Firstly, we’ve moved! I am now based out of Chicago (ok, ok, Schaumburg, but hey, its close enough!), which is where I lived for almost 4 years before my very short stint in Madison when I got married and decided it was a good idea to live with my husband =p. Anyway, Paul found a new job, and is working in the suburbs of Chicago, so we packed our bags and moved back to the land of Lincoln!
The move distracted me a little from finishing up Traci & Charlie’s wedding photos, but hey they’re DONE! Woohoo! This post is going to be a little different than other wedding posts I’ve done in the past. Rather than posting a handful of just the best pictures that are quick snapshots of the day, I wanted this series to have a flow, tell a bit of a story (without bombarding you with a gazillion pics), and give you an idea of where I am and what I shoot during the day.
My typical day usually starts a couple of hours before the ceremony, where I hang out with the bride to take some getting ready pics, yummy shots of rings, dresses, flowers, and a few portraits of the bride once she’s dressed. Then, I focus my attention on the ceremony site, before it gets occupied with guests.
During the ceremony, my must have moments to capture — expressions on parents, grandparents, groom as he’s waiting for his soon-to-be wife, the wedding party filing in, and of course, the B&G as they are saying their vows. After the ceremony and before the reception is usually time for group pictures. I always try to set aside three chunks of time – wedding party, family and B&G alone. B&G is usually last, if I can help it, because the sun is low and gorgeous later in the day.
Lastly, at the reception, I always go straight to the cake before it gets devoured, and shots of place settings and the head table before everyone gets seated. Then I just go with the flow, depending on the agenda for the night, for shots of cake cutting, dances, etc. Before I call it a night, I always politely ask the B&G for a few minutes of time for my “finishing shots”. I use these for the back of the album, or the end of a slideshow, to top everything off…sort of an “ending.”
This was a wedding held at the House on the Rock Resort. After the ceremony, the wedding party took off to the attraction rooms (namely the Infinity Room and the Carousel Room), both of which were lighting challenges in terms of photography..but hey, I love a good challenge!
Enjoy!
The pros who made this happen:
Venue Coordinator: House on the Rock (Sarah Bartash – sarahb@thehouseontherock.com)
Flowers: B-Style Florist (www.bstylefloral.com/)
Entertainment: Rock the House Entertainment (www.rthgroup.com)
Contact me (wen@wenphotos.com / 312.436.2221) | View My Portfolio
