Thursday, June 28, 2012

Megan & Brian | Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens Wedding



When I first met Brian and Megan to chat about their wedding, I could tell that they were going to be a lot o' fun...and not just because they chose Carlyle Brewing Co. for our meeting location, haha. As we talked about their upcoming wedding, how they met, and just swapped stories I even found out they'd be spending their honeymoon at the same small Costa Rican bungalows where my wife and I spent ours. So I knew they had great taste as well. :)

 As we chatted, they kept enthusiastically talking about their wedding location. A few weeks before the wedding I found out why. Besides all the people I get to meet and get to know, one of the other great things about photographing weddings is all the beautiful spaces I get to see and photograph in. The Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens is definitely one of those places. And so last weekend, I photographed their intimate wedding ceremony there. Here's some photos:


Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.


After the ceremony was finished and the guests headed out, we had our run of the gardens for a bit, and we took full advantage of that!

Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.


Now, I have very few rules when it comes to photographing a wedding, but one of them is that if a bride and groom ask you if you'll get some photos of them riding of on their Harley, you say yes. Every time....
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Rule #2: when the bride and groom are riding that Harley to an old-school ice cream parlor, you tag along for that too. :)
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.
Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.


Now this last photo needs a little explanation. As I stood talking with Brian outside the ice cream parlor, and elderly man with a cane slowly walked over to us. When he got over to us he extended his hand to Brian, and said "I just wanted to say congratulations. I was married to the most wonderful woman for 66 years, and I lost her a few years ago...If you're 1/5 as happy as we were you're in for a hell of a ride." We listened and watched as his eyes teared up a bit as he talked - not sad tears but the happy tears of a life spent with the right person. He told us about their life together, how they traveled the world, weathered WWII, had children, and many great adventures, and he pulled out his wallet and showed us photos of these adventures. The photo on the left below is of their first date together, 73 years ago. The photo on the right is of his daughters ("and then THIS happened!" he said with a grin as he pointed to it). We can all only hope for that to happen.

Congratulations Megan & Brian!

  Summer Wedding Photography at Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens near Madison, Rockford, and Chicago.


Venue: Janesville Rotary Botanical Gardens
Amazing Wedding Cake Ice Cream: Dairyhaus
Two Person Limousine: Harley Davidson
Assistant: Mindy Young
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Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Rockford Wedding Photography | Nicole & Pat

Wedding in Rochelle, and outdoor bridal session at Baumann Park in Cherry Valley. Reception at Franchesco's in Rockford, IL.

Weddings are about trust, and I don't mean just for the couple getting married. Usually, by the time I've photographed a couple's wedding we've sat down together to chat on numerous occasions and possibly done an engagement shoot. But with Nicole and Pat living in North Carolina when they first booked me for their wedding (thanks Google!) and in the process of moving halfway across the country in the weeks leading up to their wedding, I didn't get to actually meet Nicole until several weeks before the big day, and Pat until the night before. So they put a lot of trust in me without having seen me work firsthand. There was so much trust that Nicole's mom told me that she left her camera at home because she knew I'd get everything she wanted! (no pressure there, haha)  Anyway, I'm a photographer not a writer and I've typed long enough...here's a look at Nicole & Pat's wedding!


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Assistant Photographer: John Parli
Reception: Francesco's
Dress: David's Bridal
Tuxedos: Men's Wearhouse

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