Alexia and Eric are the sweetest high school sweethearts. Our conversations were mostly over the phone since they live in California. However, their wedding was going to be here in Chicago, which is where they are originally from. Even though it called for all-day rain, it stopped at the perfect time and Alexia and Eric had one of the most beautiful days this spring.

My day started at the church, St. Raphael the Archangel. This church seems to be in the middle of nowhere because of all the real estate it occupies; (8-10 mins away from Gurnee Mills) it is a stunning church and land.

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Last week I joined an amazing list of Chicago wedding vendors and was honored to be able to highlight them in front of the camera.

The shoot took place at Room 1520, which is one of my favorite Chicago venues. Located in the trendy area of the Fulton Market/West Loop neighborhood of Chicago, it is a modern, bright, clean and industrial venue space featuring 4,000 square feet plus a cool rooftop skyline showcasing the Chicago skyline city views. It also has elegance and chic vibes. Room 1520 has a private glamorous bridal suite, perfect for getting ready photos or freshening up before the ceremony/reception. It’s a must see and you will also fall in love with this space.

The weather did not permit for the use of outdoor space on the rooftop, but this spot will not disappoint.

PS. I also fell in love with the dress we shot from Jenny Yoo in Chicago. I think it is on the top of my list for a dress for my own wedding destination vow renewal that I am starting to plan.

In the summer of 2018, we had the privilege of shooting for Brookfield Zoo. It is definitely a venue perfect for animal lovers and for the kid at heart.

Photography – Hazel + Skye (https://www.Hazelandskye.com)
Venue: Brookfield Zoo (https://www.czs.org/Brookfield-ZOO/Home)
Bridal Model – Emily Zamitis
Makeup Artist – Vee Rubio Makeup Artistry (https://www.facebook.com/veerubiocreations)
Hair – Mariefel Lagatuz Westa
Flowers- Kay Sordel
Jewelry – Vintage Meet Modern (https://www.vintagemeetmodern.com)
Stylist – AbbyBella Couture (https://www.etsy.com/shop/AbbyBellaCouture)
Liaison/Coordinator: Village of Riverside Commissioner (https://www.riverside.il.us) – Alexander Gallegos Read more

Laura and Kevin’s first look and bridal portraits needed a blog of its own. I always recommend the first look to be somewhere that is special for you both. For this couple, it was the corridor at their condo building in the Chicago neighborhood of Logan Square. You see, they met at a Christmas party in their condo building where they were neighbors. Laura was hosting the party and they had their pivotal, ice-breaking conversation. Kevin took some leftovers home and texted Laura how much he loved the food. The rest is sort of history!

The hard rain held off most of their big day, at least enough for the outdoor first look and the bridal portraits before the ceremony. Now, there is no rule of where in the timeline to take bride and groom portraits. However, my personal favorite is before everything starts. That’s the point where everything kind of shifts into high speed. Thus, taking a moment for the portraits before allows for that calm and private moment for the couple. Then the couple is ready and excited to welcome their guests for the rest of the day, without missing a beat.

So, for bridals, we stopped at Welles Park in Chicago. It was the perfect spot! A few minutes away from the ceremony and with the perfect Gazebo to shelter for the rain. I had so much fun with these two, they are a total sweetheart of a couple. Enjoy! Read more

I had looked forward to Laura and Kevin’s wedding from the moment I spoke with Laura. There is no way to narrow down the many images that I want to share from this day, so I am going to do it in two blogs. This first part of their wedding is from their wedding day preparations at their condo. My wonderful second, Beth, was with the guys, while I was with Laura.

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