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Before Booking

Engagement Session

Wedding Day Timing

Wedding Day Photo Locations

Wedding Day Tips

Beauty Tips

Vendor Recommendations

Other Questions

Questions About Booking Me As Your Photographer

 
Who is Sprung Photo? Why should we hire you?
We are a Woman owned and operated, independent small business! I have photographed over 600 weddings, and have been a full-time Chicago Wedding Photographer since 2007. This means that I’ve got your back. I know where to be, when to be there, and when to take the picture that creatively tells the story of that moment. I hunt for those fleeting moments that last a millisecond. And I have the practice and experience to combine art and technique. You’ll get consistently beautiful, creative, and well lit photographs. Check out my over 100 five star Yelp Reviews for some honest feedback from real clients. Take a look at some of my international award winning images here. I’m a strong believer that amazing photography should be among your most important investments for your wedding, and I strive to make the images and artwork that you receive absolutely stunning and emotionally impactful.  

My Specialties:

• Lighting
• Creativity & Uniqueness
• Capturing real moments
• Creating beautiful, natural portraits
• Low light and tricky lighting
• Night time
• Indoor
• Making you look good (I started out as a fashion photographer)

and…

Charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent.  TM: Rupaul’s Drag Race 😀

Can we set up a meeting with you to talk more?
Of course! We can talk on the phone or video chat through Zoom/Google Meetings. Click here to set up our first chat!  

How do we book our date?
Click here to contact me, and we can get started! A retainer of 50% will book your date, and the rest is due 30 days before the wedding day.

Why do you give us an artwork credit in the package price?
The answer is simple; I want you to have amazing, museum quality artwork on your walls, and archival quality albums that you can look at and enjoy every day. Much better than just huge files stuck on a hard drive, rarely to be seen!

What is a “Guided Art Experience”?
After the big day comes the big reveal! I’ll help you select the images that are going to go on the walls of your home and in wedding albums. I’ll work together with you as your Artist to curate amazing products from your wedding images.

One of the best things about the Guided Art Experience is that you will have peace of mind that your albums and artwork will be ordered and on their way to you after the session. Ask your Married friends how long it took them to order and receive their album! Probably a long time. 🙂 Use my expertise as your Photographer and Artist to help you curate, and we’ll get it all done in one day! 

About how many photos are typically in a Wedding or Engagement album?
This depends on what you’d like, and I can help you with that. Some clients choose 60, some 150. The max we can include in a single album is 150, but we have done multiple volumes before!

Do we get digital copies of the photos?
Yes, you’ll also receive high resolution, large size digital files of your photos.

Why is it important to have a 2nd Photographer?
There are so many moments to capture on a Wedding day. When you are walking down the aisle, your future spouse is watching. While I am taking photos of your First Dance, your family is looking on. While I am photographing your speeches and your reactions, your guests are also reacting. My 2nd Photographer also helps us to get completely different angles on a simultaneous moment, such as during the First Kiss at your Ceremony. I only work with extremely experienced 2nd Photographers, and they are never “newbies” or “Assistants”. My 2nd Photographers blend very well with my own style. Weddings are hugely important events, and my 2nd shooter also helps me get all the ‘must take’ shots, while allowing me the time to move around and get creative! If I have someone there getting the expected shots for you, that leaves me free to think outside the box and try something super unique and new for the same moment. So, not only will you get more photos, but the 2 of us can be in two different places at the same time! This is also why the 2 Photographers have consecutive coverage (not starting or ending at different times).

Who are your 2nd Photographers? Can we trust them, too? 
I only use extremely experienced 2nd Photographers. They are not ‘assistants’ or newbies. They are full fledged pros! I work with the same few people, who have worked with me personally on dozens of weddings. Photographing a wedding is a big deal and there are no do-overs, so I am very discerning on who I trust to be my support!

How would you describe your Photography style?
My style is documentary, creative, and modern. Instead of staging or taking “cheezy” wedding photos, I prefer to document things as they are happening in a natural, photojournalistic way. Of course, we will also take family photos and fun portraits for you! I’ll also help to guide you to make your portraits look relaxed, fun and natural.

How many Weddings have you photographed? When did you get started in wedding photography?
I have been a full time wedding photographer since 2007, and have documented over 600 weddings. I think this kind of experience helps me to not only take creative and high quality photos, but also helps me to know when to be in the perfect spot to take a photo that tells the story of your day. 

Do you Edit the photos? 
Your photos are expertly edited for perfect color and tone. There’s a lot of activity on a Wedding day, and we aim to capture it all, while still providing polished results.

