Based in the suburbs of Chicago, we are a husband and wife photography team specializing in fine art wedding photography.
Maddie & Julius first reached out to Marc and me over 2 years ago. They had started planning their 2020 wedding and were looking for a photographer who captured natural and vibrant photos that focused on real and candid moments. We were honored that they reached out to us based on our portfolio. We set up a time to chat and quickly connected. Julius had explained how these two had met while in undergrad at Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington, IL. Little did I know when they disclosed their first date at the campus Starbucks, that 2 years later our oldest child (at the time going into her Junior year of high school) would be moving to the same campus and working at that exact same Starbucks beginning the week I would be delivering Maddie and Julius’ wedding gallery. Life is full of funny coincidences.
Every wedding has its challenges, right before the big first look moment, Maddie’s dress ripped. Her two MOH besties jumped into action – working quickly to stitch the dress back up to perfection. As Julius waited to see his bride for the first time, Maddie took a deep breath, fluffed her hair, and walked towards her husband-to-be. The moment was beautiful – filled with hugs and smiles. It’s moments like these that make wedding days so unique to each couple. Just watching these two hold hands, and look in each other’s eyes with the biggest smiles was a beautiful scene to behold. Once they were ready to move on, we gathered the large bridal party and headed for pictures at the scenic grounds of Cantigny Park.
Due to COVID restrictions, these two decided to host their ceremony in an outdoor garden. The wedding day for Maddie and Julius was warm – well actually HOT! With the heat index topping 100 degrees, the threat of thunderstorms plagued us throughout the day. Lucky for us we were able to get all the photos done seconds before the downpour began. After a heavy 15 minutes of rain, and a slight delay in the start of the ceremony, these two were ready to say their vows. They say it is good luck if it rains on your wedding day. I say it’s even better luck for a quick rain shower and wonderful weather the rest of the day. This was exactly how their day went.
The rest of the evening was filled with cold cocktails, delicious food, heartwarming toasts, and a lively dancefloor. Pardon me for a little bit of “my daughter just moved off to college” sappiness, but seeing Maddie and Julius surrounded by all of their closest family and IWU friends reminds me that so many exciting and happy days are ahead in life.
P.S. Thank you Maddie for answering all my college questions this week. You are such as sweet, kind-hearted person and I know you and Julius have many happy years ahead of you. We hope you enjoy your wedding day preview.
Based in the suburbs of Chicago, we are a husband and wife photography team specializing in fine art wedding photography.