When you know, you just know. I can tell that when Rocio and Cyrus met, they just knew that they were meant to be. Look at the way he looks at her! I love it. They met at work, and after a few weeks of subtle flirting, they went on their first date. For her birthday, Cyrus took her to Maui to celebrate. Little did she know, he was preparing for his proposal. He took Rocio out to dinner for her birthday and then wanted to give her a "gift" so he walked her down to the moonlit beach and proposed. She said "yes" and the rest is history! I'm pretty sure this was an amazing, birthday, vacation, proposal...!!!

Bob and I met this gorgeous couple through Claire Weller at Big City Bride and we are so happy for the introduction. Bob photographed their engagement session last year in early November at the Alfred Caldwell Lilly Pool where they sipped wine and walked amongst all the beautiful fall colors. So pretty! And they wanted some sunset evening photos along the Chicago River which are always a favorite of mine.

We recently photographed their wedding and talk about colorful... I can't wait to share those images!

Enjoy!!!

~ Dawn

Wow, it's crazy how fast time goes by. We recently photographed Kim and Greg and their adorable daughter, Alexa. Oh, is she cute and with so much personality!!! Bob and I miss so much when our kids were this little. We met Kim and Greg in September of 2008 to discuss photographing their wedding and we hit it off. You can see their engagement session and their wedding right here.

I can't believe 6 years has passed since we first met. Kim and Greg, we wish you all the happiness in the world. It's beautiful to see the love you have for each other has grown so much since you're wedding day!

Enjoy!

~ Dawn

We love when our weddings are featured in magazines that we adore. Ashley and Ari's wedding at the Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel in Chicago was full of color which makes a beautiful feature for the Fall/Winter 2014 issue of The Knot Chicago. Thank you Rebecca Crumley for selecting our beautiful couple's wedding. We are truly honored to have it featured in The Knot magazine and I know their families are beyond excited too!

You can see Ashley and Ari's blog post featuring many photos from their wedding here.

This is long overdue, I'm not sure where the time goes! Lauren and Stephen's wedding at The Standard Club. Their wedding was simply amazing with the most beautiful details planned by Reva Nathan & Associates.

They are such a fun couple beginning with their engagement session with their Chicago Blackhawks jerseys in the rain! Their wedding was just as much fun with all the love in the room surrounding them. Heffernan Morgan Ronsley did a fabulous job bringing their dream wedding to life!

From the lighting by Frost Chicago to the table linens by BBJ Linens and the entertainment by Rendezvous Music there wasn't a detailed missed. I really loved that Lauren and Stephen had an artist, Diane Bronstein, sketch a scene from their ceremony and display it at the reception. Perfection!

I hope that you enjoy the photos that Bob and our 2nd shooter, Ben Pancoast captured at their wedding! Ben, you did an amazing job helping Bob, thank you!

Lauren and Stephen, thank you for inviting us in to capture your wedding day. It was magical. Bob and I wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

xoxox!

~ Dawn

Oh my gosh, how cute are Alex and Chris? WAY CUTE! I died when Alex's mom said that Chris was into boxing and that the boxing ring may be an option for their engagement session. And then when Alex agreed… I was like YES!!!! When Bob and I meet with our potential couples we always like to let them know that our style is all about the couple. Sure, we consider our photography timeless and classic with a fun, fresh twist. We are not formulaic and we, very much, like our photos to reflect who our clients are, not who Bob is as a photographer. These special events in peoples lives are about them, not us. So, when a fun shoot like Alex and Chris's engagement session comes up, we are always thrilled!!!

Bob, and our assistant who is also our daughter Alli, met them at Franklin Street Boxing Club Gym in Chicago where Alex boxed her soon to be husband and it was a TKO! Haha… seriously so cute, Alex in heels with her pink gloves! I love it!

They headed off to Eleven Lincoln Park, the cutest old school Jewish diner in Chicago! Sipping on a milkshake and hanging out in the candy shop made for some really cute photos! Then off to Chicago Union Station and Chicago North Avenue Beach for a crazy fun feather pillow fight! I just love that Alex and Chris were up for some fun!

We are beyond thrilled to be working with this family again, as we photographed their sister, Jillian's wedding to Brad in 2010 at the Chicago Hilton. Alex's parents, Debbie and Steve are so gracious and so fun… and we can't thank them enough for trusting us to capture their daughter's weddings! And a huge thank you to Reva Nathan for introducing us years ago to this wonderful family!

I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I did editing them!

Much love and blessings!

~ Dawn

I knew the minute we met with Sara and Ross that they were a perfect fit for us… they are so incredibly sweet! That is just one of the things we look for when meeting with potential couples. Not only do we need to be a good fit for them but they need to be a good fit for us as well. The photographer is the one vendor, besides the event planner, that is going to be with the couple all day, there needs to be a wonderful connection… and there definitely was!

Truly, Sara and Ross are just an amazing couple with a fantastic love for each other. Sara is gorgeous and she has a heart of gold. You can tell in every single photo that she loves life and is so in love with Ross. It makes me smile…. big time!

Ever since Sara was a little girl, she knew she wanted to get married at The Standard Club. You're always in good hands with Jill Quinn and Steve Thompson. It's one of my favorite venues in Chicago! Every wedding is so different there. The hardwood floors are gorgeous, not to mention the hanging crystal chandeliers make the room so dreamy! When Sara and Ross started getting serious, his parents knew they wanted to get married there, so they became members of the club. How sweet is that?