How many images should we expect to receive?
It depends on the amount of people and the activity and timing of the wedding, but generally we provide about 40-60 images per hour. We take lots of pictures of people! We operate by the “quality over quantity” rule, though. It’s better to have a few amazing photos that truly express a moment and the story of your day, than a bunch of boring
ones that all look the same. 

Can we see a full Gallery of wedding photos?
Oh, definitely. And I recommend that you ask this of every photographer you are considering! A full, start to finish wedding gallery will be shared with you when you write in to set up your initial consultation!

What would happen if you were sick on our Wedding day?
First of all, for independent business owners, our name and reputation is everything. So it would have to be something absolutely crazy for me not to be there. However, if something crazy did happen to me, I do have a network of fellow talented, experienced, professional wedding photographers to rely on. So you would have a replacement photographer of a similar caliber. But to give you an idea, I once photographed a wedding with food poisoning! Adrenaline got me through the day, and it end up turning out well. 

Questions About Your Engagement Session

 
When would you recommend we take our Engagement Photos?
If you’d like to use the photos for a save the date, then I recommend shooting at least 7 months before your Wedding day, and we can definitely do sooner if you’d like. If you don’t need them for a save the date, then we can take them anytime between the day you book and about a month before your Wedding.

What’s the turnaround time after our Engagement Session?
Up to 3 Weeks

What happens if it rains that day? What if it’s really hot or really cold? Or snows?
I would recommend that you book a backup date with me at the same time as booking your preferred engagement session date. Or, if you decide that you’d like to do your shoot anyway that day, we can shoot at an indoor or covered location (see some ideas below). I also have a photo studio, so we could do some epic indoor photos with cool sets, lighting, and backgrounds. My studio also has nice natural light.

Can we bring our dog?
YES! I love dogs. But bring a friend to take your doggie on a walk while we also take photos of just the two of you. 🙂 

What should we wear?
We can work with any type of look you have going on for your outfits, but here are a few tips:

Do you have any recommended locations?

There are lots of cool places in the city to shoot, and there are several popular spots. I also have a wishlist of out of the box, unique spots, so please ask me about that! The best thing to do is choose a spot that has a lot of variety in it, so that we are spending more time shooting than traveling around. There are a ton of spots in Chicago that have a lot of variety, so one location is definitely enough!  

Here are a few popular spots:

• Olive Park & Ohio Street Beach (adjacent to each other)
• River Walk Areas (Wacker Drive/Wrigley Building, LaSalle Bridge)
• North Avenue Beach
• Kinzie Bridge
• River Point Park
• Museum Campus
• Chicago Theatre Sign and nearby theatre district spots
• Montrose Beach/Bird Sanctuary
• Fullerton Beach 

Here are the locations that require a permit (info & links below to get started):

• Millennium Park/Lurie Garden: starts at $25, email Maria Bernal at Maria.Bernal@transwestern.com to receive a permit application
• Buckingham Fountain, Garfield Park Conservatory, Grant Park, Lincoln Park Conservatory: $75, email Lara Ziemba at lziemba@mbres.com if have any questions
  • Chicago Park District also has a new “quick reserve” booking page for various Chicago Park District locations. Click here for more info!
• Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool: $150, email info@lincolnparkconservancy.org to receive a permit application
• Lincoln Park Zoo/South Pond Nature Boardwalk: $150, email Hana Johnstone at hjohnstone@lpzoo.org if you have any questions
• The Rookery Building: starts at $150, email the completed form to nwalsh@tjbc.com
• Salvage One: $150 per hour, email events@salvageone.com for more info
• Union Station: starts at $150, permit can be filled out in advance, but will only be accepted with payment (cashiers check or money order only) in person.
• Chicago Botanic Garden: $250
• Wrigley Field: starts at $30, contact fanservices@cubs.com for more info

Make sure to get your permits in advance! Click on the location above to find out more about how to apply for each one. And please let us know before you file for these, so that we can make sure it’s the right choice for the best photos for you.

Let me know what appeals to you:

• Classic Chicago
• Skyline
• Lake or River
• Beach
• Architecture
• Nature/Greenery
• Urban/Edgy/Gritty
• Murals and City Art
• Bars and Cafes
• Indoors with Beautiful Interiors
• Things that are special to you, such as your neighborhood, apartment, favorite bar or cafe, etc.
• “Outside the box” unique, off the beaten path, different ideas not done often.
• Going to a concert, an architectural cruise, renting a boat for an hour, playing hockey, ice skating, going to the barcade and playing video games, baseball game, bar hopping, etc.

