Molly Shoots Candice and Juan's Wedding

I was so touched to be a part of Candice and Juan's day. The light was beautiful as Candice got ready, Juan's tears moved everyone to tears, and the dance party was a blast with all the great little dancers. These two have such a special bond and their love inspires me to keep looking for love in the everyday places you'd never expect to find it. Love is...all around.

Sarah and Tony

Sarah and Tony had a beautiful day for a wedding on Saturday. They had the MOST beautiful Catholic ceremony in part because their friends from college who they sang with provided the music and it was amazing. It was especially special because that is how these two met, with this group of musicians. It was very moving. The reception was at the Intercontinental on Michigan Ave and Lisa Zimbler helped to make sure it all ran smoothly!

Tony gave these mugs as a gift to his groomsmen and the dads, I was glad I walked in just in time for their toast to each other during dinner

Jessica and Tommy are expecting!

Today I had the pleasure of photographing long time friend and clients, Jessica and Tommy Bowman as they expect the arrival of their first child. I have had the pleasure of photographing Tommy's band on several occasions and their wedding and I am looking forward to working with them as a family :)

Here are just a couple of Jessica

Impact Tip - Eco-friendly camera bags!

This tip is for all my photographer friends and all the clients that have decided they want to be a photographer now! :) My friend August found these and I think I will have to get one of these for day to day camera bags when I am out shooting.

Check them out here!

A description from the article about the bags:
"All bags in the series are constructed of 100% post-consumer, recycled Cyclepet® exterior fabric, using the equivalent of 2½ bottles in the smallest model to 22 bottles in the largest while conserving landfill, energy and crude and refined oil. The spacer mesh, providing a lean yet sturdy layer of protection, is 60% recycled PET. Terraclime’s hardware (including hook closures and zippers) is comprised of plastic regrind, recycled and repurposed industrial trimmings saved from the factory floor.

Adding to the eco-friendly construction is a targeted cause: a portion of the proceeds of each Terraclime will go directly to Polar Bears International (PBI) to support their efforts to save polar bear habitats from the impact of climate change."

Molly Shoots Sara & Steve's Engagement

I had a blast hanging out with Sara and Steve and walking around their neighborhood. I love this first shot, just the emotion between them is a tender moment. Their wedding will be beautiful!

Molly Shoots Greg & Anne's Engagement

I am so glad Greg and Anne and I decided to beat the crowds this Sunday morning at Wriggle, this has been a great year for the cubs and an even better one for the two of them, let's cross our fingers for the Cubbies continued success. Anne and Greg our super cute together and I am so looking forward to their big day!

Congratulations Mom!!

I just found out my mom was nominated for one of the 100 most influential women in real estate! I am so proud of her and she was a great role model inspiring me to have the drive and determination to have my own business.

You can vote for her if you are so inclined :)

Her name is Judy LaDeur and her company is Judy LaDeur International and she is best known as a teacher and motivational speaker working with top real estate companies to train brokers how to recruit top selling agents.

Whoohoo go mom!

Lisa and Steve

Saturday was a perfect day for a wedding! Lisa and Steve got married at St. Cletus in LaGrange where Lisa went as a child. We had a blast shooting some fun portraits in the city then off to the Narnia Estate for the reception. The flowers were provided by Fleur Couture.

I love this picture of Lisa getting ready with her child hood photo in the foreground.
I thought this was a fun picture of the cocktail hour, especially because in Narnia, time isn't exactly time...

Andy and Cathy

Working with Andy and Cathy was effortless! I had a great time shooting with them and I am looking forward to even more opportunities at their wedding next month!

Impact Tip - Bamboo Invitations and Magnificent Milestones

I know this is a bit late in the day but I wanted to share with you where to find bamboo invitations in Chicago! Kara Underwood, of Magnificent Milestones, offeres a new line of bamboo invitations. The company is called Smock and Kara is the only retailer in Chicago so if you are looking for something different and eco-friendly, check out her store in the West Loop and ask for the Smock line of invitations!

She had a little party to introduce the line and I took some photos of the event for her. Greg Christian Catering and A Stem Above also provided the AMAZING food and flowers.

Help me sell my house!

It's a great house....I love that house....and if I could pick it up and move it to the city, I would probably still live in it, but things change and it was time to move so help me! If my house sells as a result of this blog, then the person responsible will get to chose one of the fine art prints you can see hanging on the walls to show my appreciation!

We made several improvements (at least I think it's improved!)

Specs:
2 bedrooms, 1.5 bath

Newly remodeled downstairs bathroom with all slate tiles and new fixtures

Wood burning fireplace and also can be gas burning. (This was a big project to make it wood burning but it was worth it, I love fires!)

Wood floors throughout the whole house. They are the original floors, just refinished so we got to recycle!

Great views and privacy! No houses backing up to house and a forest preserve across the street so just trees in the back

Minutes from 88 and Oak Brook Mall

Basement with lots of storage room and washer/dryer

And some pics!

Eat in kitchen room with access to back patio Dining room with view of living room, nice open layout Living room Awesome fireplace next to my comfy reading chair, my fav spot! Office or second bedroom Master Bedroom with hugs closets and storage!

Shimul and Axel

Today I had the privilege of shooting Shimul and Axel's very intimate outdoor ceremony at the Morton Arboretum. I know, it rained, but that didn't stop them from enjoying every minute of it! Also, Axel is from Sweden and his parents came all the way from there for the ceremony. It rains a lot in Sweden so it really is considered good luck to have "rain in your hair" on your wedding day and I am sure these two will have wonderful times together.

I love this shot, it made me laugh out loud when I got it. I took a tip from a favorite photographer of mine who says, "when you are thinking about what pictures to take, ask yourself wouldn't it be cool if blank happened? then look for that photo and take it." That was the instantaneous thought and execution of this photo and I think it is pretty hilarious I thought this was a great place to shoot a portrait of Axel because this is the type of scene you might see in Sweden

Impact Tip - Green Cleaning

I don't know about you, but cleaning the house sometimes is just too much time! When I lived in Oak Brook, that house was too much to clean, but I was always torn because the people I used didn't speak good English and it was hard to communicate that I didn't want chemicals used in the cleaning of my home. I used Shaklee, all natural cleaning products, but occasionally I would see that they would still use their cleaners and I didn't know what to do because of the impact on my health and the environment. So I just stopped having it cleaned. But now I found an all natural cleaning service that only use eco-friendly products and I just had to share.

Whether you are working, planning a wedding, having kids! You are probably too stressed and too busy to clean, so leave it to the pros and give yourself a break! :)

The Green Maid 877-677-6243 Service is $72/hour.

Molly shoots Julie and Ryan's Wedding

Julie and Ryan had a gorgeous day in Chicago for their wedding, they dressed and got ready at the Intercontinental and then had their ceremony and reception at the Adler Planetarium

The day was filled with fun and excitement, from their first meeting and Ryan's special gift to Julie, and walking on Michigan Ave, to portraits against a beautiful sky. These two are super cute, it was an honor to capture their special day. It was great to work alongside Brent from Fig Media and to taste the amazing food by Food For Thought.