Whitney and Micah unknowingly choose the hottest day of the year to get married- but boy did they do it in style!

I am enamored with wedding shoes and with the new trend of choosing a bold color. Whitney chose bright pink stilettos- and I loved photographing them (and I think she loved wearing them until I made her traipse about downtown Peoria in them- Whitney I owe you some Band-Aids! But, I hope you'll think it was worth it).

I think the highlight of Micah's day was making love to the Cat tractor (well, maybe not the biggest highlight of the day- but it was definitely up there!). Micah is a Cat man, and we were lucky enough to have construction going on outside the church. He had his eye on the Cat tractor at the rehearsal, and on Saturday, we discovered they had a family hookup- we were allowed to get some great photos for Micah.

We will miss you both, and hope you have safely arrived at your new San Diego home. We have really enjoyed working with you, and hope you will enjoy your sneak preview images. Please click here to see a few more.

We had the honor of photographing another amazing wedding this weekend. Becky and Jason may have picked the most beautiful day of the year to get married. August 16 is a special day for Todd and me, as we had our first date on that day nine years ago (wow- time flies!). It was such a joy for us to see two people so well matched for each other get married on that date. I believe Becky's parents were also celebrating their anniversary that day, so lots of love all around on August 16. Todd and I were so excited about some of the bridal images we got of Becky, and it only got better once we had the whole bridal party together. I think, for me, the coolest part of the evening was when Jason's parents asked me to photograph 5 generations! Check out those red socks! Here are a few of our favorites so far, and you can see a few more sneak preview images, by clicking here.

Can you believe the weather we're having!?! I never would have believed that our August weddings would have the most beautiful weather of the year! I guess Stephanie and Jimmy planned on having good luck for their 08-08-08 wedding. This couple is one of the most entertaining that we have ever photographed. We had such a good time photographing their engagement session a few months back. They were fearless (Jimmy even bled for us in their e-session!), and we weren't sure we could keep up with their amazing energy! Their wedding was no different, except for a few perfectly normal wedding day jitters. Once they were together, I believe they thoroughly enjoyed their perfect day.

I loved that they chose to have an evening ceremony in the Luthy Botanical Gardens. The light was so beautiful! It was such a gorgeous ceremony! Here are some of our favorites so far. To see a sneak preview slideshow of a few more of their wedding day images, please click here.

Many congratulations to Chris and Adrienne who were married Saturday in a lovely outdoor ceremony at Luthy Botanical Gardens, and celebrated with a reception at the Par-A-Dice Hotel. Adrienne was positively radiant- I don't think I've ever witnessed a bride so excited to get married! Throughout the morning, she could hardly contain herself and kept asking everyone who may have had a glimpse of Chris that morning how he looked, and each person responded with an enthusiastic- "he looks GOOD!" Even the threat of rain didn't daunt her. I'm fairly certain Chris was just as excited, even though men can hold it together a little better than we women do! I think they were destined to have a perfect wedding day, as the clouds parted just as Adrienne finished getting ready, and the threat of rain went away so that they could have the beautiful garden wedding they had been dreaming of.

Since they were having a garden wedding, they chose to see each other in a First Meeting session in a more urban environment, and it was such a great moment as Adrienne entered the alley to see Chris for the first time with all of her family and wedding party behind her. There were probably twenty people all crammed into the alley, but I'm pretty sure Adrienne and Chris didn't notice anything but each other. We continued on with a super-fun session in the Warehouse District downtown, and seemingly quiet Adrienne came out of her shell in a big way! I'm pretty sure there's a super model in there somewhere dying to come out. Either that or she just watches too much Project Runway (which she did with her mom and sister-in-law that morning!) Chris and Adrienne were so much fun and so down to earth, we could have gone on forever, but we were all sweating so much from the crazy hot and humid weather we've been having, so we decided to head off to the gardens to get ready for the ceremony.

Adrienne had warned me that her dad was a little bit of a crybaby (her words, not mine- sorry Pat!), and that he was a pretty sure bet for a few tears as he gave her away. Sure enough, their walk down the aisle was an emotional event, not to mention breathtaking. The Woodland Garden where they chose to have their ceremony provided an amazing backdrop. It was clear they were surrounded by lots of love- I could sense nothing else from all of the friends and family in attendance.

They danced the night away with a very classy reception held at the Par-A-Dice Hotel, who always put on a great event. I have no doubt Chris and Adrienne will live happily ever after!

To see a sneak preview of some of their wedding day images, please click here.

Congratulations to Amy and Taylor who were married in Peoria on Saturday. It was an emotional day, Amy and Taylor go way back (they met in grade school). Both were the first in their respective immediate families to get married, so lots of tears were shed, but there was lots of laughter as well. One of my favorite images of my photographic career so far came from this wedding (#3 here). A little before the ceremony, we had taken some bridal portraits of Amy in the beautiful church courtyard- Amy was a trooper, but it was sooo hot. I came back into the girls' dressing room to find Amy's bridesmaids helping her cool off with a fan under her gown! I think every girl dreams that being a bride is all about beauty and glamour, but having also been a bride (on a 90 degree June day), I also know the reality of being a bride can be far from glamorous! Those dresses are so hot, and I would have given anything for somebody to put a fan up my dress! I just love Amy's expression (even though I know you hate pictures of yourself laughing, Amy, I hope you'll forgive me and will enjoy this one!).