If you’re looking for some architecture with rich greenery & nature, I would suggest Grant Park, Cancer Survivor’s Gardens, Buckingham Fountain, and the Lake Front Areas.

If you would like the Skyline in the background, but still with some nature areas, I would suggest Olive Park/Ohio Street Beach, Montrose Beach/Harbor, Museum Campus, and North Avenue Beach. For beach locations, we may need to walk through sand to get to certain spots.

If you would prefer to get away from the crowds and go to an under-utilized, outside the box location, I would suggest the West Loop urban areas, Osaka Gardens in Hyde Park, and Ping Tom Park in the South Loop. Ping Tom Park has a really cool view of the city with the river and nature areas.

If you’d like to do something out of the ordinary, I am happy to go along with you! If you love cooking together, how about a shoot in your kitchen? Love watching horror movies and eating Chinese food? We can shoot that in your living room! Coffee junkies? Let’s shoot at your favorite café. Into toys and action figures? Let’s incorporate those into the photo shoot! Beer or wine snobs? How about I photograph you in your favorite bar or wine room? How about a walk in the park with your dog? The possibilities are endless!

Some highlights of shoots I’ve done that were a little different include ice skating, inside a movie theatre (we got permission!), roaming around the Couple’s neighborhood, including their dogs, and shooting inside a Guitar shop. Other ideas would be in a library, a café, or in your home or backyard.

Here are some indoor location ideas that do not require a permit, but may require prior permission:

• Chicago Cultural Center
• Fine Arts Building
• Logan Arcade or Emporium Arcade bars
• Neighborhood or classic Chicago bars
• A sweet shop or bakery
• A lighting company
• Harold Washington Library Winter Garden (if they don’t have an event going on)
• Your home (a good opportunity to get more personalized, and photograph any pets you might have, as well)
• Hotel Lobbies

Some hotel locations that do not allow photography are The Public, The Langham, Renaissance Chicago, Londonhouse, The Robey, The Emily Hotel, The Hoxton, Chicago Athletic Association, Ritz-Carlton, Viceroy Chicago, Hyatt Regency Chicago, and the Park Hyatt.

Hotels I recommend, that have fantastic lobbies, are:

• The Blackstone
• The Drake
• The Wit
• Hilton at 720 S Michigan
• Intercontinental Hotel
• The Allegro Royal Sonesta Hotel
• JW Marriott
• Radisson Blu
• W City Center

Please make sure to get permission from the Hotel prior to the shoot, and ask if there are any fees.

Questions About the Day of Your Wedding

Best piece of advice:
As Documentary photographers, our focus is on people and moments. If the schedule is pressed for time at any part of the day, we will default to photos of people instead of things (such as décor and items), and instead of portraits. If details and décor coverage and portraits are extremely important to you, than we recommend that you schedule enough time in the morning for photos of attire, shoes, wedding rings, flowers, etc, and that you have 2 photographers and the entire cocktail hour free for us to photograph both people and décor. We also recommend that you provide enough time for family photos and portraits, if that is important to you. You can read further for how much time we suggest!

Please make sure to also explain to your wedding party and family members that we are Documentary photographers. Tell them to pretend we’re not there. Explain to them that we want them in the photos, so don’t apologize or duck out of the way.  

How many hours do you suggest we set aside for our wedding photos?
Here are typical situations, and how long they take. Please pick and choose what you’d like to have photos of, and adjust your timeline accordingly. 

• Preparations:
  • Hair and makeup final touches -15 minutes
    Details – 30 minutes
    Candids of everyone hanging out, any requested poses such as champagne toast or robes photo -30 minutes
    Getting dressed – If you are getting into a dress, give yourself at least 45 minutes to get completely ready to go
    Solo portraits – 15 minutes
    Reveals to parents or wedding party – 10 minutes
    Opening a letter or gift – 10 minutes
    Getting ready to leave the room – 10 minutes
    Final touches and adjustments -10 minutes 
  • Remember to add Travel time – from the moment you step from the room to the moment you arrive at the next location (it will take a lot longer to get everyone and everything together and leave and arrive at the same time).
  • Hair and makeup can take anywhere from 2-3 hours just for you. Ask your beauty team how long they need. Tell them what time you need to get dressed, but give them a 15 minute buffer for any adjustments or changes. You can avoid having your hair and makeup process running late by hiring one of our beauty team recommendations below!
  • Those wearing a dress: It may only take your attire shop Assistant a few minutes to get you into the dress, but it will most likely take your Mom, MOH etc a lot longer. This is especially true if you have a dress that buttons or laces up. Please give yourself enough time so that you are not rushed, and so that you can make adjustments. If you are ready early, great! That means we have more time for portraits of you. Or a minute to just catch your breath before moving on to the next thing!

