After being on a blog hiatus for almost one year – I’ve designed a new blog and can’t wait to get you caught up!  To celebrate I’m conducting a FANTASTIC CONTEST for my 2010 couples.  Whoever wins will receive my BRAND NEW 24″ x 18″ Couture Wall Art…it’s so new that I don’t even have my sample yet!  This Couture Wall Art will be added it to my ala carte pricing next month.  I can’t wait to find out who my lucky couple will be!

To make it fair…here are the RULES:  You can vote everyday…but only once a day.  Anyone can vote – so email your friends and family and make sure they get in on this!  Voting will end January 23, 2011 at 10pm MST.  In case of a tie, each couple will receive a custom 24″ x 18″ Couture Wall Art.

LET THE PARTY BEGIN!

1. Mary and Dave:  This was my first wedding of 2010 in March.  Mary and Dave are such a fabulous couple!  Their wedding was at the beautiful and historic Alice Millar Chapel in Evanston, IL and the reception at Chicago’s Scoozi restaurant. Mary and Dave are both professional opera singers…Soprano and Bass I believe (M&D correct me if I’m wrong!). One of my favorite memories of them was during their engagement portrait session at Millenium Park when Mary sang some opera for me! It was amazing!

2. Bridget and Scott: What a beautiful couple! I loved Bridget the first day I met her – and was so excited to be chosen as their photographer. They were married at her family’s church St. Phillips in Addison, IL. Their party took place at Hilton Chicago Indian Lakes Resort in Bloomingdale. It was so awesome, it felt like we were in a rustic mountain lodge.

3. Gauri and Fabian: One of my favs for the year. Gauri is Indian and Fabian is Jamaican – which made the celebration something else! They had two ceremonies – hindu and then christian both held at the Chinmaya Mission in Willowbrook, IL. Then we were off to the hugemongous Stonegate in Hoffman Estates. This was the most colorful wedding of the year! Besides beautifully decorated Sari’s on Gauri’s side, Fabian’s family were all dressed in gowns of every bright color imaginable!

4. Margaret and Dave: Margaret and Dave were married at her parents home in Glencoe, IL. The property is so beautiful with a ravine, a forest and unbelievable landscaping. Because they live in Oregon now, I met Margaret and Dave minutes before the ceremony…immediately I could see how connected they were. I had a fantastic time celebrating with them! One of the highlights of my wedding season was when Dave’s father tap danced for the guests!

5. Antonia and Sean: Elegance was written all over this wedding. From the first day I met Antonia and Sean – I knew they’d settle for nothing but the best…and that’s what their wedding was! Absolutely beautiful!!! The ceremony was at her family’s church in Wilmette, IL (just blocks from my old studio) at St. Joesph. After that we went to the Bahai Temple for bridal party photos and then to Wilmette’s Gillson Beach for some of just Antonia and Sean. Their reception took place at the Hotel Orrington in Evanston. It was a hard to choose my favorite image…but I love the rainbow over Lake Michigan in this one.

6. Monica and Erich: Another outstanding wedding! I have the best couples I work with – Monica and Erich are some of the best! Their ceremony was held at the Church of St. Mary in Lake Forest, IL with the celebration at the historic Deerpath Inn. I chose this image because they moved from DC to Chicago this summer…thought this one from the Lake Forest Train Station was the best!

7. Natalie and Dan: I met Dan and Natalie the first time during our consultation at my studio – I offered them tea and we talked for almost 3 hours! It was so comfortable – it was meant to be! Their ceremony and reception both took place in Evanston, IL at the Hotel Orrington. They are the sweetest couple and so romantic…just like this image.

8. Amy and DJ: When I lived in Chicago, I LOVED coming back to Colorado for weddings! When Amy and DJ booked me – neither of us knew I’d be living here when their wedding came around! (More on moving home to Colorado another day!) Amy has been a friend of mine for a long time – it was an honor to photograph her very special day. The best story between these two is that they were high school sweethearts…reunited only years later to be married. During the wedding they had a slideshow playing – they not only had recent photos of them together, they also had some from before like when they went to prom together. They were married at the beautiful Pinehurst Country Club in Denver, CO with their reception immediately following. I chose this image because it shows how much DJ loves her!

9. Amitha and Ramu: During their engagement portrait session, we hung out at Park Grill on The Plaza in Millenium Park waiting for the sun to go down so we could get some night light images. We had great conversation over some cold ones and I knew we’d have tons of fun at their wedding. The ceremony and reception were both at The Renaissance Hotel in Schaumburg, IL. The ceremony was the most ornate Hindu ceremony I’ve ever witnessed. It was incredible – Ramu looked like King and Amitha was so beautiful. We took pictures around the hotel and this was one of my favs…this was also their third outfit for day! The artwork on the wall was so vibrant – perfect for their evening.

10. Kara and Chad: Kara & Chad had a fantastic wedding at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL. One of the most beautiful locations in Chicago! Kara didn’t realize…but the limo driver made a wrong turn and we had to go throughout the park because we were on a one way. Well this took us about 15 minutes – which we did not plan for – however, I was following them and the drive was really beautiful…Fall in Chicago – I was content!

11. Rebecca and Jason: I met Jason’s mother Marshelle when I was a member of the Wilmette Chamber of Commerce. I was thrilled when she told me Jason and Rebecca wanted me to photograph their wedding. It was a dream wedding to end my season with. It was a Sunday brunch held at the Armour House on the Lake Forest Academy campus in Lake Forest, IL. After brunch, they played some Bocce on the back lawn. This image is my absolute favorite from the entire day. It sets the scene perfectly.

So these are my favorite images from my 2010 weddings. Please take a moment and vote for your favorite image so one of these lucky couples can win! Voting end on January 23, 2011 at 10pm MST.