A very theatrical Chicago Wedding. Staring:Lani + Joe

It's safe to say your wedding day is your day to shine! Though in this case, these two people that make up the dynamic marring duo shine on a regular basis, in their own light.  The blushing bride is hardly that, as she often graces the stage in front of many a packed house as a soprano vocalist and opera singer. Her latest performance accolades include sharing her lyrical talents with non other than Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in a recent visit the esteemed judge paid to Chicago. This wildly talented, perfectly poised sweetheart found her match in an equally talented, musically inclined gentleman composer that likely couldn't write a sweeter love song than the one he and his lady found together.  His gentle demeanor and graciousness through out their big day inspired a very relaxed and jovial wedding day vibe. With these stage notes in mind, it was no surprise that Lani + Joe chose their wedding ceremony to be fully composed around an amazing choral liturgy and their reception to showcase the many talents of their friends & family of performance prowess. It was, therefore, my  job to perfectly light this showcase of love!

Even in the highest tides of wedding season, finding the right light for our couple each weekend is really important to me. I don't have a standard list of locations I hit for every wedding and, in fact, I lean heavily on my lovebirds to tell me where they love to spend time, what spots in the city they call cozy and we plan our photo tours accordingly. In this case, Lani + Joe really wanted to be sure we could capture some photos on their wedding day where they'd gotten engaged at Hollywood Avenue Beach. Fellow photographers out there know that beach lighting- with the exception of right before sunrise and right before sunset - is less than ideal. But most important to the Rose Photo mission of authentic storytelling, is listening to our clients and figuring out how to best tell their love story with our tools! So, with that, we went to the beach and I lit the stars of the show accordingly.

Lani + Joe, I would love to share with you just the one image that sums up the title of this blog entry as well as your pitch perfect wedding day and I'm sure you can guess which on that might be; but since I'm just the talent and not the editor, I digress.  Here is a sweet highlight real from a very dramatic and inspired wedding day staring a wildly talented cast of plenty!

 

love,

Rose + Co

Little kids in a big city: Downtown Chicago Family photos

Little kids with big dreams in a world class city are often my boss! This little lady is no exception to that rule and, in fact, her personality is bigger than big. Little Ms. L greeted me at the start our lifestyle family photo session last weekend with a hearty hand shake and boisterous intro stating that she was doing GREAT! With that energetic tempo, we traveled up and down the Chicago River Walk, danced under the newly installed Tony Tasset DEER sculpture and finally made our way for a sweet treat from Dylan's Candy Bar.  All in an afternoon of family photo fun, we got the good captures that we'd spent weeks planning for and even dodged a few meltdowns, because...well being a little big kid is hard work, especially in front of the camera! 

To my newest tiny boss, little Ms. L, thank you for being SO full of playful energy and playing along with our photo plan even when you'd had enough. It paid off in the end with a candy haul and, of course, these sweet photographs.

love,

Rose + Co

Asheville, North Carolina's own #MrsandMrAsheVegas tie the knot!

Where to begin with this one!?!? I spent 10 minutes writing about how I hate writing and just really prefer to make gorgeous photos instead. Then, I decided that writing a blog about love can’t include the word hate so immediately deleted that. I was told recently, to my delightful surprise, that people actually read this little ol blog thing of mine and don’t just scroll down to see the photographs. So, if you can’t already tell, I’m more nervous to write this one than the last but I now think - as I type- that is because I’m falling more and more in love with my work every day. It’s almost as though these little blog entries that once only served as love letters to my clients, as sweet notes of gratitude and honor to be included in documenting such beautiful ritual, can't go unwritten; at the very least they have to have some corresponding verbiage to go with the imagery. And so as my love for my own photographic work has evolved, so has my love…errr let’s say occasional ‘like’ for my letter writing. Hopefully, as I gush gloriously over this set of photographs (wait....don’t scroll yet!!) the words match in someway in strength and valor to the love that just pours out from these images. To say my photo work has evolved is an understatement. To say I actually feel proud to write about it is a small victory I can’t help but humble brag about. There, that’s my disclaimer. Now for the real sappy stuff!
                                         THIS PLACE. THESE PEOPLE. THIS LOVE
There is something intrinsically special about the hills of Western North Carolina. So special, in fact, that I myself, can’t stay away from the small mountain town called Asheville. Interestingly enough so goes the story of the beauty that was married recently in those glowing hills and inspires this entry. Jane had left and come back to good ol Western North Carolina a few times and as they say, the third time is a charm; especially when you're as charming as Jane Kramer. 