• First Look: (if you are seeing each other before the ceremony)
  • If you are doing a First Look before the Ceremony, I highly recommend that we do this at the place where one of you is getting ready, such as your hotel. Make sure to get permission first. Here is an example of timing:
  • Photographers prepare the First Look spot – 15 minutes
    First Look happens – 15 minutes
    Then we can all travel together to your creative portrait locations.
  • If you would like your First Look to happen elsewhere, then please make sure you factor in travel time + traffic, and the logistics of getting everyone to that location separately, and without you seeing each other. The more time it takes to do this, the less time we’ll have for your portraits. 🙂

• Creative Portraits of You & Your Wedding Party:
  • Formal, looking at the camera:
    -These can take place at the same place and time that we are doing your family photos.

    ---

  • 1. Wedding party together
    2. Just side A
    3. Just side B
    4. Client A with each member of their side, Client B with each member of their side.
    5. The couple
    = 30 minutes

    ---

  • Creative/candid, fun portraits:
    1. Wedding party
    2. Just side A
    3. Just side B
    4. Couple
     = 1.5 hours

Total: 2 hours

• • Make sure to factor in and ADD time for traveling, and don’t forget to allow time for traffic, walking back to the transportation, etc. For example: 
    • Drive from hotel to museum campus: 15 minutes
      Photos around museum campus: 2 hours
      Drive to downtown venue: 15 minutes

Total time needed = 2 hours and 30 minutes

Of course, the more time you give me, the more photos you can have, and the more creative they can be!

• What if we don’t have a First Look and have to do our Formal & Creative Portraits During Cocktail Hour?
  • First, I don’t recommend this! If you are having your Ceremony and Reception at the same location one right after the other, I recommend that you do a “First Look”, and see each other before the Ceremony. Click here to find out more about why it’s such a good idea to do a First Look.
  • If you are not seeing each other before the Ceremony, please allow a gap of time between your Ceremony and Cocktail hour start time to take both your family photos and wedding party/couple portraits.
  • However, if you can’t either have a First Look or gap of time between your Ceremony and Cocktail hour, there are a few things we can do to make sure you get some portraits and family photos. I would recommend that we start your day earlier, and take photos with your wedding party separately. Here is a suggestion:
    • After you are dressed and ready:
      -Client A and their side of the wedding party together, Client A with each member, creative portraits of Client A’s side
      -Client A alone with family
      45 minutes (schedule this for before we leave for your Ceremony)
  • You can do the same for Client B, at the same time with the 2nd Photographer.
  • Then, during cocktail hour we can do: whole wedding party together, a few of all family together, and then portraits of just the 2 of you. This is not recommended though, because then 1 of the Photographers is not photographing your cocktail hour, your portraits will be rushed into a very small time frame, and restricted to just your Ceremony/Reception venue. This also sometimes proves problematic for the staff trying to flip the room from Ceremony to Reception, if there isn’t much room for us to take those photos.
  • If we are taking family photos during cocktail hour, I recommend reminding everyone that they will be needed for photos directly after the Ceremony, and assigning someone to gather everyone/make sure they don’t go off to the restroom/bar so that we can get these done as quickly as possible. Just tell them to stay put after the recessional, and we can take these photos quickly at the “altar” area. If your venue needs to flip the room and can’t wait for us to be done with these photos, then please make sure we have another area nearby to use, and that everyone knows to meet us there directly after the Ceremony.
  • It’s important that the Photographers have your entire cocktail hour available to take candids of your guests, details of your décor, and set up and get ready for the events of the evening. This also allows for Victoria to plan any unique shots before events start happening.

• Formal Family Portraits
  • When determining how long to allow for family photos, you’ll want to estimate about 2 minutes per group. Just make sure everyone knows what time to be there. Sometimes it helps to tell them a little earlier than they really need to be there. 🙂 It also helps to assign someone to gather everyone and to make sure they don’t wander off. The best people for this are those who are not in the wedding party, but who know all the family. Don’t try to do this yourselves, because you need to be IN the photos!

• Ceremony Preparations & Detail Photos
  • Ideally, I would like to have 45 minutes before your ceremony starts to take photos of the guests arriving, details and decor, and to set up lighting or think of some cool, unique shots to try. At the very least, we need 30 minutes before the ceremony, so that my 2nd photographer and I can plan out our positions, talk to the coordinators if necessary, videographers, etc.

