new technology.

Since we have been working with Cypress, who make all custom products, it seemed like it would be a natural fit and not too far off from what they already do. We mocked up concept using a presentation box we already had and an image of the iPad (above image). In less than a week we had one in our hands that is exactly what we envisioned (below images). These guys are truly amazing craftsmen and are so willing to try new things. As soon as we contacted them they said yes and I think I am seeing this more and more with companies that are becoming innovators, they never hesitate to take on new exciting projects or refuse to ride a trend. We have heard since this first model they have been making more and more iPad presentation boxes and that is absolutely fantastic news!

Last week we went to Engage10 in the Cayman Islands and brought the iPad presentation box along. Rebecca Grinnals of Engaging Concepts spoke about trends and somehow saw an image I posted on twitter about bringing this to the summit. Well, she put it in her presentation as one of the Top 10 innovations. We were extremely honored and humbled to be mentioned with so many others that have done much bigger work than we have. We couldn’t have done it without Cypress and they deserve credit as well.

AveryHouse Press | Recent Blog Features

Stevi Savage — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 16:09:29 +0000

Matt and I are excited to be back in the office this morning after a weekend of two fun outdoor weddings, 13 hours in the car together singing, dancing and sharing life stories and a hot Memorial Day date at McDonald’s. Yes I said McDonald’s. It was a first for us. We had a blast.

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!






5.// And last but not least, be sure to check out Junebug's new hotlist section! So many great photographers to follow. 


Contact | averyhouse.net | ©2010 AveryHouse

Cheryl + Chris | Chicago, IL

Stevi Savage — Sat, 29 May 2010 15:22:28 +0000

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!

Lia and Jake Wedding | Veteran’s Memorial | Milwaukee, WI

Stevi Savage — Sun, 23 May 2010 15:31:57 +0000

Hi friends! Matt and I are busy busy with lots of fun personal projects these days. We’ve had fun collaborating with some really talented friends and can’t wait to share the work with you. For now, I wanted to post this wedding from the Fall. Matt went up to Milwaukee to second shoot with our friend Tony from Tony Skarlatos Photographers (who I might add also is a missionary with Casas Por Cristo, a mission organization that builds homes for families in Juarez, Mexico). and they both did an awesome job. I wasn’t at this wedding but from the images I can tell that Jake and Lia are probably some of the sweetest people around. Every time I look at these photos I get all choked up just thinking about how proud I am to live in America. I love the sense of pride that just radiates from Jake. And you can easily see how much he absolutely adores her. Enjoy!

Wedding Photography Inspiration | The Ivy Room | Chicago, IL

Matt Savage — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 07:04:30 +0000

The Ivy Room at Tree Studios is one of our favorite venues to photograph a wedding in Chicago. Not to mention Donna and her staff are wonderful to work with. Randi and Mark had a wonderful wedding thanks to Debi Lilly at A Perfect Event who did all of the flowers and decor, and The Entertaining Company for catering with fantastic flavors.