     On a previous stint in WNC, she had met with Jason for an interview for his online, local news and entertainment website, Ashevegas, for all things Asheville in anticipation of her first solo album. Then, when Jane returned to Asheville yet again, she followed up with him to ask him out!! Hello, modern day woman!! Though rumor has it, he'd never lost sight of her since that interview and was also quite delighted to see the wildly talented singer/songwriter back in the Blue Ridge Mountains. And so Mr. Ashevegas himself found his way to his heart's dream by way of the sweetest voice this side of the continental divide! His valor and dedication to Jane's happiness are unparalleled; you can seriously see it in his eyes (wait.... don't scroll yet!!). After she sang her custom writ vows to Jason, he replied to her with the focus and sincerity reserved for the one your heart waits for. He said in his vows 'I see you, Jane'. To be seen, isn't that what we all want....to be seen?


I saw their love, pure and true last weekend in the bright, fall light and am so honored to share these captures that inspire me beyond even my most poured over attempts at writing. I've been told you are always exactly where you need to be and I've not always believed that to be true. Despite, that very thought popped into my head over and over at this celebration of love as I noticed everyone on that splendid Mars Hill farm, dancing amongst the paper lanterns, howling through the slats of the old red barn and laughing to their hearts' delight, were absolutely exactly where we needed to be. So, without further ado, if you haven't already, please enjoy the love that these two incredible souls share with one another. I am out of words and like my photography professors drilled into my head, 'you shouldn't have to say anything about your images. They should speak for themselves'. Well, too late!


love,
Rose + Co

 

 

DOWNTOWN CHICAGO MICHIGAN AVENUE : MOST MAGNIFICENT WEDDING

When I first met Sara P I immediately wanted to shop with her. This girl's sense of style is unparalleled.  We chatted over a glass of vino (or two) and decided we should work together on all things wedding.  It worked out smashingly because next door to our creative meeting was a pop-up trunk show that was just screaming our name! With Sara's encouragement, I scored an amazing Chartreuse Green leather jacket and Sara got an incredibly inspired, wedding photographer out of the day date ;) Then, when I had the occasion to meet Milos, the lucky guy that would wed this style queen a year and some change later, I could not wait until October 7 the following fall. His Serbian roots and jovial character made me instantly want to be his cousin...even if I'm more Ukrainian than Serbian...still I wanted to be family with this guy.  As we began planning how their amazing wedding day celebration would look in photos at the iconic, Chicago venue The University Club, I knew this wedding was going to be one of my all-time favorites: subject and location being the most foundational elements of any good photograph. 

First up, that ring!  A blue sapphire, solitude engagement ring was going to need its own time to shine on the photo timeline. You'll see I couldn't help myself and it was hard to even choose which one to select after we captured it's brilliance and shine! Onto all the gorgeous details of Sara's Carolina Herrera wedding gown to Milos's Balani custom suit; the glam fashion squad was in full effect on this amazing wedding day. The rain subsided on that Chicago Marathon weekend just in time for their first look on the roof terrace of the Club and sprinkled around again to provide the most perfectly timed, ceremony shining, double rainbow ever!! From their first kiss as wife and husband to their gregarious first dance, these two absolutely reveled in their big day.  Milos even arranged a surprise serenade during their beautiful reception for his bride as he sang lead vocals backed by Sara's family on guitars and vocals. IT WAS AMAZING!!!

Sara+ Milos,  you know I actually had a love hangover on the Sunday following your wedding?! I was just the lead on photos for the day, no dancing or drinking for this gal; the energy of the entire wedding day was so incredibly palpable it would’ve been hard not to feel it the next day. I was truly abuzz the entire day after and felt so inspired by your love, your friends + family and everything that celebration represented. I kept overhearing Sara's mom say, 'Have fun babies!'. I felt that was the sweetest wish to you both and I am so honored to have captured so much of that heartfelt fun! Thank you for trusting my vision on your wedding day. I'm over the moon about this highlight reel and I hope you are, too!

love,

Rose + Co 

Wedding Wednesday: Maple + Ash Brunch

Details. Details. Details. I am admittedly so obsessed with the minutia, especially when it comes to floral design and anything sparkly.  This, of course, is an oxymoron in the making as the details require the utmost focus and the sparkly...well..SQUIRREL! As with many a millennial, I do try to fight the stereotype, but our focus can be fleeting.  In capturing all the incredible details of a wedding day brunch, I prefer to seek out the sparkly and zoom in, literally and figuratively. I also love finding the exactly perfect pockets of light and wait for my subject to walk directly into the scene. Focusing in on the minutia amongst the sparkly + sometimes contrasting light is a favorite physical challenge of mine. In finding that good light in the gorgeous texture and colors of Maple + Ash, we had the perfect setting for this beautiful bridal brunch. With autumnal floral accents by Fragrant Design, the venue sparkled even without a little bubbly buzz from mid morning mimosas!

Have a peek at this beautiful morning in Chicago's Gold Coast with all the #WeddingWednesday inspiration one caffeine buzzing millennial can write about!

love,

Rose + Co