Ashton and Eric | Table Grove, IL Wedding Photography

Ashton and Eric had the perfect day for an outdoor wedding in Table Grove, IL.  We have to admit when we first received the phone call to photograph a wedding in Table Grove, we had to Google it.  Neither of us had been there before.  We are definitely glad we had this opportunity.  They were married on Eric's cousin's private property under an old tree. It was very romantic.  Ok, first let's start with the property...GORGEOUS!  Old trees, a pond, nature trails...just an all around perfect backdrop for the wedding! So much attention and work went into all the details and decorations.  Here dress (from David's Bridal) is shown hanging from the wooden doors that Ashton walked through on her way down the aisle to say I Do!

 

 

Here is her gorgeous bouquet from Le Fleur Floral Design in Washington IL. The pearls she chose to wear were just the right touch!

 

Ashton did all the work preparing the decor, including the candle jars for the centerpieces. It's definitely starting to feel like fall in Central IL!

 

Here is Ashton, stunning in her delicately laced dress!

 

And the handsome groom, Eric, in his tuxedo from Men's Wearhouse.

 

Here they are under the tree receiving a blessing before saying their vows.

We love that the tree had a big swing!  No better place for the Jr Bridesmaid to hang out!

 

We love to play peekabo when we shoot sometime.  Here is He Clicks peeking through an opening in the leaves, framing the beautiful couple!

Ashton and Eric decided to seal a letter to each other in this wooden box.  On their 1 yr anniversary they will open it and read the letters they wrote to each other on their wedding day!   Right before this moment, they also lit a candle in rememberance of Eric's dad.  Both were very sweet moments!

 

How that they are officially man and wife...time for some pictures! Wahoo!

 

We had to take advantage of the swings they had throughout the property!

 

...and they lived happily every after.  This sign was a backdrop for their ceremony, propped against the tree!

This cake came from HyVee and was lovingly decorated with flowers by her Grandma!

 



It didn't take too long though before they were both wearing the cake :)  We love a couple that has fun together!  There was much laughter with these two!

 



 

And here is a view of the tent (from Morton Rental)!  The party under the tent was kept going by DJ Joey Davidson. As you can see it was a lovely ending to another loverly wedding! Best of wishes Ashton and Eric on many many years of happiness and laughter!

Chrys and Erick Wedding | Bloomington-Normal Marriot | Bloomington IL Wedding Photography

Sometimes you meet a couple and you just know that there is actual meaning behind the word soulmate.  Chrys and Erick's wedding day was proof of this. We can write words that tell their story, and do our best to show the images we captured, but nothing can compare to the time we spent, in person, witnessing their true love.  Beautiful. We will do our best to tell their wedding story from our points of view, but know it won't do their love story justice! 

Chrys and Erick made it really easy for us by having their ceremony and reception both at the Marriot in uptown Normal. The hotel did a great job at setting up both rooms, 1 for the ceremony, and 1 for the reception next door. As Warren was putting all the final touches on the photo booth, Mary went up to the suite where Chrys was preparing for her big day!  The Marriot's suites are nothing less than amazing. There is plenty of room for all the girls to get ready and the decor is modern and stylish.

The first thing She Clicks does is look for a place to hang the wedding gown.  Fortunately, the hotel had plenty of options, so she took advantage of that!  This gorgeous dress came from Bridal Elegance.  The beautiful flowers you will see throughout this post were from Viva La Flor, a new friend of ours who we met the following day at the WBNQ Bridal Show!

While Viva La Flor did an excellent job with all the flowers, we have to give props to the bride for the hard work and creativity she put into her own bouquet.  It was stunning! 

As we've mentioned before we love personal touches. The bride chose photo pendants on her bouquet to honor the memory of both her grandmothers.

Here is Chrys' mother helping her into her gown.

As much as we love to play with different lighting techniques, there is always something so simple and soft about window light.

And here's the photo booth that He Clicks built all set up and ready for the party!

She looks gorgeous as she makes her way down the stairs for her portraits!

Here is the very handsome groom in his tux from Men's Wearhouse.

This little boy was the sweetest thing ever, complete with tears of happiness!

And that moment when the bride is escorted down the aisle...

...and the groom grinning ear to ear at the sight before him!

Here is a view of the ceremony set up in the Marriot.  Picture Perfect!

The vows.  We see many weddings and hear many of the same vows. This couple, however, wrote their own vows.  The sweetest vows ever.  EVER.  There was not a dry eye in the room. 

And then they sealed it with a kiss!

This is their super sweet family.

Once the ceremony ended we had a little time before the reception started to take family pictures and bridal party shots.  We started with the family in the same room the ceremony took place.   The bridesmaids did a great job of corralling the family and groomsmen, and for that we were very appreciative.  It kept us on schedule and we were able to fly through the pictures!  Once we finished the family pictures we took the bridal party back to that awesome staircase in the lobby.

