WEDDING SERVICES - VENUE - PHOTOGRAPHY - ELOPEMENTS - ALBUMS
The wedding party "jump" is a classic fun portrait to do, especially with a larger wedding party lined up and jumping in perfect timing. We worked with the monochromatic details to give this portrait a bit more creative flair for this wedding party jump portrait. It worked out nicely with the orange barn, golden sunest sky, and burnt orange bridesmaid dresses at Jenny and Patrick's wedding in Glen Ellyn over the weekend.
Chicago wedding photographers Wedding Creativo Photography is located downtown, so of course many of our couples love to go to sites with skyline views for their portraits. Here are some of our recent favorite wedding pictures with beautiful Chicago skyline views.
When a wedding is the first one for any family it is usually extra emotional. Moms are often just as nervous as their daughters. You might even see dad shed some tears. These families were indeed filled with butterflies and excitement for the bride and groom on their special day. It was adorable to see Jamie's father so expressive with emotion, and it is always wonderful to see parents so involved and attentive on the wedding day.
Jamie and David held their wedding at Saint Cajetan Church and reception at Harold Washington Library. Natural beauty was abound with lovely greens and vintage details to set the tone for their grand celebration.
The bride wore a spectacular Lazaro gown and statement heels from Stuart Weitzman. The reception had a wonderful balance of elegance with rustic vintage accents. A few items were made by the bride, or special collected pieces including the cute Mr. and Mrs. chair signs.
What we always remember most at all weddings are the unique spontaneous moments, and at this one...they were filled with songs. Read on below to see how Jamie and David's wedding day was at times like a real-life musical with many people spontaneously breaking out into song.
© Wedding Creativo Photography
Jamie and David invited former American Idol contestant Chris Medina to their wedding and he sang at their ceremony!
As it turned out a lot of people (and a bird) were inspired to sing for Jamie and David. They enjoyed not one but two spontanous group serenades in the park while we were out taking portraits. 
Finally, the happy couple were treated to one more surprise song at the reception, this time by their bridal party!
Featured event professionals: Steuber Florist, Naples Bakery, Tone Productions DJ, Exquisite Limousine, Formally Modern Tuxedo, Bella Bianca Bridal, Wedding Creativo Photography.
Attention wedding shoppers...be sure to bring loads of fun on your big day!
© Wedding Creativo Photography
With all of the months (often well over a year) of hard work involved with planning your wedding, it is easy to become overwhelmed with the process and forget that this whole thing is about having a special celebration with your sweetheart and all of your favorite people in the world.
We always tell couples, no matter what, just have fun. Marissa and Alex were great at espousing this attitude. Drenching thunderstorms rolled through right at the time we were scheduled to head out to the park for their bridal party and family portraits. While we waited out the storm (and on the way to plan B), the couple decided to make a stop at a store for some quick refreshments. Let's just say we all got swept away with having way more fun than anyone should have in a supermarket. But, the bottom line, they didn't let the storms ruin their wedding day fun.
Expect the unexpected, and often when we improvise off of the planned schedule it can be one of the most memorable parts of the day.
Essentials for the wedding day survival bag: bandages. Without fail every wedding needs them. If you do love shoe fashions, regardless of the pain, check out our post from earlier this week on 2011 wedding shoe trends.
© Wedding Creativo Photography
Congratulations to newlyweds Vicky and David. Here is a sneak peek from their vintage style Chicago wedding.
© Wedding Creativo Photography
We always try and keep the portrait portions of the wedding day as painless and stress-free as possible. But some days, especially hot summer days, it can be a challenge for bridal parties to muster up the energy and enthusiasm during the portrait time.
It is never a good idea to be overly ambitious in the limited time frame we have for portraits on any wedding day, but especially not when when temperatures are soaring and bridal party patience can be limited. With a good and realistic game plan in place, we are able to do plenty of creative as well as traditional portraits at a relaxed pace and also keep stress levels down. We work with each couple well in advance of the wedding to come up with specific ideas, but also tips specific to the time of the year. For example, for summer weddings, it is also a good idea to have plenty of water and a few salty snacks available on the trolley (or other transportation) to help replenish folks after the portraits are finished. The best transportation companies always provide water and other drinks, but it doesn't hurt to grab a few extra bottles, some salty nuts or other snacks, and even a roll of paper towels to throw in for good measure.
Finding unique and creative perspectives is what Wedding Creativo Photography is all about. Moments like this aren't going to be on any "shot list" that magazines suggest brides send to their photographers.
The thing about "shot lists" is that they originated during a time when digital photography didn't exist. Back in the day, when photographers only shot with traditional film, there was a very limited number of exposures available to cover the entire day. Generally about 250-350 pictures used to be the norm. Shot lists were requested by the photographer so s/he would know the couple's preferences and priorities, but not because photographers didn't know the specific moments to anticipate throughout the wedding day.
Today some wedding magazines and blogs still have articles that seem to imply that if brides don't provide photographers with a shot list that they will be clueless and miss all of your important moments. Thinking this through, especially when couples hire more experienced photographers, it seems a bit silly. We don't go to the dentist with a list of which teeth we would like to have routine cleaning, and for the most part, the shot lists that the magazines and blogs write about are usually the most routine parts of a wedding day that any photographer, with even a few years of experience, will have captured dozens or even hundreds of times.
What is helpful is to just communicate with your photographer about general and specific ideas and preferences that you have. While the logistics of most wedding days are pretty similar from one to the next, what is different is how each couple prefers to have the day covered. You might not even know yet if you want a more stylized approach or less-intrusive approach, how much time to dedicate to portraits, or when and where you would like to have them take place. In one way, couples may find it helpful to review a traditional shot list while planning to have a better idea of what photographrers generally look for thorouhout the day, but experienced photographers will also help guide couples along the way with any specifics.
Each photographer has their own way to work with couples. Here at Wedding Creativo, we even have a special detailed questionnaire that we use to help with the communication process. But even just discussing creative ideas and preferences during the planning phase will be a lot more beneficial to do with your photographer rather than giving him/her a check list of typical wedding day moments like "the kiss" or "the cake cutting." For the more creative moments, you can rely on the skills and creative talents of your photographer, who is ideally someone you should feel comfortable exchanging ideas with. Overall, as with all aspects of wedding planning, communication is key.
Kyle and Steffanie recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary, (congratulations you two!) and to commemorate the special day, Kyle contacted us about a month in advance about making a special print for his lovely wife.
Instead of a traditional wedding day portrait he picked out a small special moment that meant a lot to Steffanie. You see, while she was getting ready on her wedding morning, this cute monarch butterfly landed on the window right in front of her. It sat there for a few minutes giving her a big smile while she was getting her hair and makeup done. It was a magic moment for her, and thankfully the little guy stayed on the window long enough for us to catch him grinning.
The best part about this story is that Steffanie contacted us a few weeks later wanting to order this same picture! We had to come up with an elaborate rouse to try and stall her to not spoil Kyle's surprise, which I knew was going to be disappointing at the time, but that soon enough her husband was going to get lots of kisses on their anniversary and that she would understand what the deal was. We all had a great laugh, and most of all, it was great to see how these newlyweds were so in tune with each other's heartstrings.
It is always wonderful when something unexpected happens to make a wedding day all the more special, and these little surprise moments are sometimes the things that people remember most about their day. It is a great idea to have something like this as a unique way to look back on the wedding, and makes for a fantastic anniversary gift!
