Independence Grove Wedding :: Libertyville Illinois :: Danielle & Jake

Well today it was 100 degrees here in Ottawa and I was vividly remembering this wedding on a similarly hot, summer day. But despite the heat, it was such a fun day. Not only are Danielle & Jake super fun, awesome people, but we shot Jake's sister's wedding a few years back so we knew some of the characters. The wedding was at Independence Grove Forrest Preserve in Libertyville. This is an awesome park. I want to take the kids there and hang out for a day. A day that's not 100 degrees. :) 

Danielle & Jake decided to see each other before the wedding so after getting ready, they met on the patio.

Aww, I love sweet moments with parents too. So we were off to wander around the park. Luckily we had a little golf cart to chauffeur us around the park...and to give a nice breeze so we could air out a bit.

I did try to keep them in the shade as much as possible. The flowers were done by Trellis, which is coincidently enough someone I know! So fun to see her work in person and the flowers were gorgeous. 

The bridal party was huge and I gotta say I'm impressed with myself that I got them all organized under the trellis.

The bride and groom were posing for a phone photo so sometimes I like to take one too....just to prove we are better than your friend's cell phone. :) And despite his best effort, Ryan had to get a picture too. "But why? It's not our wedding." Because. Mary said. You know that by now. :) 

And time to get married. The ceremony location wasn't ideal, light wise. It is so pretty but it's hard to expose when some people are in the shade and some in the sun. I wish venues would consult photographers before they set up a ceremony site. But that's a rant for another day.....it was still a beautiful wedding. 

After the ceremony it was nice and cool and perfect for some family photos. I just love these families. Too often I am saying, Smile. Smile! SMILE! and they still won't smile, but this Grandma was all smiles. I love seeing that!

Time to party. Seth was able to get a few shots of the room during cocktail hour while I mingled and got a few of the guests which was fun. And then it was time to party. And if it looks like Mr. & Mrs Shelpman are coming in looking gangsta....they did. I am seriously singing Gangsta's Paradise looking at the photos!

Here's a little tidbit: Brides, Grooms, DANCE AT YOUR RECEPTION. The sweet little bridesmaids can only draw so many people to the dance floor. If you want people out there, get out there. Trust me. I know it works. And all you other people (not sitting on a cushion), DANCE AT THE RECEPTION. The older I get, the less and less I care about how I look and the more fun I am. Plus maybe I'll get a epic picture of you. :) 

Oh you guys, I am so thankful to have you as clients turned friends. You are awesome and I can't wait to get these all posted for ya! 

EDIT: some of the vertical pictures look fuzzy on my computer. They are not out of focus. When I have to combine them sometimes it does this because I forgot to shrink them after instead of before....yadda yada yada. The files are on the computer in the room where the baby sleeps so I will have to redo them tomorrow. :) Don't judge us by fuzzy photos. You get the idea of how they look.