Erin & Joe’s Perfect Victoria in the Park Wedding

Erin and Joe's love story began in college at the University of Illinois, where they were both involved in club sports — Erin in volleyball and Joey in soccer. Their paths crossed at a charity soccer game organized by Joey, and they soon found themselves spending a lot of time together in group settings thanks to their shared circle of friends. As the spring semester of their junior year rolled around, Joey decided to take the next step and asked Erin out on a date. Their connection grew stronger over the months and soon they officially became a couple.

Fast forward six years – after a long day of teaching and coaching, Erin was looking forward to celebrating their 6th anniversary at one of their favorite restaurants. Little did she know that Joey had something extraordinary in store. He surprised her with six dozen roses to mark their six years together. And then, in a moment filled with happiness and tears (by Erin, of course), Joey got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. Overwhelmed with emotion, Erin joyfully said yes!

Conrad loved getting to know Erin and Joe at their beautiful engagement session at The Botanic Garden last Fall. Erin and Joe share a sweet connection – he brings out her playful side and it was a joy to be in the presence of their love. When their wedding day arrived we were all so excited to celebrate with this wonderful couple! It was a HOT day in late June and we were thankful for the air conditioning and natural light from the big beautiful windows at Victoria in the Park, we had the opportunity to take most of our photos inside that day!!

When we arrived the girls were in great spirits as they were glammed up by Sophia DeFrancesco’s amazing hair and makeup team. Erin looked radiant and it was SO cute to see her bridesmaids reactions when she first put on her gorgeous wedding dress! Then Erin walked down Victoria in the Park’s beautiful curved staircase to see Joey for the first time as a bride, their first look was such a sweet and special moment. We took lots of fun photos of Erin and Joe and their friends and family on those stairs before sneaking outside for just a few (hot!) shots before their ceremony.

After Erin and Joe’s emotional wedding ceremony we were ready to start the celebration, it was great fun being a part of this big Italian family party! Once everyone took their seats we were treated to some heartfelt toasts and Erin and Joe’s adorable first dance. Looking out the windows we could see the light changing and took the newlyweds outside for some gorgeous sunset photos. From there the party amped up thanks to Okyne Medialab, be sure to scroll all the way through to see some hilarious shots that Christy got of the flower girl and ring bearer with “fat head” cutouts of Joey on the dance floor! We love this couple and had the most amazing time celebrating with them!!

Congratulations, Erin and Joe, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

To see all of Erin and Joe’s beautiful wedding photos click here

VENDOR DETAILS
PHOTOGRAPHY + VIDEOGRAPHY
Something Blue

VENUE
Victoria in the Park

FLORIST
Carousel Flowers by Shamrock

HAIR + MAKEUP
Sophia DeFrancesco

DJ
Okyne Medialab

WEDDING CAKE + DESSERTS
Central Continental Bakery

WEDDING DRESS BOUTIQUE
Diana’s Bridal

WEDDING DRESS
Stella York

WEDDING RINGS
Luo M Jewelers

BRIDESMAID DRESSES
Azazie

MENSWEAR
Formally Modern Tuxedo

Stephanie & Will’s Sweet Metropolis Ballroom Wedding

Stephanie and Will met through mutual friends – her good friend from college is his good friend from high school. A few years after graduating college, Will moved to Chicago for work and they connected for their first date at Corridor Brewery.

As they grew closer Stephanie and Will soon moved in together, and Will proposed in their first apartment after coming home from landing his dream job. We first connected with Stephanie and Will during the pandemic, and got to know them better at their pretty engagement session at the Lincoln Park Nature Walk downtown. Stephanie’s sweetness and Will’s dry sense of humor made an impression on me, and we were really excited to celebrate their wedding at the Metropolis Ballroom in June!

Looking back, Stephanie and Will’s wedding day was truly perfect – but just as Stephanie was about to put on her gorgeous wedding gown she was told that their florist had flaked and they didn’t have wedding flowers. No bouquets, no boutonnieres, no centerpieces. In the ten years we have been shooting weddings we have NEVER experienced anything like this! We kept our composure and quietly worked with the amazing Metropolis team to mobilize a local florist to pull off something last-minute. But in the meantime, we really had to start taking wedding party photos before we ran out of time before the ceremony. Stephanie took all of the chaos in stride, it was amazing. She took a sip of champagne and pulled her shoulders back before striding outside for photos. Stephanie rocked her dress pockets and high leg slit and made the best of things, nothing was going to stop her from enjoying her wedding day! It was one of the most bad-ass things we have ever seen from a bride!

By the time we had finished with photos around downtown Arlington Heights there were bouquets and boutonnieres ready thanks to the amazing and kind team at Purple Rose Floral in Mount Prospect. Those personal floral items really do make a difference and it was amazing how beautiful everything looked from Purple Rose even though they had absolutely zero advanced warning, we were SO grateful that they stepped in to help out!!

At the start of their reception Stephanie and Will gave a speech to thank their guests, and Stephanie had already planned to talk about how all of the details that go into a wedding day don’t really matter. Her words hit even harder after what had transpired during their wedding day – but in the end, all that mattered was that Stephanie and Will said “I do” and became husband and wife. It was a beautiful and perfect celebration of their love, we were truly honored to be a part of it!!

Congratulations, Stephanie and Will, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

To see all of Stephanie and Will’s beautiful wedding photos, click here

VENDOR DETAILS
PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY
Something Blue

VENUE
Metropolis Ballroom

HAIR AND MAKEUP
The Bridal Beauty Team

FLORIST
Purple Rose Floral

BRIDAL BOUTIQUE
Genevieve’s Bridal Couture

DJ
Music by Design

WEDDING RINGS
Stanley Brown Jewelist

Jackie & Ian’s Adorable Arlington Heights Wedding

We love our hometown of Arlington Heights. Every time with get to shoot a wedding here we feel comfortable and joyful, celebrating at home is one of our favorite things. Jackie grew up in Arlington Heights and her family loves it here, too.

Jackie met Ian in nursing school, and as they fell in love and it came time for Ian to propose he chose to do it right in downtown Arlington Heights on her family’s special bench in North School Park. When it came time to take Jackie and Ian’s engagement photos we stayed close to our homes and hearts and took their pictures in North School Park.

When Jackie and Ian’s wedding day finally arrived the sun was shining and there was so much excitement in the air. Christy and I had so much fun photographing this beautiful day! Jackie’s bridesmaids and Mom made her parents’ house extra pretty for their getting ready photos. We saw a number of fun paintings and art from New Orleans hanging in the house, we have SO much love for New Orleans (we could spend all of our time there, and were lucky enough to shoot a beautiful wedding in NOLA in the Spring!) Well, Jackie’s parents planned a SECOND LINE to walk her from their house to St. James, and can I just say this was one of the absolute highlights of our 2022 wedding season??! This brass band parade through my neighborhood was just the best thing, waving at neighbors while walking backwards taking pictures will be a memory I will always cherish. I already told my kids that we are doing a second line for their wedding when that day comes!!

Jackie looked so pretty in her grandma Pearl’s pearl tiara, what a sweet way to honor family with your “something old”! When she walked down the aisle to meet Ian at the alter he was visibly moved, it was such a perfect moment. After the ceremony we went back to North School Park for some photos, it was fun to be there and see friends taking pictures of their kids for homecoming!

When we arrived at The Metropolis Ballroom the space looked more gorgeous than ever thanks to the talented team at Eiffel Flowers. After some moving toasts we danced the night away to the AMAZING sounds of Standing Room Only, this band absolutely ROCKED! It was a day we will never forget.