• Cocktail hour
  • Ideally, the full hour. Photographers will take candids of your guests, details of your décor, and set up and get ready for the events of the evening. This also allows for Victoria to plan any unique shots before events start happening.

• Suggested schedule for your Reception:
  • Introductions
  • cake cutting
  • Welcome speech and/or blessing
  • 1^stcourse
  • All speeches – It’s best to do these all at once, for a few reasons. 1) The people speaking may want to go ahead and do these so that they can relax for the rest of the night. 2) Doing them all at once makes our lighting setup easier and faster, which will enable us to more photos, and better photos.
  • Dinner
  • 20 minute consecutive time for Photographers to take a break. *Providing meals would be amazing, and will help fuel us for the rest of the night! Victoria is vegan, her Assistant prefers chicken or beef, and please inquire for her 2nd photographer meal choice. 
  • Dessert
  • First Dance
  • Special Dances (parent dances, hora, anniversary dances, things like that)
  • Open dancing
  • If your schedule allows, we can do a nighttime photo with the two of you before our coverage ends! Please allow 15 minutes for this.
  • Any last posed photos with friends, etc.
  • Coverage ends
  • End of the night/open dancing/party time:
    Ideal: all the way to the end of the party/last call/grande exit!
    Average: 1 to 1.5 hours after your first dance
    Bare minimum: at least a half hour after your first dance

Wedding Day Tips!

Do you have any tips on how I can make sure you photograph all of my details?
Yes! Documenting the preparations, and details of your wedding attire, shoes, wedding rings, flowers etc, can make for really gorgeous photographs that help tell the story of the day. If you’d like the photos to go that extra mile, there are a few things you can do.

Firstly, try to cut down on clutter as much as you can. Surely, things will be all over the place as you are getting ready. However, if you can have a wedding party member pick up things like undergarments from the floor, I won’t have to worry about limiting my compositions by cropping things like that out of the photo. One of the best ideas I’ve heard is to have a plastic ‘over the door’ shoe rack, where you can place items like scissors, deodorant, etc. It can be a central location for everyone to use and put things back in the same place!

Have a wedding party member get little details ready for me when I arrive, such as the dress or suit, shoes, jewelry, all wedding rings, flowers, invitations, heirlooms etc. The less time I have to spend unwrapping your attire or getting things out of packaging, the more photos I can take.

If your florist is able to have the personal flowers arrive at your room no later than 15 minutes before you’re ready to put your wedding attire on, I will be able photograph them, and you can have them with you for your portraits. It would also be beneficial to have all wedding rings in your room. This way I can photograph those, as well.

Do you have any other tips about how to make the Getting Ready process a breeze?
When you get your hotel room number, please email or text it to me. That way I won’t have to call or ask the front desk, and I can just come right up. Please let me know if I need to have a special key for the elevator or anything, as well.

Please have the individuals who are helping you get into your wedding attire be ready before you’re ready to get into your attire.

You can avoid having your hair and makeup process running late by hiring one of our beauty team recommendations below!

Keep in mind that it may take you awhile to get into your wedding attire, get your jewelry and shoes on, etc. You can have your wedding party gather up everything while you are getting ready so that we can pick up and leave for the next location quickly.

If you want a posed shot of something like “wedding party in matching robes”, keep in mind that we don’t want to have to wait for them all to be done with hair and makeup before taking this shot. This could delay you getting dressed. So some of the people in the photo may have to have hair and makeup not complete for this shot, in order for you to get dressed on time. As a candid, documentary photography, I will automatically have taken lots of candid photos of everyone hanging out, showing the matching robes, etc. 

Consider having everyone get ready at the same hotel to make everything run smoother, and to get more coverage, including photos of all the rings together.

Why do you recommend having a First Look?
I would highly recommend a First Look! I completely understand wanting to have the tradition of walking down the aisle, but you might find that there are more Pros to having a First Look!

Pros of doing a First Look:

• The moment you see each other will be more intimate; just the two of you.
• You’re more likely to loosen up and release a little nervousness for the rest of the day!
• We’ll be able to take lots of gorgeous pictures of the two of you together, your wedding party, and each side of the wedding party. Same goes for more family group photos. We can even take your family photos before the Ceremony too, so that all you have to do after you walk down the aisle is go to your party and…..party!
• The day goes by so fast, even having the cocktail hour to freshen up, and join your guests if you want to will be really valuable for your experience and memories!
• Plus, I would love to shoot your cocktail hour. It’s a really great time to get candid photos of your guests, and for me to get really awesome photos of the details and decor before the rest of the reception starts and people are let in.

