Next week marks the 1st anniversary of Hayley and Adam, a beautiful couple we had the honor of photographing on their wedding at the stunning Ritz-Carlton in Chicago.

Hayley and Adam are a beautiful blend of love and kindness. Their wedding day was a true reflection of their love story - elegant, heartwarming, and filled with joy.

We can't help but smile when we think back to that unforgettable day.

Here's to many more years of love, laughter, and cherished memories for this incredible couple!

Thank you Randy Schuster for sharing us with this family!

oxxo,

~ Dawn and Bob
_______

Vendors:
Photography: Bob & Dawn Davis Photography & Design
Event Planner: Randy Schuster
Venue: Ritz Carlton Chicago
Event Design: Epic Events
Entertainment: The Gold Coast All Stars
Video: Xpress Video Productions
Officiant: Rabbi Steven Lowenstein
Hair: Taylor Reese Salon
Makeup: Kelly La Banco
Dress: Mark Ingram Atelier
Bridal Salon: Ultimate Bride
Wedding Stylist: Caroline Shaw | The Wedding Dresser
Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Bridesmaids Dress: Bella Bridesmaids
Printed Materials: Smitten Boutique

It was a cold January night, the stars were so bright, and Lauren and Justin were game when Bob asked them if they were up for an adventure! They braved the weather and this is one of the images that he captured. One of my favorite images from the day!

Ready for Day 2 of 3 of our Real Wedding Workshop? The BIG day.... Lauren and Justin's beautiful wedding at the Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation. We certainly were... all 19 photographers. Yes, this is always crazy... but crazy fun!

Lauren and Justin visited Hawks Cay Resort in Florida every August around his birthday since they started dating in 2011. Little did she know when he made it a couples trip with three of her best friends and their husbands, in 2013, that he would be planning a little surprise for her that would change her life forever. Their first day there, they all spent the day boating. As they were walking back to the resort, hand in hand, she said to Justin that she wanted to make this an annual trip for them and bring their kids one day. That's when he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him with the promise that the resort would always be their special place.

A year and a half later, their wedding day had arrived. The most beautiful day - picture perfect! The sun was shining and everyone was smiling. Lauren and her bridesmaids have an incredible bond, they love each other like they are sisters. Justin and his boys are equally tight, and his dad was his best man. How cool is that? The love that surrounds them is undeniable. Lauren looked incredibly beautiful in her stunning Rivini gown with a gorgeous pair of satin red Badgley Mischka shoes with an embellished peep toe. The Rivini jewelry she wore was equally beautifully. All her college friends have been passing down a Gator garter, and they each have it monogramed after wearing it. I mean seriously, that is the best! Her girls all wore Amsale with a faux fur grey wrap, while Justin and his boys were looking dapper in their slim fit tuxes by Black by Vera Wang. I'd say this was a beautiful bridal party!

Their first look was like no other! It took place on a spectacular bridge, surrounded by trees everywhere which made for a romantic setting and so many photographic opportunities. Lauren and her daddy headed to the Christ Our King and Savior Catholic Church in a white 1966 RR Princess Vanden Plas. Can it get any better than this? The service was beautiful. I think I cried through the whole thing, it's a good thing I wasn't holding a camera... lol.

The cocktail hour took place in The Forest on the Ritz property, with hanging bistro lights, beautiful lanterns everywhere, and beautiful lounge furniture, not to mention the view of the lake in the background. The cocktail hour music was dedicated to Lauren's late Grandmother who loved Frank Sinatra. The food served had a southern flare including tomato soup with heart shaped grilled cheese... just incredible!!! Their winter southern wedding was romantic and classical with beautiful red roses everywhere! Their reception was in the Ballroom and the decor took your breath away when you walked in. The entertainment, the cake, the dessert table, the first dance, the speeches, the sparkler exit... OMG...