Congratulations, Jackie and Ian, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

To see all of Jackie and Ian’s beautiful wedding photos, click here

VENDOR DETAILS
PHOTOGRAPHY
Something Blue

FLORIST
The Eiffel Flower

BRIDESMAID DRESSES
Birdy Grey

WEDDING BAND
Standing Room Only

WEDDING CAKE
Jarosch Bakery

WEDDING RINGS
Mitchell’s Jewelers

Jess & Brad’s Perfect Metropolis Ballroom Wedding

Jess and Brad met over laser tag and arcade games – nothing really came out of that night other than some shared smiles and laughs. Fast forward to a few weeks later, Jess and Brad matched on Tinder! She had never been on a Tinder date, but since they had already met, she figured why not give it a shot? They went on our first date at the Arlington Ale House (one of our favorite bars in Arlington Heights) and the rest is history!

After a couple years together Jess and Brad moved in together and welcomed their dog Leeroy to their family. Brad nervously worked up the courage to propose to Jess at the gorgeous LondonHouse in Chicago. While they both say they sort of blacked out, Jess ended up with a ring on her finger so he must have asked and she must have said yes!!

Talking with Jess and Brad leading up to their wedding day was always so relaxing and fun, we truly love this couple. They made our jobs easy by being consistently kind and down-to-earth. Jess looked radiant on her wedding day – her Essense of Australia gown fit her perfectly, it looked like it was made just for her. After some sweet getting ready moments with her girls in the Harmony Suite at the Metropolis, Jess shared an adorable first look with her Dad before heading into the Ballroom to see Brad for the first time on their wedding day. From that moment on the two of them were inseparable – each moment we spent together was filled with joy and laughter, it was truly the perfect wedding.

Congratulations, Jess and Brad, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

To see all of Jess and Brad’s beautiful wedding photos, click here

VENDOR DETAILS
PHOTOGRAPHY
Something Blue

VENUE
Metropolis Ballroom

FLOWERS
Busy B's Floral

HAIR
Emily Rae Bridal Hair

DJ
Double B Entertainment

CAKE
Lauras Kakes

Annette & Rocco’s Beautiful Chevy Chase Wedding

Annette and Rocco met on an online dating app and as they were talking she thought she recognized him from SOMEWHERE but could not pinpoint where. They later found out that Rocco was the brother of Annette's college best-friends ex-boyfriend and the brother of her other best friend. Got that??! They ended up dating for about 2 months before Rocco asked Annette to be officially be his girlfriend on Valentine's day, and the rest is history. Almost 5 years later Rocco finally proposed to Annette at a family trip in Disney World on New Years Eve. They went to take pictures in front of the castle in Magic Kingdom and as she turned to look at him to walk away he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him.

After a Covid reschedule we were all so happy when Annette and Rocco’s wedding day finally arrived. Surrounded by lots of family and good friends in their wedding party, we celebrated with lots of shots and cheers throughout the day. Rocco couldn’t take his eyes off his beautiful bride, it was so sweet to see them both so happy together. After their emotional ceremony the party kicked off in the Grand Ballroom at Chevy Chase Country Club. They treated their guests to a gelato cart, walking tacos, and pizza as the dance floor continued to celebrate the newlyweds. It was the perfect day and we were honored to be a part of it!

Congratulations, Annette and Rocco, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

To see all of Annette and Rocco’s beautiful wedding photos, click here

VENDOR DETAILS
Photography
Something Blue Photography

Wedding Dress
Brides By Young

Hair & Makeup
Jaycie Ganek
Bridesmaid Dresses
Azazie

Wedding Shoes
Kate Spade Keds

Menswear
Mens Warehouse - Vera Wang

Florist
Blue Daisy

Wedding Rings
Kay Jewelers, Neil Lane

Desserts
Lovin' Oven

DJ
Spinnin' Discs

Videographer
Vivid Visual

Jamie & Brent’s Makray Memorial and Top Golf Wedding

Jamie and Brent’s relationship has a steady foundation that withstood the test of Covid as they navigated planning and then replanning their wedding. We loved first getting to know this fun couple (and their adorable dog Stanley!) at their engagement session way back in 2019. Little did we know then what path their wedding planning would take.