Sara and Ross wanted their wedding to feel like a secret garden with the color scheme being white, blush, and rose gold. And their event planner, Stacy Saltzman of So Stacy along with Tom Kehoe of Kehoe Designs did an amazing job. They completely transformed the room with 4 huge rose-gold gilded cherry blossom trees flanking the aisle. Many different shaped and sized candles down the aisle. The fabric chuppah was hanging from the ceiling and covered in white and blush flowers… a perfect secret garden feel. I love that Sara's dad came up with the idea of having all the male guests wear a boutonniere. Every place setting adorned a flower. They were laid on top of mirrored tables so the reflection would create a lush, romantic feel. Sara said she LOVED including all the men and making them feel special because they are so often a forgotten guest.

Sara wore a beautiful trumpet style Pnina Tournai gown with Swarovski crystals covering the bodice. She purchased her gown at Kleinfield Bridal boutique in NYC, which is you know anything about Mara Urshel and Ronnie Rothstein who own the store, you would want to shop there too! Sara wore a "Broadway" veil Toni Federici with Swarovski crystals as well. And of course she wore a gorgeous pair of Jimmy Choo shoes!

We hope you enjoy the images from their wedding. You can feel the love Sara and Ross have for each other, it's just beautiful. And of course, having amazing entertainment like the Larry King Orchestra to keep the dance floor packed all night long is a must.

Enjoy!!!

~ Dawn

Yes, please…. can we say g.o.r.g.e.o.u.s…! Ross is a lucky man! Honestly, they are absolutely perfect for each other. I love that Sara said she knew by their fourth date, that he was the man she wanted to marry.

They met through a mutual friend and dated for a year before Ross proposed. I'm such a sap when I hear proposal stories and I really love the way Ross asked Sara to marry him. They have this cute tradition where Sara takes Ross's dry cleaning tag off the bottom button hole of his shirt. Almost everyday when he puts his dress shirt on for work in the morning, he will walk up to her and she will take the tag off his shirt. It has become part of their daily routine. Well, I'm sure you know where this is heading… yes, Ross asked Sara to come over to take the tag off his shirt. When she walked over to him, she looked down and saw that there was a ring hanging off of a tag on his shirt. Ross then popped the question…… and she said YES! Both their families were just waiting to celebrate at the Trump International Hotel for dinner. It was a magical night!!!

I'm excited to share their engagement session with you. It began where they had their first date at Sable Restaurant in the Palomar Hotel. A couple of cocktails always loosens up the fiancé so he can smile comfortably for the camera… say cheese! lol. Bob photographed them at the Trump and then onto the streets of Chicago for some evening shots! I always love those!

I can't wait to share their wedding photos…… SO DREAMY! Thank you Stacy Saltzman of So Stacy for introducing us to Sara and Ross!!!

Enjoy!!!

~ Dawn

Vince Hart from Kehoe Designs recalls that Tracy and Chris wanted the inspiration from their wedding to come from Tracy's love of fashion, themed around a winter wonderland and the feeling of being in a beautiful glass atrium with the snow falling outside. And wouldn't you know it? It snowed all day and night creating a true magical winter wonderland in Chicago.

What bride doesn't LOVE Inside Weddings magazine? And if you haven't already, you can subscribe to it here. Thank you Walt and Art at Inside Weddings for featuring another one of our beautiful weddings! For brides looking for inspiration, this is the magazine to buy!

It's always an honor to be featured in one of the BEST wedding magazines in the country! Renee and Kevin's wedding was absolutely and simply wonderful. This was our first time photographing a wedding at the incredible Venue Six10. It is perfect venue for gourmet dining and artful entertaining! It was also our first time working with working with Chrissy Magliano at Big City Bride. She was a so comforting. Chrissy has such a calm presence and made the day flow effortlessly. We look forward to working with them a lot this year and feel so blessed to do so!

Wishing you all a wonderful Spring season!!! Being in Chicago, it's amazing to have a 60 degree day today!

xoxoxo!

~ Dawn

Donte knew after his first official date with Valerie at the Irish pub, Dublins downtown Chicago, but Valerie wanted to make sure he was the real deal. A few months later, he unexpectedly arrived an hour early to a gallery opening where one of her photos was being displayed, and spent the whole evening getting to know her friends and supporting her passion for art, she knew this was a man she could spend the rest of her life with. And six months into their relationship, they went ring shopping! They were engaged 11 months before they wed.

Valerie was excited to use her creative background to plan their wedding right down to the smallest of details. She did an amazing job! We, of course, love that they both have an appreciation for photography! Their super sweet and chic wedding was at Praire Production in the West Loop of Chicago which is a commercial photography space with a modern vibe. The large windows bring is some fantastic light!

The day began with Valerie and her girls getting ready at Waldorf Astoria and Donte and his boys getting ready at Sofitel. Their first look was just beautiful… one of my favorites. They headed to the classic wing of The Art Institue of Chicago for a sweet photo walk. And the bridal party portraits were all taken at Olive Park.

Valerie and Donte jetted off to Paris, France on their honeymoon! What a dream!!!! Bob and I love you both and wish you a lifetime of happiness!!!

xx oo,

~ Dawn