Here is a past Client of mine who did a wonderful blog post about her very emotional First Look: http://jrebeccastyle.blogspot.com/2014/01/1192013-introduction.html

But again, this is 100% up to you! I am here to provide you with fantastic photos, either way.

Decided against the ‘First Look’ option?
Another way to make it so you don’t have so many pictures to take between the Ceremony and Reception is to take some portraits separately before the ceremony. We can take some of each of you alone, each of you with your side of the wedding party, and each of you alone with family.

This will make it so that the only photos we need to do after the Ceremony (after the rest of your family photos together) are of the entire Wedding Party together, and the two of you together.

Where would you suggest we take our Creative Portraits?
Is your Wedding in the Suburbs? The best locations are in and around your venues. I can help you pick a spot, though! It all depends on where your locations are. It’s best to pick spots that are not too far from where your celebrations are taking place. I will help you with this, but it’s just way too much to list here. 🙂

Here are some Chicago ideas. You can maximize time by choosing one location that has a lot of variety, so that we don’t have to spend a lot of time traveling or fighting traffic. Places like this include:

• Museum Campus
• North Avenue Beach
• Riverwalk areas
• River Point Park
• Olive Park
• Grant Park/Buckingham Fountain
• Fullerton Beach
• Montrose Beach/Bird Sanctuary
• Ping Tom Park

Here are the locations that require a permit (info & links below to get started):

• Millennium Park/Lurie Garden: starts at $25, email Maria Bernal at Maria.Bernal@transwestern.com to receive a permit application
• Buckingham Fountain, Garfield Park Conservatory, Grant Park, Lincoln Park Conservatory: $75, email Lara Ziemba at lziemba@mbres.com if have any questions
  • Chicago Park District also has a new “quick reserve” booking page for various Chicago Park District locations. Click here for more info!
• Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool: $150, email info@lincolnparkconservancy.org to receive a permit application
• Lincoln Park Zoo/South Pond Nature Boardwalk: $150, email Hana Johnstone at hjohnstone@lpzoo.org if you have any questions
• The Rookery Building: starts at $150, email the completed form to nwalsh@tjbc.com
• Salvage One: $150 per hour, email events@salvageone.com for more info
• Union Station: starts at $150, permit can be filled out in advance, but will only be accepted with payment (cashiers check or money order only) in person.
• Chicago Botanic Garden: $250
• Wrigley Field: starts at $30, contact fanservices@cubs.com for more info

Make sure to get your permits in advance! Click on the location above to find out more about how to apply for each one. And please let us know before you file for these, so that we can make sure it’s the right choice for the best photos for you.

Rain/snow locations:
The most convenient locations are your Hotel and/or Venues. Please contact your Hotel to make sure it’s okay to shoot in the lobby and common areas, and make sure your venue will let us in and have the space available.

If you’d like to get a permit for an indoor location such as Union Station or the Rookery building, make sure to do so in advance and let Victoria know that you have secured one. Also, the Chicago Cultural Center is beautiful, and usually does not require a permit. We would recommend calling ahead just in case, though. Other covered outdoor locations: the columns outside Union Station, the covered walkway of the Civic Opera.

Some hotel locations that do not allow photography are The Public, The Langham, Renaissance Chicago, Londonhouse, The Robey, The Emily Hotel, The Hoxton, Chicago Athletic Association, Ritz-Carlton, Viceroy Chicago, Hyatt Regency Chicago, and the Park Hyatt.

Hotels I recommend, that have fantastic lobbies, are:

• The Blackstone
• The Drake
• The Wit
• Hilton at 720 S Michigan
• Intercontinental Hotel
• The Allegro Royal Sonesta Hotel
• JW Marriott
• Raddisson Blu
• W City Center

Please make sure to get permission from the Hotel prior to the shoot, and ask if there are any fees.

Do you have any tips for planning our Creative Portraits?
Make sure your trolley/limo driver knows the photo spots we’re going to. I’ve found that if they don’t already know, it can shave some serious time off of our photo taking time. I have even had one driver ignore what location we wanted to go to, and go to a completely different location!

Have one of your wedding party members be your ‘stylist’ for the day. They can help to hold your dress, straighten your tie, check your makeup, remove any stray hairs around your face, etc. I will be concentrating on many things and won’t always have time to stop shooting to check these things up close.

Please be aware that if you’d like to take photos outside, there is a possibility of large gusts of wind, rain, snow, dirt, dust, rocks, sand, soft grass that heels can sink into, heat, cold, people in the background, other wedding parties to wait on, brightness from the sun, and cars driving by.

If you are worried about getting dirt or mud on your shoes, the wind messing up your hair, makeup melting in the heat, humidity deflating your hair, etc, then I recommend that we take your portraits indoors or spend only a small amount of time outside.

If you would rather take photos inside, please let me know so that I can help you find locations. I plan out shots ahead of time, so I like to know where we’re shooting before the wedding day. Your photos will turn out better and save time if I have already planned for cool ideas at the spot we’re shooting at.

Do you have any tips about posing and taking the actual photos?
The beauty you see in my photos doesn’t happen quickly. Art takes time, so make sure to allow enough padding in your timeline and be patient when you are front & center. I am here to help you with this, too.

You might feel awkward in certain positions I pose you in. I promise, it will look good in the photos, and it will look natural.

Whenever you hear my shutter click, you are free to move. These movements can be subtle; a slight movement of the placement of a hand, move your head to the side, look at the camera, look away from the camera, look at your Spouse, bring your Spouse closer to you, tell each other a secret or a joke, crack each other up, etc!

Keep your body slightly turned rather than facing straight at the camera.

Most importantly, don’t forget to eat, drink, breathe and HAVE FUN!

Do you have any Beauty Tips you can pass along?
If you are prone to shine, bring powder or oil absorbing sheets with you.

If you are getting hair and makeup done, consider wearing a button down shirt or robe while getting ready, so you can easily remove it before getting dressed, without smudging your makeup or hair.

Make sure your skin and lips are very moisturized for the day of your Wedding. Don’t tan, wax, or dye your hair too soon before the wedding. Allow yourself a few days for any skin reactions to go away. Watch out for tan lines!

Don’t wear mineral, glittery, or very shimmery makeup. The flash will bounce off of it, and will produce a reflection. Also, it’s helpful not to have very glossy lips, so your hair doesn’t get stuck on them and leave lipstick marks on your face.

If you are wearing a strapless dress, make sure it fits well, so you’re not stuck having to pull it up throughout the day (this counts for wedding party members, too).

It goes without saying, but try to get some rest the night before your big day! Also, try to eat in the morning, and drink water/stay hydrated.

Emergency/Day Of Kit List:

• Q-Tips
• Safety Pins
• Bobby Pins
• Tylenol/Advil
• Bottled Water
• Band-Aids
• Tide Stain Stick
• Static Guard Spray
• Contact Solution
• Deodorant
• Scissors
• Dress Tape
• First Aid Kit
• Sewing Kit
• Clear Nail Polish
• Eye Drops
• Tissues
• Breath Mints
• Tums
• Powder & Lipstick
• Bug Repellent, Bite Kit
• Compact Mirror
• Hair Ties
• Jewelry Pliers
• Tweezers
• Sunblock
• Phone Charger
• Windex (for Removing Rings from Fingers)
• White Out (for major dress or shirt stain emergencies!)

Do you have any photography tips for our Ceremony?
Feel free to ask your Officiant to make an announcement to guests during the ceremony to refrain from excessive photo taking, and moving into the aisles to take photos. Or even to put their cameras and cell phones away so they can enjoy the Ceremony! This will enable you to get the best shots possible from me. I certainly don’t mind if people take photos, however! As long as there are not a bunch of flashes going off at the same time, or as long as guests are not moving into the aisles, I will be able to get great shots. Another thing to keep in mind is the focus beam on ‘point and shoot’ cameras. The red or green focus assist beam on most consumer grade cameras can sometimes be seen on your faces, especially with natural light photos.

Do you have a friend officiating your Ceremony? Tips: Have them tell guests to sit once the Ceremony starts. Sometimes they forget to tell the guests that. Have them make sure you are facing each other and not him/her. Have them step to the side for the first kiss.

Please let me know of any restrictions your Church or Ceremony site may have for me. This could be anything from no flash during the Ceremony, to no movement at all during the Ceremony. I am very experienced with Church restrictions, but it does help for me to know about any in advance.

If you have any VIPs who are singing, playing an instrument etc., please let me know so I can take their photo. Sometimes Church musicians will not want their photo taken.