Even though it had threatened rain all day, and it did sprinkle a little, it ended up being a great day. We really enjoyed the photography session in Bradley Park. They were such a fun group, and it made our job super easy. I hope all of you had as much fun as we did!

To see a sneak preview slideshow of more of Amy and Taylor's images, please click here.

Lauren and Steven celebrated their marriage in a breathtaking ceremony at the Patrick C. Haley mansion in Joliet on Sunday. The mansion was amazing, with so many photographic possibilities it made our heads spin, but nothing could outshine Lauren's beauty or the love that exuded from this couple and their families and friends. Like every wedding, our day started early in the morning when the guys are usually still in bed, and the girls begin their prepartions for the day. I knew we were going to have a good day when we watched Lauren and her dad and brother chatting, and mostly joking over breakfast. Lauren is the only girl in her family, and I could tell she holds a special place in her dad's heart. When I was younger, I used to get quite emotional over weddings, but now that I am a photographer, and I am a part of a wedding ceremony pretty much every weekend, it takes quite a bit to move me. However, during the processional as Lauren and her father were left alone, standing at the door waiting to walk down the aisle together, I watched her dad start to tear up, and as they walked together they were both so emotional, i'm not sure that there was a dry eye in the crowd (not even mine). Lauren and Steven had a lovely ceremony and reception. The toasts given by all of the brothers (of both the bride and the groom), were definitely high points, it sounds like both Lauren and Steven had a whole lot of fun growing up. Thanks to you both for having us be a part of your day. Enjoy your 12 days of paradise!

Photographically speaking, Todd and I were thrilled with some of the images we were able to capture from this gorgeous wedding. To see a sneak preview, please click here.

Yesterday was our first experience photographing a wedding a Kickapoo Creek Winery. It was absolutely enchanting, and the perfect setting for the marriage (and also the engagement) of Elizabeth and Nate. I loved that they chose to have their first meeting photographed at the exact same location where they were engaged. Everything was peaceful and went off without a hitch (except for a brief, but dramatic afternoon thunderstorm just before their ceremony). Elizabeth and Nate were gorgeous, and elegant, and everything a couple could wish to be on their wedding day. To see a sneak preview of their wedding day images, please click here.

Cherie and Brendan were married Saturday in Peoria. They had a gorgeous day for a wedding, starting with their first meeting on the riverfront., and followed by a beautiful ceremony at the church on Grandview Drive, and an intimate reception at the Peoria Country Club. They had the coolest little getaway car (Brendan's Porsche Spyder) ever! We also had the privilege of photographing at Brendan's family's home on Grandview Drive, which is absolutely beautiful, and also happens to be where he proposed to Cherie (on the balcony). We wish you both all the best! To see a sneak preview slideshow of their images, please click here.

We were honored to be a part of Brooke and John's wedding celebration on Sunday, which was, of course, Father's Day. I think it was a very meaningful day for both of their fathers, as John's father gave their wedding message, and Brooke's father gave her away- it was an emotional day, to say the least! But what loving families they both have, and we loved working with them all. We had a great pre-wedding session in downtown Peoria, where Brooke and John choose to have their First Meeting. I just loved Brooke's choice of mustard yellow and brown as her colors- something I haven't seen before, but I thought it was a really striking combination. Plus, the bridesmaids had the coolest shoes! Check it all out by clicking here to see their sneak preview slideshow.

Best wishes go out to Valerie and Bryan, married only hours ago in Pekin. Valerie had demanded either snow or sun for her June wedding day, and despite early rainstorms, she got what she asked for- but she forgot to ask for cool temperatures! Even though we endured crazy heat, it was a beautiful day, and they had a beautiful wedding, complete with lots of personal touches, and a wild and crazy wedding party! Valerie is simply gorgeous, and we are so excited about some of her bridal images. We think the two of them are adorable! To check out a sneak-preview slideshow, please click here.

Molly and Brandon had an absolutely perfect day for their wedding. This sweet, young couple were married at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Eureka on Saturday. We loved the gorgeous stained glass windows there. Molly was such a pretty bride! They decided to get all of their formal photography out of the way prior to their ceremony, so we had plenty of time to do a fun location session with the newlyweds and their wedding party in downtown Peoria. To check out a sneak preview of some of the images from their day, please click here.

Memorial Day weekend for us officially kicked off wedding season in a big way! We had the privilege of photographing two beautiful weddings this weekend, one in Decatur, IL and one in Hermann, MO (an adorable little German town in cetnral Missouri). We weren't sure how we would hold up with all of the travelling and minimal sleep, but it was totally worth it, and we had an amazing weekend photographing two wonderful couples!

Congratulations to Matt and Cathy who were married in Decatur on Saturday, and who are now relaxing on the beach in Maui! Cathy and her mother planned a spectacular event- we were in awe at all of the details. The reception was held at the Decatur Club, with floral arrangements by Heaven on Earth, and was absolutely gorgeous! Matt and Cathy are so in love, and are so much fun- and so are all of their family and friends.

Matt and Cathy, we count ourselves fortunate to have met you both- we truly enjoyed working with you and wish you all the best. We hope you are having the time of your lives in Maui right now!

Please click here to see a sneak preview slideshow of some of their images. The full set will be posted in a few weeks.