Melissa and Jeff’s Starved Rock Wedding

Today (well technically yesterday) was Melissa and Jeff’s wedding. They got married at Starved Rock, one of my favorite venues. Unfortunately, it had rained for the previous several days and the ground was too soft for an outdoor wedding. But it was onto plan “B” and everybody had a great time. Here are some photos from the wedding.

Unique ring photo from Melissa and Jeff's Starved Rock Wedding

Another Wedding Photo taken at Starved Rock State Park

Bridesmaids flower photo taken during at Starved Rock wedding

Photograph of the Starved Rock lodge headtable setup for a Wedding

Golden Apple Foundation at Staved Rock

I spent the day at Starved Rock. Yes, I know that its Tuesday, not a typical day for a wedding. But I didn’t have a wedding today. It was one of my rare commercial shoots. This week, Starved Rock is hosting a teacher conference being hosted by the Golden Apple Foundation. The Golden Apple Foundation was formed to foster educator excellence in Illinois. They hired me to spend the day photographing two different workshops being taught to teachers at Starved Rock.

One group was Science Teachers and the other was Art Teachers. Talk about a right brain vs. left brain difference in the rooms. The Art room was total chaos while the science room was orderly. The scientists were quiet while the artists were boisterous. I could go on but you get the idea. All in all it was a fun to have a different type of event to photograph. To top it off, I did get a chance to see my friends, who work at Starved Rock.

Incredible Weekend

This weekend actually started out on Thursday with an engagement session for Shannon and Derrick. They will be getting married in October. We met for their engagement session and went to the Village Green at Stone Prarie. It was a great evening and you can tell these two are so in love. I had a great time photographing them.

We started a little before sunset. There was a quarter or a half moon in the evening sky which added to the romance of the evening. Looking at these photos, you would never know we were in the middle of an office complex. The area was so quiet and serene that evening. Just us and the wildlife. Finally we had a nice sunset and it was time to go home.
Shannon and Derrik's Engagement Photo at Stone Prairie
A photo of Shannon and Derrik at Stone Prairie taken during their engagement session
A quiet wedding moment during engagement photo session on the trail at Stone Prairie
A sunset engagment photo of Shannon and Derrik taken at Stone Prairie

Friday I photographed Renee and Nick’s wedding. This was the first of two wedding for the weekend. It was a lot of fun. We started at Renee’s house where the women were getting ready. There were a a couple of flower girl’s who were not sure what everything was about.
Renee getting ready for her bridal photograph on her wedding day

When I got to the church, the guys were not ready. So I had some time to experiment a little bit. The church has these great stained glass windows. I wanted to see how I could use the light coming through these windows to my advantage.
Elgin Church Photo on the wedding day.
Nick's wedding day photo

After the ceremony, we went outside the church for some photos. I was lucky enough that there was a light breeze to move Renee’s veil just right for this photo! Sometimes, everything works out.
My favorite photo from Renee and Nick's wedding

Then it was off to the Sheraton Four Points for the reception. After seeing this sweet table I wanted to skip dinner and start with the deserts. I also saw something interesting, the DJ was actually using an I-pod to play prerecorded music. What ever happened to discs? Not records mind you, but CDs! I have seen some DJs use computers before but never an I-Pod.
Photo of the desert table at Nick and Renee's wedding
iPod DJ at the wedding

Saturday, I actually took some time off to celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary with my wife. I can’t believe it has been 9 years with this wonderful woman. In those 9 years, there have been several trips to Walt Disney World, 2 dogs, 3 kids and so much more! If not for her, I would not have been able to open the studio.

To celebrate our anniversary, we ate dinner at Weber’s. A couple of years ago I photographed a wedding at Weber’s in downtown Chicago. The food was great and I’ve always wanted to go back. About a year or so ago, they opened one here in Schaumburg. However, we’ve never had the opportunity to go. For our anniversary, my in-laws came and babysat our three kids so Sheryl and I could go out for dinner. It was nice to be able to eat and talk without the constant interruption from one of the three kids. All too soon the evening was over and time to go back home.