I think I've said too much.... so why not discover for yourselves how incredibly beautiful this wedding was. A huge thank you to Lauren and Justin and their families for welcoming our group with open arms. They treated us with such grace and I just can't thank them enough for all their kindness. Same to Ashley Scott at the Ritz, who was truly an amazing coordinator! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Then we have Tracey Taylor and Dee Green who also assisted us as well. They came all the way from Japan to help us. We met them at our 3rd Real Wedding Workshop in Nashville, and these beauties have become dear friends. Without this them, we would the coverage of this wedding would never be what it is... so thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!!

Lauren and Justin, we love you both and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!!!!

xxoo!!!

~ Dawn and Bob

Ps: Be ready for Day 3 of the workshop up next...

After an incredible wedding day, we began Day 3 of our Real Wedding Workshop reviewing images from the wedding. Also, recapping what Bob had shared on Day 1 and the wedding day. After that, I shared how we grew our small town business to success and my love for sales, marketing and branding. It's awesome when you learn how to attract the client that appreciates your talents and doesn't try to micro manage your business.

We're certainly not perfect, but with the mistakes we've made we have constructed building blocks that have brought us further than we ever imagined. I believe that everything happens for a reason and if we look at mistakes as lessons learned, they are not mistakes at all. It's like dating someone that is not good and breaks your heart. You learn what is not acceptable for your next relationship. And if you're lucky, you'll meet the person of your dreams. I've had a few not-so-good relationships that weren't right for me. But they all prepared me for what I knew I wanted in my husband. I'm a lucky girl.

Anyway, we spent the morning talking business. I know it's not every photographer's favorite thing, but it's a necessity. Most would rather be out shooting and learning how to take better photos. That's great, but truth be told, you can be the best photographer in the world and fail if you don't know how to run a business. It's equally important, if not more, to learn the business side.

After lunch, we later joined Lauren and Justin for a final photo shoot, this time on the Ritz ice skating rink. They were champs, they partied all night and were still up for more photos the next day! How cute are they?

Another once in a lifetime experience. Thank you to all our amazing photographers who joined us. Jensen Bell, Pam Bell, Whitney Bower, Marisa Carey, Christina Corneau, Melissa Del Vecchio, Greg & Theresa Favello, Jasleen Kaur, Chrissy Kruger-Gruendyke, Greg Moran, Sebastian Orr, Felix Peter, Shayla Samples, and Rochelle Wilhelms WE LOVE YOU ALL...!

Bob, I, and our team, Michele, Tracey Taylor and Dee Green left exhausted, as I'm sure they did as well, but we left with such happy hearts. We had many repeats attendees and made several new friends. We are blessed and so happy to share our love in an industry that is filled with so many creative people!

Lauren, Justin, and your families.... thank you again for trusting us with your wedding! And letting all our photographers share in your day! We love you and can't thank you enough for your kindness!!!

All our love,

~ Dawn and Bob

Welcome to the beginning of our Italian adventure. Bob, our kiddos, + I flew to Italy to host a real wedding workshop where we photographed the beautiful wedding of Giulia + Marco, along with 11 of our second shooters. Yes, you absolutely read that right. As many of you know, we host photography workshops around the world and this one was beyond our wildest dreams! With the help of our dear friends, Max + Cris who organized our workshop and introduced us to our bride + groom, we spent 6 glorious nights + 5 fun days photographing a pre-wedding session, sunflower fields, a wedding in a castle, and the rolling hills of Umbria and Tuscany... a dream come true! After countless hours of laughing and sometimes crying, we all said goodbye in tears. The friendships that were made were incredible and will last a lifetime. I can't wait to write more about that soon.

Bob and I are super excited to share with the world a video created by Anton Lorimer of Lorimer Works. I'm not sure how to quite describe this video other than it being a workshop promo video, however, this wasn't filmed at one of our workshops. It was filmed at our Ghost Town photo shootout in Vegas. A big thank you to Crystal Pickering, Bob Young, and Tracey Taylor + Dee Green for the most incredibly kind words in the video. They have all been to one of our workshops in the past and we have remained friends and always will.