When their wedding day finally arrived, the forecast called for storms ALL. DAY. We weren’t expecting to get any photos outside, but the heavens smiled down on Jamie and Brent and we managed to get lots of beautiful pictures at Makray Memorial Golf Club that day. One of our favorite moments was when Jamie surprised Brent by having their dog Stanley there, he was SO excited to see Mom and Dad and show off his little doggie tux!

Brent recently lost his father, and Jamie’s Dad passed away ten years ago this summer. They chose to honor their fathers in several beautiful ways on their wedding day, but the sweetest and most emotional was the two chairs marked as “reserved” with their Dads’ favorite football team’s logo in the front row at the ceremony.

As they replanned their wedding in light of the pandemic, Jamie and Brent chose to do their reception at Top Golf. We loved the decision to go somewhere FUN for their reception, and their guests had an amazing time! It was a beautiful and unforgettable day.

Congratulations, Jamie and Brent, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

To see all of Jamie and Brent’s beautiful wedding photos, click here

VENDOR DETAILS

Photography
Something Blue Photography

Ceremony Venue
Makray Memorial Golf Club

Reception Venue
Top Golf

Wedding Dress
Brides By Young

Hair and Makeup
Beauty by Jaide

Bridesmaids Dresses
Davids Bridal

Menswear
Mens Warehouse

Floral
Town and Country Gardens Contact Name

Wedding Rings
Rogers and Holland

Wedding Cake
Cakes by Diony

DJ
An Enchanted Evening

Reception Coordinator
Valarie

Amanda and Zach’s Intimate Backyard Wedding

Amanda and Zach always wanted to have a small, intimate backyard wedding. When so many couples were forced to go in that direction because of Covid, these two embraced the opportunity to plan the wedding of their dreams. Zach is a firefighter and Amanda is a nurse, celebrating these two essential workers like this was so perfect. They invited only their closest family and friends, and Conrad got to go along to photograph this beautiful day (his friend’s Mom is the groom’s Aunt and officiated the ceremony).

Zach’s Mom helped pull together all of the pretty details to transform Zach and Amanda’s backyard for their wedding day. Their yard was the perfect backdrop for their joyful ceremony, once Amanda and Zach were declared husband and wife there was a lot of clapping and hugging to go around!

After some photos and a champagne toast, Zach pulled his motorcycle into the backyard for photos (another perk of getting married at home!) From their yard Conrad took them to downtown Bloomingdale for some golden-hour portraits against the town’s quaint backdrop before they headed back for a relaxing dinner. It was the perfect day for this amazing couple!

Congratulations, Amanda and Zach, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

To see all of Amanda and Zach’s beautiful backyard wedding photos, click here

Something YOU – Nancy’s Warrior Session

When we first envisioned our Something YOU sessions, we wanted to create a portrait experience that would empower women and help them feel beautiful regardless of their circumstances. It has been such a joy doing these sessions for a wide variety of women, women who all inspire us in different ways. This session was honestly one of the most inspiring and beautiful moments I have ever experienced as a photographer. Christy invited her amazing friend Nancy to join us at the studio, and it was an unforgettable morning.

Nancy was diagnosed with Stage 4 ovarian cancer last year – she underwent an 11 hour surgery to remove most of the cancer before starting chemotherapy in November. She is one of Christy’s closest friends, and Christy wanted to honor Nancy with this Something You session. She wasn’t sure if her friend would be up for doing something like this, after all it requires a ton of courage and vulnerability to get your photo taken ANY time, but at this particular time in her life Nancy was facing so much uncertainty.

With the help of the incredibly talented Elisa of Elisa Artistry, Nancy was pampered as she mentally prepared for her session. Christy is amazing at making everyone feel comfortable, and once she started shooting Nancy really began to open up and show her amazing personality. The narrative arc of these photos is so stunning to me; she started the session reserved and unsure of herself, and before long was owning every pose and absolutely KILLING it. She absolutely rocked both of her glamorous wigs (which her dear friend and cheerleader Stacy helped her fix and style throughout the shoot). One of our favorite moments was when Nancy started flicking off the camera while wearing the cancer awareness shirts that her incredible friends had made for her.