Sunday found me back at Starved Rock for another wedding. This time it was for Lauren and Joel’s wedding. These folks are such great people and so in love. Every time I met with them, you could see the love they have for each other. Believe it or not, this was my first opportunity to photograph a Jewish wedding. The bride and groom do see each other before the ceremony. I did want to provide them the opportunity for a “first look” and get the expression on Joel’s face when he saw his bride for the first time.

Following the advice provided by Cliff Mautner at our photographer’s workshop, I had Lauren stand by herself for a few minutes. Then I had Joel come to meet us. Anticipation! You can tell just from looking at the photos of Lauren that she can’t wait to see Joel. I was able to capture his expression as he rounded the corner and saw Lauren for the first time on their wedding day. Mission accomplished.

Laureen anxiously awaiting a wedding day first look at Joel.
Joel walking to meet Laureen at Starved Rock Lodge.

A little bit later, I was taking Joel’s photos when this butterfly decided to spend some time with Joel. No matter what we did, the butterfly just would not leave Joel alone. It was hyterical.

Photo of an unexpected wedding guest at Laureen and Joel's Starved Rock Wedding

Lauren and Joel’s ceremony was in the Great Hall at Starved Rock. I have never seen this place look any better. Everybody did a fabulous job decorating the place. There were so many little details that when they all came together – WOW.

Starved Rock lodge setup for a Jewish Wedding

At the reception, Joel’s thirteen year old daughter, Robin, sang “At Last” during the first dance. She sang so well that I expect to hear her on the radio or on Broadway someday. Well what is a Jewish wedding without the Hora? This was Robin’s first time being put in one of the chairs. You can see the fear on her face as she is first lifted into the air. As she feels more comfortable, her expression changes to one of excitement.
Starved Rock room first dance reception photograph
Photograph of an expected moment during the Hora.
The Hora Photo during a Jewish wedding reception at Starved Rock Lodge

Finally, it was time for Lauren’s dad’s speech. I guess he is known in the family for his speeches and everybody was waiting for the toast. Well the “confluence of influences” was quite a hit. It had everybody laughing. Some folks were laughing so hard they were crying. You just had to be there. Unfortunately, the evening came to an end about two hours before I think it should have. A great time was had by all.

Laureen and Joel's Jewish Wedding Reception at Starved Rock lodge.

Laura and Matt’s Wedding at Starved Rock

What an incredible wedding! Last Friday, I had the honor of photographing Laura and Matt’s wedding which was held at Starved Rock. Instead of using the Great Hall like many other couples do, they decided to have their ceremony at Council Rock. I’ve been to many outdoor weddings but this wedding was actually in the middle of the state park and away from everyday modern distractions. Laura and Matt met in the Peace Corps and like nature. Their wedding reflected this. Something about being in the middle of nature made the wedding special.

In a strange juxtaposition, I am currently reading “The Shelters of Stone” by Jean M. Auel which set in prehistoric era. In the book, Jondalar and Ayla have returned to Jondalar’s home which is described as being part cave and part rock overhang. I could easily imagine prehistoric cavemen once living at council rock. Ayla and Jondalar “tie the knot” on a promontory overlooking the rest of the tribe. This was much the way Laura and Matt did too!

Laura looking a her wedding cake at Starved Rock Lodge
Laura getting a sneak peek at the cake.

Laura and Matt during their wedding ceremony at Council Rock in Starved Rock State Park
Matt and Laura on the promitory overlooking the cavern during the ceremony

Photo of all the wedding guests at a Starved Rock Wedding
Everybody who attended the ceremony could fit under the overhang with plenty of room to spare!

Laura and Matt's wedding portrait taken at Starved Rock State Park
Another Wedding Photo taken at Starved Rock State Park
A quiet wedding moment on the trail at Starved Rock State Park
I’m not sure why, but the feelings of love between Matt and Laura were amplified out in the forest. It just seemed like I was intruding on something special between the two of them.
A Starved Rock Sunset wedding portrait
A beautiful sunset capped off a great day!