Ok so I’m a little late on this post, but it just snowed for the first time this year, so it’s still winter. I’m now in the mood to post our first winter wedding of 2013!
It was a chilly day, but Jackie & Drew were warmed by their love, their friends, & a little dancing with the bridal party out on the golf course.
We had a great day with them & were so happy to capture their beautiful wedding in Tremont, IL & reception at Metamora Fields, in Metamora, IL. Both beautiful venues for this gorgeous couple. They had a blustery windy engagement session day and still looked stunning producing some of my favorite engagement pictures. We knew we’d be in for a day of fun photography!
Here are a few of my favorites with some comments/explanation. If you are just here for the pictures and not to make friends, that’s fair. Skip to the end and you’ll see a slideshow with a few extra pictures. If you don’t understand why one is in there, you’ll have to come back and read the commentary.
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Something about this picture makes me laugh. How many bridesmaids does it take to button a dress?
Like I said, it was a chilly January day. So we had their first meet in the sanctuary. The doors and stained glass was beautiful so we used it a lot. But this one is in b&w because I love Jackie resting her head on her groom. I think she was just so excited to see him that it calmed all the nerves and I love the emotion of the picture.
Here are some of the windows. We try to keep you inside as long as possible when it’s cold. But it’s important to get some pictures outside if you can. The natural light is better (for our style/in our opinion) so we take everybody outside! Winter brides are not exempt. But typically they aren’t too cold. It’s the bridesmaids who really suffer.
The church had this neat door so as we wandered about, we took advantage. And it wasn’t in the sun. Which is a bummer for heat, but is good for afternoon pictures. If the church has a cool door, check to see if it’s in the bright sun around noon, it’s hard to use without squinting!
Bahahaha! Seth told me about this picture when he came back inside. “They did the pencil jump!”. It is hysterical!
I am asked pretty frequently how we work during a ceremony since there are two of us. I am posting this picture to illustrate.
I stand in the back, typically in the hall with everyone, and then I swoop in when the bride is about halfway down (and no eyes are on the back) and get a few shots of her walking down from the back and then her father giving her away. As I was moving to get ready to sneak in (since this aisle was short) I caught this picture quickly of her dad looking at her that I just think is so sweet.
Seth got a picture of that above moment too, but this was his next picture that I also love. He squats in the front and gets pictures of the groom’s face and the front picture of everyone coming down the aisle. When she gets to close to the front, he sneaks around the side and out of the way. A huge priority for us is to not be in anyone’s way or to be seen. We are ninja like. Don’t underestimate our sneakiness.




Winter weddings are truly beautiful and I in particular just love the season. That being said, you have to be careful how you schedule your day if you are getting married in Day Light Savings Time. We lost the light around 4.45 on this Saturday. So we could have stayed at the church and done some group family photos, but I knew that doing outdoor pictures at the reception was really important to Jackie & Drew. {Make sure to communicate that stuff to your photographer!!} So we decided to skip the family photos at the church and do them after dinner instead which worked out just fine. It also gave us a good 30 minutes at the golf course for some pictures with the perfect light!
Key to keeping warm….movement. Here we are having a dance party in attempts to keep those girls warm!
Metamora Fields is beautiful. The windows and the light fixtures and everything is just terrific. If you know anyone looking for a spot for a wedding, this is one of my favorites. There are other golf courses in Peoria, but they just aren’t as nice as this one. Check it out.
Mother and son. Gets me everytime.
I just love using lights in my shots. Seth takes the more traditional shots of the first dances and I like to do this.
Shout out to Mark @ Top Hat Productions. He is our go-to recommendation for DJs in Central IL. He is great and even has a photo booth now! Check him out.
Ok I’m posting this to encourage you couples to DANCE AT WEDDINGS! You could have a totally cool picture like this of yourself for just the cost of a blender at Bed, Bath & Beyond or wherever your friends are registered.
I love her looking at her guy. Sweetness.
It was a great day and I hope the pictures speak to that and the amazing relationship Jackie & Drew have. We wish them a lifetime of health & happiness.
Check out the slideshow below (when the blue bar appears, it’s loaded) and you can like us on facebook or click the facebook button below to share these pictures. It would be nice of you to do that since facebook makes businesses pay to advertise and post now.
Anyway, if you need pictures in Illinois, give us a shout. We live in the boonies so we travel all over the state without charging any travel fees!
Thanks for reading and not skipping ahead. Here’s your reward: