I'm grounded :(

I have grounded myself from blogging until I finish editing all the proofs from one of my weddings. I have a feeling tonight may be a late one. Sleep is overrated, right?

Here is a sneak peek of some sessions I can not wait to share with you:

The "Mindertwins":

A formal family portrait session:

One happy little guy:

And another beautiful bride:

All coming soon....

Run Forrest, Run.

I am so used to shooting little girls, so I was really looking forward to shooting Tyler. I brought him a special surprise and thought to myself, "He will love this, and he will love me, and we are going to be BFF's."

Well, it didn't exactly go down like that ;) I tend to be on the more optimistic side of life. I think it drives Chad crazy about me. He says he is a realist...but I say he's a pessimist. Boo.

Anyhoo, Tyler and I got off to a little rough start, i.e. him running away from me and not wanting anything to do with my cute, little Radio Flyer tricycle I brought for him to ride on. I had visions of Tyler riding down the sidewalk on the tricycle, laughing, smiling, birds chirping, the sun shining. Well, I did eventually make my vision come to life, but not before I had to pull out the big guns: Cookie bribery. Thank you Hahn's Bakery for being there for us!

Hmm, decisions, decisions...

mmm, yes please...

We settled on a baseball cookie.

He even shared with mom ;)

cookie crumbs.

Then Tyler got lucky and got to play in the Geneva Police Jeep and turn on the lights and siren.

I think he decided I was alright...he gave me a little eye contact...sort of.

Tyler, thank you for bringing me back to reality, sweet cheeks.

There was a second shooter...

From the grassy knoll...well, I don't know for a fact if there was or there wasn't...let's not get in to any conspiracy theories. But if you ever get a chance to visit the "grassy knoll" in Dallas, I suggest you do. However, I digress again.

Back to the business at hand. I was given the awesome opportunity to be a second shooter for Faye a few weeks ago at a wedding with some British flair. I was really looking forward to not being in charge and just going with the flow. It gave me the freedom to shoot lots of fun details and do lots of observing. Meanwhile, a pregnant Faye was working her tail off to make Julie & Huw's wedding super special.

Pregnant? Did I not mention this before? Yes, Faye is pregnant...with identical TWINS! Congrats to Faye. She is due around Christmas.

Faye and the bride, Julie, were best buds in their college days at Purdue University.

I tried to be a good assistant, but sometimes I would be enjoying observing and taking in the day a little too much. I would get a little distracted...like when I should have been fluffing Julie's dress during formal photos or when we went to the planetarium and I was soaking in the view while I should have been shooting the bridal party ;) Faye is too nice to crack the whip, so I kept reminding myself I was working and not just there to enjoy myself (which I truly was).

How could I not enjoy myself when the bride was wearing these shoes??

Or with flowers this fabulous...

and a bride this gorgeous...

Yep, it was a great day.

The Ringbearer, Jack, from England was my little buddy.

There was no air conditioning at the 100 year old church in Logan Square. It was pretty warm in there.

Huw and Julie met while she studied abroad in college. He is a Welshman through and through. All 6' 7" of him!

I am sure you are familiar with the British tradition of the big hats at weddings...well these women didn't disappoint.

However, also making an appearance...the FASCINATOR that I mentioned in my last wedding post :) which some British women are choosing to wear in place of the big hat.

As I mentioned earlier, Faye's and my roles were reversed for this wedding. It made the day fun and exciting as I got to shoot the things I normally don't get to see.

Like the processional...

or the front view of bride being escorted down the aisle by her dad -- or the groom's first look at his beautiful bride coming up the aisle.

The emotion during these moments are electric...and incredibly nerve wracking!

Julie is just as short as Huw is tall ;) I can relate to that.

I also got the chance to explore this old church and find the back stairways and secret passages.

Faye usually has groomsmen duty, so it was fun for me to have a change of pace and get to harass the guys for a while.

But nothing could keep me away from these shoes.

The images of the reception at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago speak for themselves. It was unbelievably remarkable.

Jack, being the little Brit boy that he is, was amazed by the ice in his glass water.

A few candid shots while Julie had her bustle buttoned.

The buttons on her bouquet were from her grandmother's wedding dress. How cool is that?

Why do I love it so much when there is a menu?

The live music during the cocktail hour was provided my husband and wife duo Jason & Sherri Deroche of Ten Strings.

Julie is a huge Beatles fan, so one of Huw's good friends sang "In My Life" during their first dance. He was accompanied by Jason Deroche of Ten Strings.

It is always so fun to see a bride come together with her parents on the dance floor at the end of the night to celebrate such a wonderful day and to let loose.

Congrats Julie & Huw! Thank you Faye for the opportunity to shoot such a fab wedding with you. Looking forward to many more to come!