Enjoy, and let us know what you think!

xoxox,

~ Dawn

We are so honored to be a member of Inside Weddings Member's Circle. It's an incredible opportunity for us. Thank you Marilyn Oliveira, Art Scangas, and Walt Shepard for believing is us and inviting us into your circle.

We are beyond honored to have Taylor + Scott's beautiful wedding at The Standard Club created by Jan Ehrenberg founder of Parties, Events & More, featured in the Spring 2012 edition. Inside Weddings is a top wedding magazine for bride's looking to be inspired. Thank you so much!!!

And a huge thank you to Taylor + Scott for allowing us to be part of your lives. You are both beautiful inside and out and you have the most amazing family!!! We are truly honored.

xoxoxo ~ Dawn + Bob

A fairytale wedding with the princess and the glass slipper..... well, almost! Taylor lights up the room when she smiles. There isn't a soul in the world that could not fall in love with her. She's a dream! And Scott is in love! I'll never forget when Bob and I were shooting their engagement session and I was telling Scott how incredibly beautiful Taylor was and his response was "I could look at her all day long!" They are a match made in heaven! Taylor posted one of her engagement photos on Facebook awhile back and there were a ton of her friend's comments on there, but somewhere half way down the list of ohhhhs and ahhhhs, was a comment from her dad and it simply said.... "you are nicer than you are beautiful." And that is the God's honest truth. Taylor is so incredibly beautiful, but that's not what's extraordinary about her. It's her personality... and that's what I mean when I said Taylor lights up a room when she smiles!!! Scott is definitely a scholar. He's incredibly handsome but there's so much more about him. To me, there is nothing sexier than a man who loves his woman... and there is no denying he loves his! They are surrounded by the most incredible families. When Taylor's dad had his "first look" of his baby girl in her dress, I shed tears observing his reaction and how proud he is of her. It was the most beautiful moment.... ever! She had an incredibly fun group of bridesmaids, not to mention sweet and beautiful. And Scott was surrounded by his groomsmen, who were up for anything, that stood next to him proudly. Bob and I feel so blessed to be part of their lives...!

Their wedding was at the exclusive Standard Club in Chicago. Their Event Planner, Jan Ehrenberg of Parties, Events & More, did an amazing job of orchestrating a fairytale wedding. Everything was exquisite right down to the table cloths that were especially designed after Taylor's dress by Heffernan Morgan Designs. A big thank you to our dear friend who flew in from California to shoot with Bob, Heidi Morgan. You are so amazing and we couldn't have done this without your support!!!

Here's a sneak peek from their wedding and their "day after" session. I'll post more images soon!

Enjoy!

xoxoxo

~ Dawn

I am in awe the clients that God brings into our lives. We met Taylor & Scott through their event planner, Jan Ehrenberg of Parties, Events & More. Thank you Jan! Taylor and her family are the sweetest people on earth. I can't wait for their wedding this Sunday. YES, I said it..... this Sunday. And YES, it took me this long to blog their engagement session. I know... I know... I'm a procrastinator. Actually, I'm a mom and that keeps me busy on top of running an incredible business. Oh and let's not forget to mention that I have 3 kids (which includes my husband!).

It was a beautiful Fall day. We met Taylor & Scott at the Chicago Botanic Garden where we got some spectacular photos and then headed downtown Chicago to do some night shots. So much fun!!! Ican't wait to share images from their wedding. Bob just photographed Taylor's dress fitting yesterday and OMG....... you are not going to want to miss seeing her dress! I promise not to wait long!

Love to you all....

~ Dawn

A Bar Mitzvah sure to remember! We photographed Jack's brother's, Maxx's Bar Mizvah! and last November we photographed Jack's. The Klein family is one of the most wonderful families ever. They are so loving, so fun, and so true to family.

Thank you Maryfran & Mike for allowing us to be part of your family again! You know how to throw a party!

A special thank you to Ed Weiland and Jen Hester for photographing this AMAZING event with Bob!

With love, ~ Dawn and Bob