During events where I am unable to give direction at the time (such as the lighting of unity candles, exchanging rings, etc.), try to turn yourselves toward the camera and your guests as much as possible. For example, if you are lighting the unity candle, don’t do it with your backs to the guests. Simply move to the other side of the candles, where everyone (including me!) will be able to see you light the candle. Try to face your guests a bit and I will most likely also be able to get a better view. This is very helpful for really cool close up rings shots. Some Churches will request that I not move around much during the Ceremony, so turning more toward your guests when you can is very helpful for the photos. Try not to put your rings on with your back to the guests.

If you are able to move seating around (such as for a Ceremony at your Reception venue), please make sure I have enough room to move up and down the side aisles. If not, I may only be able to take photos from one angle.

During your rehearsal, you can suggest to your Wedding party not to rush down the aisle on the big day. This counts for both the processional and recessional. I can be sure to get lots of photos of everyone, if they don’t walk really fast down the aisle. Sometimes people walking too fast will make it so I’m only able to snap off 1 photo, or sometimes people will even be blocked by others if they are moving too fast or too close together.

When you kiss at the altar, take your time! If your kiss is lightning fast, you won’t have as many beautiful shots of that moment.

Do you have any photography tips for our Reception? Like, what about if we want some group photos with friends?
If you have any other pictures you’d like to take during the reception, like a picture with high school friends or cousins, then I would recommend asking a trusted, reliable friend to get the group together. This allows me to focus on documenting your party versus trying to find and organize people I unfortunately don’t know. 🙂 It will also help if you have a list of these types of shots ahead of time, so that we can check them off and I can make sure they get done for you.

Do you do “table shots” (posed photos of you with each table at your reception)?
Unfortunately, I’m unable to take a posed photo of every table. Instead, I like to roam around candidly, getting shots of your guests having a good time and being themselves. If I was tasked with taking a photo of each table, there’s a possibility that I will miss other events going on in the time it takes to get all of them done. It can sometimes be tricky to do them, because I’ll need half the table to get up and stand behind the seated guests, and that’s usually the time that everyone will be eating. I much prefer to get more candid photos of as many different guests as possible, and candid shots of you making the rounds to each table to greet your guests. These candid type of photos much more align with my photojournalistic style.

I also find that it doesn’t look great to take a photo of each table during the meal, with drinks and food dishes on the table. We can definitely get some posed group photos for you, but I prefer a different approach. Since you have 2 Photographers, one of us can be taking candid photos while the other gets some group photos all at once at a designated time. I find that the party itself is a much better background than the dinner tables, or we could simply use a blank wall at the venue. The best time for this will be after your special dances, when the dance floor opens to everyone. You can even have your DJ make an announcement that group photos are being taken, and where people should go to get them taken.

A note about photographer breaks: 
Your trusty Photographers are on their feet all day, running around catching all the moments. We are over achievers, but we do occasionally need a breather. Our best time to take a break is when everyone in the room is sitting down to eat at dinner. Providing hot meals for us at the dinner would be greatly appreciated, and will help fuel us for the rest of the night! Victoria is a vegan. Please inquire about the other meal choice for the 2nd Photographer, and 3rd Photographer/Assistant. Thank you!

Vendor Recommendations

Here are some of our favorite vendors to work with!
Please note: this list is a work in progress. If you are a vendor friend of ours and would like to join this list, please contact us!
 
Venues:
River Roast
Revolution Brewery – Brewpub and Tap Room
Lacuna Lofts
 
Catering:
LM Catering
Food For Thought
Hearty Boys
Huegah Catering Co.

Hair and Makeup:
You can avoid having your hair and makeup process running late by hiring one of our beauty team recommendations!
Kate Johnson / The Bridal Beauty Team
Antonette White
Nika Vaughan
 
Professional Wedding Dresser:
Caroline Shaw

Cake:
ECBG Cake Studio

Decor & Lighting:
MDM Entertainment
Art of Imagination
 
Officiant:
Rev. Bruce Otto
 
Band:
David Rothstein Music
Yazz Jazz 

DJ:
Toast and Jam: Kate, Rachel, Dustin, and Tabitha are especially great!
Carrie, Jessi, Evan, and Clare with Groove is in the Heart DJs
Dj Jennefa Krupinski
Birds & B-sides
Dreamhouse Productions
Gold Noise
DJ Harsh Chicago

Video:
Email us for more info!

Engagement Party, Shower, and Rehearsal Dinner Space
Revolution Brewing

My question wasn’t answered! What do I do??!!
Email me, silly! I’m happy to answer any questions you have! 🙂

Ugh. I don’t feel like scrolling all the way back up. Can you help me?
Sure! Beam me up, Scottie!