Above is what we call sassy...Below is what we call gangsta!

And this we simply call love.  Now I will let the pictures speak for themselves for just a bit.

Didn't we tell you they were sweet?  So now that they are hitched, it's time to party.  But first, the father of the bride has a toast to give.  He tears up a begins talking about the love he has for his daughter, her beauty and her creativity.  Then he mentions Erick.  He went on to say he wasn't too fond of Erick from the start.  He judged him because of his tattoos.  He continued that growing up he had long hair and was often judged by that, and forgot how that felt..  As he got to know Erick he realized that he was wrong about Erick. Erick was one of the good guys.  So what do you think he did to honor the couples love and their marriage?  The day before the wedding he went and got himself a tattoo.  Yes, the father of the bride got a tattoo to show his love and to honor the union between his daughter and her new husband.  This was her reaction to the news!

And this here is a picture he had on his phone of the tattoo.  The tattoo was done by Chad on Northstreet Tattoo in Normal.

The couple chose the song Aaron Lewis-Tangled Up In You to dance their first dance to.

 "In this world where nothing else is true, here I am still tangled up in you..."

Our friends at Absolute Light and Sound kept the party going late into the night. It was truly a magical day and a great time was had by all!  Erick and Chrys we know your future together will be filled with love and happiness!  Congratulations again to you both!

Drew and Jessica | Decatur and Springfield IL Wedding Photography | First Lutheran Church and Crowne Plaza Hotel

When we met Jessica and Drew for the first time it was clear they were meant for each other.  They actually grew up living next door to each other...how cool is that!  Since they were neighbors both families are actually close friends which made for a very loving celebration.  The couple were married at First Lutheran Church in Decatur, with the reception at Crowne Plaza in Springfield.  The colorful stained glass at the church made for a lovely backdrop for Jessica's gorgeous gown from Elite Bridal.  

We love capturing the details throughout the day. Here we placed the rings from Rogers and Holland on Jessica's beaded garter for this blinged-out macro shot.  For our photographer friends this was taken with the 100mm 2.8 macro lens (at 2.8).

The garter used in the ring picture above is pictured below with the flowers and shoes.  We love when personal touches are added to honor family members that are no longer with us.  Picture charms on bouquets are a perfect way to keep your loved ones close as you walk down the aisle.

Jessica's sister and mom helped her into her dress, and I must say it was a very entertaining group.  Growing up in their house had to be so much fun!  Actually, fun and humor was a popular theme throughout the day!

Even the card Drew picked out for Jessica had her laughing.  Well the card had her laughing, and the words might have caused a tear or two...the perfect balance of humor and romance!

Jessica wanted to have a first reveal with her father and it was such a sweet moment as he saw his little girl for the first time in her wedding dress.  They had to share his hanky to wipe away a few tears.

 

 

And here it is...the moment when Drew saw Jessica for the first time.  We love when couples choose to do a first reveal so they can get through many of their pictures before the ceremony.  One it allows couples to get to their reception faster and be with their guests, but more importantly it gives them a chance to have that special moment in a more private setting than in front of all their guests.   It's a chance to calm each other's nerves, say a few private words, and just be together.  We stay far enough away at this time so we're not interfering with the moment, but we're also happy to step away once we have the pictures so the couple can share a truly private moment.

 

Here are a few of the pictures we captured right outside the church prior to the ceremony.  You can see no big park is needed.  All you need to do is find a pocket of greenery and use a long lens to compress that background closer (just another tip for our photography friend blog readers).

And here we are in the church stating the vows!  She Clicks loves getting around to the sides (not up too close though) when possible.  The facial expressions are priceless captures!

This is the inside of the First Lutheran Church.  It was actually our first time photographing in there!

The first kiss as husband and wife!

Time to let loose and party!

But first one quick stop at the old Korn Krib in Latham IL.

 

 

Whew...that was some bright sun!  Really the day was absolutely gorgeous!

 

 

 

The Crowne Plaza in Springfield was a beautiful location for their reception!  They know how to spoil their brides and grooms (and guests).  There was a large hallway right outside the banquet area that made for an amazing cocktail hour.  No one was allowed in the ballroom until the bride and groom had the first look. It was a great opportunity for them to really take in all the details they had worked so hard on. As you can see it was gorgeous!

 

Drew works in the cattle industry so it was only fitting they had cowbells for the guests to ring if they wanted the couple to kiss...instead of the standard clinking the glasses!  Perfect personalized touch! MORE COWBELL!!!! :)

First dance as husband and wife.

 

 

 

An end of the night shot done in the hallway where the cocktail hour was held.

 

 Where there is an elevator (with a good camera angle) and a bride and groom willing to have fun He Clicks-She Clicks will play!  Final shot of the night!  Congratulations again to Drew and Jessica, we wish you MANY, MANY  years of happiness!