The time is near, in just a few short days Devon and Greg will begin their journey as man and wife. These love birds must be on cloud 9. Let’s take one last look at this happy couple before they tie the knot. We can’t wait to photograph their wedding this Saturday.

We teamed up with City Girl Weddings and Events and White House Black Market for the official launch of
City Girl Weddings and Events. During the launch party we had the opportunity to meet and mingle with
various vendors, and many potential clients. Part of the promotion was for us and other photographers to
take models around the city for mock wedding photoshoots to show off the types of weddings City Girl plans,
style of photographers they work with, not to mention help generate buzz!

www.citygirlweddings.com

This quirky couple’s big day was filled with personality. Each detail infused with a little James and Nikki.
With bright pink, butterfly touches, custom made M&M’s for the candy table and a quaint country chapel
this truly was a day to remember. Congratulations to the newlyweds.

They made their own bouquets and boutonnieres themselves the morning of the wedding from wild flowers Jen’s mom grew in the backyard! Beautiful!

They made a ton of their decorations, including folding the 1,001st golden origami crane for us to photograph.

Nathan’s father sculpted a ring holder plate for Chad, the ring bearer to bring down the isle.

The decorative floral arrangements with Birds of Paradise in them were made by Nathan’s grandmother.

Here is the very thoughtful give away, that was a hand sewn cloth napkin from a relative who had just passed away and couldn’t be at the wedding, and they were all hand stamped with Nathan’s family emblem on them. They were all handing from close pins and rope off of the chandelier.

The eye catching detail above the outside ceremony was the red, orange, and yellow paper hung by rope from the trees, leading the eye straight down from the door to the alter of golden cranes.

Some of the desserts were baked at home! Which we love!

Here are the mason jars for the drink glasses, which all had little place holder flags with all the guest’s names on them.

The name cards were all hand written and hung by rope and mini close pins too!

Here are the invitation, reply card and program. They were all drawn by hand at first and then printed to look that way. Great design!

That is a lot of work put into this wedding! And it was all done so well!

Their rehearsal dinner was catered by the Algonquin Sub Shop. I know, I know, it may look like a hole in the wall kind of place, but do they know how to make a sub. We were disappointed not to be able to make it to the rehearsal just for that reason. We will snag some soon though!

The day after party was also fabulous. The men cooked out on the grills. All of the meat was supplied by Deering’s Market and Deli. Yes, the groom’s family owns a market up in Michigan. The meat was great, all of the hot dogs and brats were stuffed with something, whether it be Michigan Cherries or hot peppers!

But the Wedding was truly the show stopper! They had Kenyan food catered by Kitoweo Catering.

The dinner started family style where they brought out dishes and dishes of food.

They also made homemade chai tea from scratch. I told Elizabeth, from Kitoweo to tell me when it was done, because I needed to get my hands on some of that. And when it was ready, she found me and gave me a cute glass filled with chai! The taste of it may have been the best chai I have had thus far! Very impressive, since it is all I get anywhere I go out.

Hope you enjoyed the photos, but if you are ever in the area of one of these restaurants, or need something catered, you need to stop by and see what all the fuss is about! It is worth it.

Their wedding was in the Cedars of Lebanon State Park, where Jen spent many summers visiting as a child. The park was beautifully shaded by tall trees.

Here are some photos of the couple:

This wedding was very personal. The ceremony was officiated by their friend Jackie. The flower girl is Jen’s two year old sister, Emily. The ring bearer is Jen’s little brother Chad. The decorations were done with help from family and friends. The food was even catered by a friend of the family. Delicious southern BBQ, mmmm!

But the most fun part of their wedding was all of the dancing! Everyone got crazy out on the floor. Friends and family danced together as if they knew each other for years. Feet were moving everywhere. They even broke out a mop to do some limbo. Very fun group of people.

How cute is it, that the bride and flower girl have the same shoes! They are from Hydra Heart on Etsy.

We discovered that morning that the bow tie wouldn’t fasten! Luckily, Jacob finished getting ready much more quickly than the girls, and we made a run to Men’s Warehouse, where a kind tailor fixed the tie.

Exchanging gifts:

Signing the Ketubah, a Jewish tradition:

A beautiful ceremony:

The new couple:

Details:

And finishing the night with some dancing!

Our Story, in her words

After having shared a handful of classes and many mutual friends during our high school career, it was during a choir period our final year at Prospect that David and I first shared our first extensive conversation. We both remember being surprised at the commonality of our current situations and the pleasant feeling of having taken part in a random but wonderful conversation.

A few months later, David approached me and asked me to go to lunch with him and a few friends. I refused, (lamely) intimidated at the thought of accepting the invitation. That night, however, I could not avoid the nagging desire to call him. So, in a very uncharacteristic move, I picked up the phone and dialed his number. That call would change my life.

We were on the phone for hours that night. Though we were, for the most part, still strangers, we felt compelled to share our lives and hearts with each other. The weekend after the first phone call, I accepted David’s invitation to go to church with him. That invitation soon turned into one to go to Camp Harvest with the high school ministry. Though I was nervous and hesitant, David was persistent. I was on my way.

His fractured ankle ended up being one of the hugest blessings of the weekend. While others ran outside through the camp, I stayed with David as he was stranded inside the chapel. We sat as two people, strangely and inexplicably drawn to one another, despite our lack of interest in dating.

At that point, I had always attended church and believed in God; but I felt as though there was just something missing from my “religious habits.” In my great friend I saw something that I wanted for myself—a joy and a life that I desired but just couldn’t figure out. David, however, pointed me to Jesus and explained to me that it wasn’t about my beliefs but rather my relationship with God. He showed me that I was a sinner in need of a Savior. Later that night, I accept Christ and began my walk with the Lord.

Though David and I barely hung out, the time log of our phone conversations continued to grow exponentially. Our friendship quickly morphed into a best friendship. Whether he was calling just to check on me or to share some encouraging Scripture, David consistently showed he cared. I had no other friend like him except that which I found in Jesus Christ.

Although our pure intentions had led us not to expect to ever date, the time we spent together following my return from U of I after the first term led to the beginning of our relationship on January 1, 2006.

Our solid best friendship and already-existing foundation of our relationship in Jesus Christ allowed us to have a very rich and blessed dating life. Despite the many circumstantial challenges we were faced with during our three years of dating—encounters with deaths of loved ones and a constant stream of change in locations and situations—God allowed us to grow immensely both individually and together.

After two and a half years of dating, David asked me to marry him on July 30, 2008. We began our life as one six months later.

Dress- David’s Bridal (ordered online at www.davidsbridal.com)

Shoes- Mary Jane Crocs (Maggie’s Mom’s name was Mary Jane, and she wanted to be comfortable for the entire day!)

Rings- Wyatt Austin Jewelers (www.wyattaustin.com – We highly recommend them!) ; Rogers and Holland’s (www.rogersandhollands.com)
Ceremony- Harvest Bible Chapel – Rolling Meadows (www.harvestrollingmeadows.org)

Flowers- Purchased in bulk from A Perfect Petal (Mt. Prospect, IL – www.aperfectpetal.com)
-arranged by Maggie’s aunt, Deanna LeRose

Reception- Maggiano’s (Skokie, IL — www.maggianos.com)

Tuxes- Formally Modern Tuxedo

Cake – Jewel-Osco (www.JewelOsco.com – Low cost and delicious… even after we unfroze it on our one year anniversary!)

Photographers- Rich and Leeann Chang (they’re brilliant.. use them!!!)