averyhouse » Outdoor wedding

Rachel + Carlos | Lake Park Bistro Wedding

Stevi Savage — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 04:33:24 +0000

As Spring is now officially on us and I am anxiously awaiting the warmer days that Summer will bring, I thought I would post this sweet July wedding from last year. Lake Park Bistro in Milwaukee is a perfect place for planning a relaxed, yet classy event. Rachel and Carlos were full of joy and excitement as they said I Do to one another and the day couldn’t have been more beautiful.

There was nothing but sunshine, laughter and some of the most lovely little details I had ever seen. After their morning ceremony, guests were treated to a delicious lunch hosted by the Bistro. We then headed out to Milwaukee’s downtown for an adventure with the entire wedding party. Looking through the photos from this wedding make me so excited for wedding season to start picking up here in the Midwest. I feel so thankful that we get to work with such charming couples. We truly love what we do.

These past few weeks have been busy, busy with lots of album design, client consults and preparations for the upcoming season. We have almost a completely booked year with only a few dates left for 2011. We are well into booking for 2012 so be sure to get in touch soon if you are interested in booking Avery House as your photographer. We would love to meet you. : )

Ceremony/Reception Venue: Bartolotta’s Lake Park Bistro

Getting Ready Location: Erik of Norway

Florist: Moss Floral

Cake Artist: Cakes By Stephanie

Photographer: Avery House

Catherine + Kevin | Dexter Peak Ranch | Saratoga, WY Wedding

Stevi Savage — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 20:05:11 +0000

Catherine and Kevin’s wedding was about as laid back as they come. Dexter Peak Ranch is Kevin’s families’ ranch, and is an hour away from the closest town. It isn’t even accessible during the winter months so you literally feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. It is incredibly refreshing. The ranch is where Kevin proposed to Catherine. He asked her to marry him in the middle of an aspen grove and they carved their initials on one of the aspen trees. I thought it was so special when they took us to that very tree on their wedding day for pictures. Catherine did all of the planning herself and between she, Kevin and their families they decorated the whole wedding themselves. I loved all of their little details. The weather moves so fast out in Wyoming so we saw several storms come and go over the course of the weekend. Just as the ceremony was starting, we felt a few rain drops but within minutes after the ceremony, the rain clouds had passed away leaving the most amazing rainbow and sunset I have ever seen. I couldn’t believe my eyes! Catherine and Kevin have a relationship full of laughter and adventure and their wedding reflected their personalities to a T. If you’d like to see the complete gallery, you can do so by clicking here.

On another note, Matt and I are loving our new little neighborhood in Evanston. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been here almost a month. Yesterday, we took our camp stoves and hammock out to the lakefront. We found a quiet spot to set up camp and made delicious blueberry and banana pancakes while soaking in the Fall weather. It was the first time in a while that we really focused on experiencing the changing of seasons, both literally and metaphorically. It seems like life has a little bit of a slower pace now that we aren’t in the city and has allowed us the chance to sit back and really live in the moment. Hope you all enjoyed the weekend as much as we did!

Cuneo Mansion and Gardens

Stevi Savage — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 14:30:04 +0000

Thomas & Julia from I Do Films on Vimeo.

This film was produced by I Do Films, LLC.

Matt and I set out with a new goal this year of doing more test shoots. We knew they would help us further develop our style as artists and teach us more about what we like and don’t like. They are a challenge and sometimes not so easy to find the motivation for, especially when so much else is going on with the busy wedding season, but we know it is absolutely necessary in order to not get burned out. Since I posted one of our test shoots last week featuring Nikola (Ford) and Nicky (Elite), I thought it would be appropriate to go ahead and post this one too. A huge thanks to this fabulous pair for all of their wonderful work. As you can tell, we love collaborating with our friends over at I Do Films. It’s so exciting to mix stills with film. Because we all had so much fun working together on the Galena shoot, we decided to get together again and create another fun story, this time using the Cuneo Mansion and Gardens. We wanted the shoot to be a continuation of their dream wedding in Galena. The folks over at Cuneo are the best. The venue truly makes you feel like you are in Italy.

As always, we put a lot of emphasis on excellent hair and makeup. Having a great hair and makeup artist is an absolute must in order to get great images. It’s also important to find someone who is willing to collaborate and listen to what you want. Laura Gorman has been a friend of mine and Matt’s for several years now, mostly from catalog jobs that we’ve worked on together, and it is always a treat to get to work with her. She travels all over and is in hot demand. If you are a bride looking for good hair and makeup, call her! (Leave a comment and I’ll send you her #). She’s seriously one of the best. Plus she has her own line of cosmetics which you should definitely check out. All of the wardrobe pieces in this shoot, including jewelry, are J.Crew. And as always, enjoy the short film above by Lori and Matt of I Do Films! Be sure to check out their blog too.

Photographer: AveryHouse
Cinematographer: I Do Films
Hair & Makeup: Laura Gorman
Wardrobe: JCrew
Flowers: Heffernen Morgan
Menu cards: Engaging Events by Ali
Venue: Cuneo Mansion
Talent: Nikola and Nicky

Mike and Elizabeth | The Danada House | Chicago Wedding Photography

Stevi Savage — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 14:21:57 +0000

If you had the chance to spend a little time with Mike and Elizabeth, you would know that they are passionate about music and passionate about teaching and helping others. They are such a perfect pair and we loved them for letting us be creative with their wedding. When we found out how classy and victorian their wedding theme was, we knew that parasols would be a great addition to all of their beautiful details. I love that we are just a hop, skip and a jump from Chinatown where they sell them by the dozens for only a few nickels. Mike and Elizabeth had their wedding at The Danada House which is a gorgeous property just west of Chicago and a perfect place for a wedding. Built in 1939 and with a whopping total of 19 rooms, the Danada House was the home farm to the 1965 Kentucky Derby winner, Lucky Debonaire. I can imagine that if I was a horse, this would be the place I would want to call home too.

As you can see, Elizabeth is just about as sweet and elegant as they come. I think the Danada House was the perfect location for the style and vision that she had always dreamt her wedding to be. We wish all the best to this awesome couple!

On another note, Matt and I returned from our trip to India last week and are working hard to get all of our images processed. We can’t wait to share a few of the stories and slideshows with you. We leave this coming week and will be out of the office for 5 weeks straight traveling to Amarillo, Birmingham, Dallas, Nashville, Knoxville, Tuscaloosa and my hometown of Marion, VA. Hopefully we will see some of you along the way!

Wedding and Reception Venue: The Danada House

Wedding Photographer: Avery House Creative

Contact | Chicago Wedding Photographer | Destination Wedding Photography