Schaumburg Wedding at Chandler's Banquets :: Audra & Mike

Oh, these two are in love!!! "I'm just so smitten with him," the bride whispered to me over the phone a few days before her wedding. And you only need to look at the ear-to-ear smile on her gorgeous face to know it's the truth. Audra and Mike's wedding day was filled to the brim with warmth and laughter and a spirit of real  celebration.

I think what I loved the most about this wedding was that they put their faith front-and-center. They are so committed to putting God first in their family, and I know God will honor that attitude and bless them for it.

Thanks, Audra and Mike, for inviting us to be part of your day. We're so excited to see what God has in store for the two of you. The plans are BIG, we know that for sure! :-)

To see more from their special day, watch their slideshow HERE.

Or head OVER HERE to see their gallery.

Crystal Lake family portrait :: The Ebels

October 17th must be "picture day" for this family. I realized as I was loading their images onto my hard drive that I've photographed them twice on that day, exactly two years apart. Of course, I had to go back and look at their 2008 session, and it made me smile to see how their family has grown and their lives have changed.

Here's a blast from the past:

And here are a few from this year's session:

They're so darn cute aren't they? This family is just so full of love!

Thanks, Ebels, for letting me into your lives. It's beautiful to watch your family grow.

You can watch their slideshow HERE.

Or see their previews HERE.

My baby is growing up way too fast!

Susannah is ten months old. How did that happen?

At least I have these wonderful images to remind me of just how sweet she was at this age.

click the image to view it larger

Hope you have a great weekend!

In their own West Dundee backyard :: The Stoll family

"This might be the last family portrait of just the four of us," this mama said as she and I talked over ideas for her family portrait. Before one of her boys moves away or adds a daughter-in-law to the family, she wanted one more remembrance of their foursome.

Thank you, Stoll family, for inviting me to preserve this very unique time in your family's life. 

To see more images from their session, click HERE to watch a slideshow.

Or go HERE to see their proof gallery.

A fairytale wedding at Palatine's Immanuel Lutheran Church :: Stephanie & Kevin

I've been keeping tabs on Stephanie for about five years now. Her dad is my dentist (the best in Chicago!), and when Stephanie decided to go to college at my alma matter (go Calvin!) it meant I got an update on her studies with each cleaning. She's joined me in the ranks of Calvin Alumni now, and it was my privilege to photograph her beautiful wedding to her high school sweetheart, Kevin. These two make one dynamite couple, and their genuine care for each other is so evident. Remember the little sneek peek I gave you in this post?  Here's a few more of their very special day...

Thanks, Stephanie and Kevin, for letting us be part of your wedding day! We had an amazing time, and I'm looking forward to future updates on you two each time I go to the dentist. :-)

To see more in a slideshow, click HERE.

Or visit their full gallery HERE.

In my Elgin studio :: the Busch children

Oh, my! These kiddos are BEE-You-TEE-Ful! I just love how their blond hair and freckles looked in all that white. Their mama has been dreaming about having these images made for a long time, and she and I both got excited as we saw here dreams turn into a reality on picture day. The very next day brought a trip to the dentist to get braces on for big brother, so this was one last opportunity to capture his pearly whites pre-metal-mouth. :-)

Have you ever seen a better looking trio?

One very handsome big brother...

and his sweet little sisters!

This one is my very favorite from the session. Mom says they agreed ahead of time that reading was something they all like to do, so we worked that into a portrait.

They just look so angelic! See more of their session HERE.

Thanks, Busch family, for spending an afternoon with me. Hope you had as much fun as I did!!

A super tiny sneek peek of this gorgeous Makray Memorial Golf Club wedding :: Stephanie & Kevin

Stephanie & Kevin's wedding was breathtakingly beautiful. I'm working with the images today, and can't resist sharing just a few.

More to come later this week! See you then!!