After Christy captured tons of gorgeous shots of Nancy in her wigs, we asked if she would feel comfortable taking off her wig for some photographs. Nancy bravely agreed, and we all cried along with her as she exposed her bald head. Her strength, courage and vulnerability is amazing, we are in awe of this beautiful woman.

The Monday after this session Nancy went to her doctor for a scan. The scan came back clear, meaning she is now showing no evidence of disease!! What awesome news to celebrate!

Thank you, Nancy, for being so amazing and sharing your story and journey with us. It was an honor to take these photographs for you.

To see all of Nancy’s Something You photos, click here

Something YOU – Donna Marie’s Warrior Session

Two weeks after she was released from the hospital, my dear friend Donna Marie agreed to come to our studio for a Something You session. From these photos you would never know that DM is someone who has fought many long and scary battles for her health. Over the past year DM experienced recurrent concussions and spent many long days recovering - time spent away from screens, in her room with the shades drawn, waiting for her brain to recover and hoping for life to go back to “normal.” But the nature of chronic concussions is unforgiving and unrelenting, and Donna Marie has lost a lot over the last year. Then early in March complications from a uterine disease Adenomyosis and a bad reaction to medication left DM hospitalized with blood clots in her legs and lungs. Told she could die from the clots, told she could die from bleeding from the fibroids. This woman is a F I G H T E R, fierce in every sense of the word and an inspiration to SO many. I was so happy when she agreed to come honor the strength and beauty of her body by doing these photos, and of course she simply SLAYED her session!

Donna Marie brought her amazing bestie Tajali along for moral support (or I should say, Taj drove DM because she’s an absolute gem and has been supporting DM through her ongoing crisis). Once DM finished with her sexy modeling moments Taj and I hopped in for a few quick pictures. But the palpable power of celebrating Donna Marie’s life and strength got the better of all of us and we ended the session in tears. What a beautiful thing it is when women empower women.

Ice Castles Dream Engagement Session

Winter engagement sessions are some of our favorites. While we really don’t love being cold, we do love snowy ethereal landscapes and find they can be the perfect backdrop for true love. I have always wanted to photograph a couple at Ice Castles in Lake Geneva, and was thrilled to have the opportunity this January. Conrad and I met Sarah and Hung at the Geneva National Resort for this dreamy engagement session, and it was such a perfect afternoon. As we marveled at the ice formations together Hung could not keep his eyes off his beautiful fiancé, Sarah looked absolutely radiant in her stunning red Betsy and Adam gown. Together these two helped us make the most gorgeous photos and video, we loved having this opportunity!!

Lauren + Ian’s Magical Backyard Wedding

While 2020 has forced all of our Something Blue couples to radically alter their wedding plans, Lauren and Ian didn’t let a little pandemic stop them from having an absolutely gorgeous micro wedding in her parents’ backyard in Crystal Lake, Illinois. We had the most magical time celebrating with their closest friends and family. Lauren looked radiant as she got ready at her parents’ home, and she rocked THE most amazing silver bridal shoes EVER. I definitely shed a few tears when Lauren saw her Dad and then Ian for their “first look” in the front yard.

After a few quick (and very entertaining) family and wedding party pics in the yard we followed Lauren and Ian’s trolley to Crystal Lake Beach for their lakeside ceremony. Ian’s father officiated the intimate ceremony that was filled with laughter and emotion. When they were pronounced husband and wife Lauren and Ian sweetly snuggled before walking back down the aisle together. We took more wedding party photos in downtown Crystal Lake before heading back to her parents’ home for an amazing night of toasts, dancing, roasting marshmallows and sparklers. We loved spotting all the personal details sprinkled throughout this day, it was the perfect celebration.

