Alyssa and Jacob! What a wedding day! These two have been separated by several states for many, many months, so they told me that June 26th marked the beginning of their “together forever,” and how sweet it was to photograph the emotion and joy of these two as they celebrated becoming husband and wife (“ELATED” is the perfect word that comes to mind!!).
The weather obviously plays such a big part on a wedding day — we’re huge fans of rainy wedding days (and all of the vibrant, dramatic colors they bring!) — and we were prepared with umbrellas and a whole rain plan, because the forecast on the morning of the wedding was 100% change of rain. As I was getting ready, the rain was pouring down, and as we were walking out the door, we got a tornado warning alert on our phones! But Marty and I pray for all of our couples on their wedding days, and so we prayed for Alyssa and Jacob, and we asked God for no rain, for no wind, and for some beautiful glowy light (which truly seemed like an audacious request!!). PEOPLE — by the time the ceremony was over, we had beautiful hazy sunlight illuminating the church (what?!), and at their reception, there was the prettiest, glowiest sunset and we were able to capture some truly beautiful golden-hour portraits! We were so incredibly thankful!
Enjoy Alyssa and Jacob’s beautiful wedding day, and the pure JOY on their faces as they begin their life as husband and wife!

Hotel: Doubletree Hilton Naperville
Ceremony: Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church
Reception Venue: Cantigny Weddings
Bridal Gown: Essence of Australia from The Crystal Bride
Groom and Groomsmen: Men’s Wearhouse
Bridesmaids: Azazie
Hair & Makeup: One Bridal
Invitations: Paper Source
Florals: Gwen Ramirez and Sarah Lopez
Cake: The Sugar Path
Entertainment: Craig / Sounds Abound Entertainment

Marty’s view and my view (love this!!).











Next, we were off to Cantigny for portraits in their beautiful gardens!

Cantigny Golf provided a beautiful backdrop for their reception!










We looked out the window after dinner, saw sunlight and a sunset (!!!) and ran outside for a few more portraits!