I feel a need to share the story of how Matt proposed to Sara...... in his words...

"I began serenading Sara, singing one of her favorite songs (American Honey, by Lady Antebellum), except I had re-written the words to be about our relationship. The song eluded to marriage and starting a life together. At the end of the song I got down on one knee and pulled a small box out of my back pocket and “popped the question.” After some tears (of shock and joy), Sara screamed, “Yes I will marry you!”

How fun is that? And of course, a proposal is always brings me back to when Bob proposed to me.... only not as romantic. You can feel the love in their photos... it's truly magical. Sara is stunning and because I'm just now getting to this entry, I know that Sara made a gorgeous bride. Their wedding was amazing and I will post that next.

Thank you to Reva Nathan for introducing us to Sara + Matt's and their wonderful families. When we walked into their home to meet with them, we also had the pleasure of meeting Sara's mom, Susan, and Matt's parents, Chuck and Debbie. We fell in love with this family and I remember crossing my fingers when we walked out their door saying... please, please, please select us. I just knew they were wonderful people. I was so happy when we received the call... "They want you to photograph their wedding." So exciting!!!

Here's a few favorites from their engagement session!

xoxoxo,

~ Dawn + Bob

I think Cooper tried stealing the show! Haha... he looked so snazzy in his bow tie. Lizzy + Brett wanted to do photo shoot a few days after their wedding and I'm so glad they did. A wedding day is always so crazy and shoots like these are laid back and relaxing. We started in the backyard of the home Lizzy grew up in. It was perfect, with a green apple tree and all. Their bulldog, Cooper, was just adorable and well, he takes after his humans! We headed off to the Chicago Botanic Garden where the backdrop of gorgeousness is incredible! Some of my favorite images are on the bench by the waterfall where all the trees blanket the background. So dreamy!

It's becoming more and more popular to do this type of shoot. Why? Well, take a look at the photos and you'll see. It's really hard to capture photos like this on a wedding day unless you dedicate 4-5 hours to it. And that is pretty rare, especially as relaxing as this type of shoot is. So, brides, make sure to think about doing this! You will love the photos!

This concludes Lizzy + Brett's story! Off to their real story.... life! We love you Lizzy + Brett!!!

xoxox,

~ Dawn

When we met with Lizzy + Brett, she had share with us that she wanted to bring the outdoors inside. I think she and her Event Planner, Randy Schuster, totally accomplished that. The Standard Club looked amazing with the huge trees that were brought in and decorated with hanging candles and threaded orchids streaming down the branches. The attention to detail was perfect. The chuppah was gorgeous carrying the theme of threaded orchids while the aisle was dressed with candles and branches. It was just incredible! The flowers were beautiful and so was the room when it came time for the reception but nothing compared to how beautiful Lizzy looked in her Vera Wang gown. I love how playful her and Brett are with each other. And there is no dying how much love was in the air!

A big thank you, THANK YOU, thank you to our dear friend and 2nd Shooter, Veronica Hinajosa, for working with Bob to make sure every detail was covered. We love you V...!!!

There are no words to describe how grateful we are to have been part of their wedding day! Stay tuned for Part 3 of their fun after the wedding shoot!

We wish you both a lifetime of happiness!!!

xoxox,

~ Dawn + Bob

Lizzy + Brett met when they were in College. They bet who could rap more of the words to the song "Sugar On My Tongue" by Trick Daddy. Guess who won..... yes, you guessed it, Lizzy! These two are just amazing people with really wonderful families. Lizzy is as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. Her smile lights up the room and she has a heart of gold. Truly gracious in every way. Brett plays for the Chicago Wolves AHL and I would image, rough and tough on the ice but a perfect gentleman around his bride. Together they are so fun and make a great team!

They began their day, where else, at the Centennial Ice Rink at the Daily Plaza in Chicago. Even though it may have been cold outside, they filled the day with their laughter. They skated around the ice and then headed to Millennium Park. They even went to Home Depot to buy a Christmas tree & lights so they could take photos on North Avenue Beach. How cool is that?

I've been waiting to post their engagement session until after they married, for privacy reasons. So, now's the time! Consider this Part 1 of 3... more to come on their wedding day and post wedding shoot.

Enjoy........ and much love!

~ Dawn + 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.

Does it get anymore fun than this? I don't think so. Meet Angela + Bryant... they are just so adorable! They met with us before they even had their church and reception hall chosen. It's always great pleasure to know when someone has been waiting to get engaged so they can finally hire us for their wedding! Angela spent hours planning the location and photo ideas for their engagement session. Photos are very important to her and that makes us happy! We love when couples say that photography is most important to them on their wedding day. After all, when everything is said and done, all you have is your photographs!

Bob, and our assistant (daughter), Alli, met them at Ed Debevics in Chicago. There was a terrible thunderstorm hitting Chicago, so they all spent a couple of hours in the restaurant, which was okay because there are so many photographic opportunities there! After the storm was over, it was a beautiful day as you will see in all their photos! I'm so glad they didn't want to cancel their session because rainy days make reflective streets and dramatic clouds, which make the best photos!

Angela and Bryant... thank you so much for wanting us to be part of your lives! We adore you both. And can't wait to see all the fun things you plan for your wedding!

xoxo,

~ Dawn + Bob

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Ohhh, yes, I think I need a cold shower, these two just steamed up the windows! We met Lauren + Patrick just a few weeks ago and their wedding is this September. We needed to get their engagement session done fast so I could design their guest book for the wedding, which turned out stunning (see the last photo below). Exciting!!! They are just the sweetest, and not to mention, sexiest couples ever! I can't wait to see the photos Bob captures from their wedding day!

Thank you Lynda Rose, for introducing us to Lauren + Patrick. We are so honored to be part of their wedding day!!! Lauren + Patrick, thank you as well, for trusting us with one of the most important days in your life!

Much love!!!

~ Dawn + Bob

So happy to share this gorgeous wedding of Melissa and Ben at the JW Marriott in Chicago created by the very talented Reva Nathan & Associates in the Summer 2012 National Issue of The Knot. They are the sweetest most beautiful couple and we love everything about them. Thank you Rebecca Crumley, Weddings Photo Director, for selecting our client's wedding for your magazine. You are a doll...!

Our dear friends, Ruth Lin + Kenny Nakai, were married just a few weeks ago. What an honor to photograph a friend's wedding, not only is Kenny a friend, he's a photographer so it's a double honor! Our friends from Miami, Ray + Anna, came to the wedding and Ray photographed the wedding as well. Another one of our dear friends, Veronica, photographed their wedding too! This wedding was well covered by 3 talented photographers.

Bob photographed their engagement session and then came their wedding day at the swanky River East Arts Center in Chicago. They were surrounded by their friends and family. It was a beautiful day indeed.

I just noticed that Chris + Oliver, the videographers, posted a same day edit from the wedding. It's a must see!!! Click here to take you to their fabulous site! I do hope we get to work with them in the near future... love their work!

Ruth + Kenny, thank you for allowing us to be part of your wedding day! May God continue to bless you with all that life has to offer. You are loved!

xoxo, ~ Dawn + Bob

Ps: Images posted here are ones captured by Bob. I'm sure you will find some amazing ones on Ray + Veronica's blog as well.

Meet Jorie + Joel. What's not to love about a cute couple who is up for a super fun engagement session?!!! They wanted a smokey jazz club 1960's Mad Men feel where people know how to relax with style and enjoy and cocktail with their significant other and Green Mill was a perfect location. I love the images Bob captured from their shoot. A big thank you to Marcy Glink of Great Event for introducing us to Jorie + Joel and their family. We can't wait to see the beauty you create fo their wedding day!!!