Congratulations, Lauren and Ian, we wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

To see all of Lauren and Ian’s beautiful backyard wedding photos, click here

Katie + Matt’s Classic Micro Wedding

Katie and Matt had planned a big wedding celebration at The Brix this summer, but like so many of our Something Blue couples their plans were derailed by Covid-19. And while they moved their party to 2021, they still decided to make things official with a beautiful church ceremony at Immanuel Lutheran Church.

Conrad loved being part of this romantic micro wedding. The ceremony was small and afterwards they celebrated with dinner for their immediate families. Katie carried a picture of her father on her bouquet, and Katie and Matt’s puppy Freedom stole the show when he showed up for some photo ops. Katie’s sister surprised her by renting a gorgeous pale blue (our favorite color!) vintage Chevy Biscayne. This awesome car made for the perfect wedding party photos down by the river.

We can’t wait to celebrate on a larger scale with Katie and Matt next summer, but it was a true joy to be part of this sweet micro wedding.

Congratulations, Katie and Matt, we love you and wish you a lifetime of happiness together!

To see all of Katie and Matt’s micro wedding photos, click here

Jenna and AJ’s Pretty Micro Wedding

Jenna and AJ met through mutual friends and time spent together at The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre. They fell in love over a shared passion for performing and grew to become each other’s biggest cheerleaders. When they decided to get married in 2020 they envisioned a big celebration with their friends and family, but of course the pandemic had different plans for all of our Something Blue couples. So Jenna and AJ scrambled to rearrange their wedding plans and pushed their big celebration to 2021. But in rescheduling they realized that being married couldn’t wait, and they chose to celebrate with an intimate micro wedding on their original wedding date.

I can honestly say, this tiny wedding with only a handful of guests in masks carried bigger emotions than we are accustomed to witnessing on most wedding days. Jenna surprised everyone by wearing her wedding gown, a sparkly confection that made her look like a Disney princess. Her best friend and new mother in law’s reactions to seeing Jenna in her gown when they were expecting a simple modest dress were some of my favorite moments on this sweet and magical day.

When Jenna walked down the short aisle at Hey Nonny, AJ held back tears seeing his best friend as a beautiful bride. They exchanged hand-written vows in front of their parents, siblings, and just a couple friends before joyfully exchanging rings and sharing their first kiss as husband and wife. It was simple and perfect.

After some celebratory pictures we went outside onto the Arlington Alfresco where Jenna and AJ’s wedding party surprised them with homemade signs, balloons and plenty of love. The newlyweds’ shock and joy at seeing their wedding party there waiting for them was beyond emotional, I was definitely wiping tears away from behind the camera. That show of support was so beautiful, and I truly cannot wait to get to know this amazing group better as we all celebrate together in 2021.

Congratulations, Jenna and AJ, we can’t wait to celebrate with you next year!

To see all of Jenna and AJ’s sweet micro wedding photos, click here

Lifestyle Newborn Session - Baby Harrison

The trials of 2020 have taught us all to better value the time we have together at home with our families. Lifestyle Sessions - a more candid, less posed, comfortable in-home session - have always carried special meaning for us, but we love doing them now more than ever. Christy loved visiting this sweet family in their beautiful home to document the arrival of baby Harrison. His big siblings were SO excited to have their baby brother at home after he spent his first 10 days in the NICU. These moments are so fleeting and beautiful, what a joy that we can be a part of this family’s story.

Studio Newborn Session - Baby Maeve

We absolutely love when newborns come visit us at our studio. There is something so sweet and peaceful about a Newborn Studio Session - Lindsay and Christy love having the chance to document this fleeting moment in the lives of our Something Blue families. Beautiful Maeve was born five weeks early and was the perfect model for Lindsay, she slept through her whole session! Maeve's big brother Aiden was very excited to be with his new sister, we are so thankful to have this family as part of our Something Blue family.

If you would like to see all of baby Maeve’s sweet newborn photos, click here

If you are interested in scheduling a Studio Newborn Session, please contact us