Fine Art Wedding Photography by DWP

Cassidy + Micah | E-Session

Fall is perhaps my favorite season. Boots, jackets that don't make you look like an eskimo and that tempertature that's cool but not too cold are just a few of the reasons I love it so much. Shooting during this season is also incredibly fun because the city is transformed by these yellow and red trees for a few weeks. Today we bring you Cassidy and Micah's engagement session, a colorful, fall afternoon near Michigan avenue.

How they met

We met through a mutual friend in Chicago on St. Patrick's Day two years ago. I had just moved back to the states from London and was visiting Chicago with my close friend for a much-needed visit, who coincidentally grew up in Florida where Micah is from. We all ran into each other in a pub celebrating the holiday in true Chicago fashion. . . and well, the rest is history. Cassidy moved here two months later and we’ve been together ever since. 

The Proposal

It was a beautiful day in Chicago and Micah suggested that we spend the whole day outside. We live in Lincoln Park and love the neighborhood so we walked over to the park and spent some time lying in the grass in front of the conservatory. Eventually, we wandered into the conservatory to check out the beautiful plants and flowers. We were walking around and eventually found ourselves in a light, airy room with a new water fountain and all of sudden Micah was down on one-knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I said yes! 

Abbie + Michael | E-Session

Abbie and Michael are getting married this winter (in just a little over a month!) at Room 1520. I am so looking forward to their cozy, wintry wedding and I can't wait to see what they do to the very urban space they are getting married in. For their engagement session we walked along the path that they walk home from work every day, through Grant Park. Below are just a few of our favorite images as well as their story of how they met.

How they met, from Abbie

Michael and I attended law school together and our first year, we had all of our classes together. Half way through our first year, we became friends and started studying together. Our friendship quickly exploded -- Studying turned into going to coffee. Going to coffee turned into finding every excuse to email each other, call each other, get a drink together, and just spend as much time together as our busy schedules allowed. After two years, we admitted that we were more than friends and we finally went on a real date. We've been together ever since.

Stacey + Judd | E-Session

Stacey and Judd are getting married next year at the Chicago Illuminating Company. We spent an afternoon getting to know both them and their aorable King Charles Cavalier, Charlie a bit better. Below are just a few of our favorites from their session as well as their how they met and proposal stories (which is such a fun read - you don't want to skip it!).

How We Met …

Stacey:  Judd and I met in law school.  More specifically, we met on the first day of law school orientation in the computer networking seminar … on what otherwise was proving to be the worst day of my life.  Uprooted only days prior from my home and family in Ohio, I was determined to put on a brave face and begin law school (and my life in Chicago) with grace and confidence.  Three obstacles stood in my way:  (1) I did not know a soul; (2) I did not know the difference between the “el” and the “Metra” (and would continue taking the commuter train downtown from Lincoln Park every day until at least October); and (3) Chicago-Kent College of Law was decidedly not “Mac-friendly”.   Having never actually used a PC, I did not bother taking my brand new computer out of its box until forced to do so by the evil gremlin otherwise known as the IT computer guy.  From the moment it was powered on, that computer did nothing but display what must be the PC-equivalent of the “sad Mac” face.  Without another option, I raised my hand for assistance. 

Judd:  We were in a room full of clueless 1Ls trying to figure out how to set our computers up on our law school’s network. My computer wasn’t working, and I was in over my head.  Little did I know that a pretty blonde girl seated several rows ahead had even less of an idea what she was doing.  She raised her hand to ask a question, and IT guy shot her an icy cold glance, furious glance that this young law student had the audacity to interrupt his moment in the spotlight.  As the IT guy proceeded to yell at the blonde for wasting everyone’s time, I could see that she was holding back tears.  Several minutes later, I raised my hand to ask a question and was met with the same fury and condescension.  Holding back tears myself, I scanned the room for a sympathetic soul to share my humiliation.  That was the first time I saw those big brown eyes, the ones I’m fortunate enough to be able to look into every morning when I wake up, and every night when I go to bed.  She smiled at me, and at that moment, the last thing on my mind was this stupid computer.  

The Proposal …

Judd proposed on Friday, July 8, 2011, almost five years later.  He picked me up early from work on Thursday, under the pretense that we would be going to the suburbs to have dinner with his family.  That day at work was particularly stressful, and I wanted nothing more than to curl up in sweatpants with a bottle of wine.  An hour commute to the suburbs to have dinner with my boyfriend’s extended family was, of course, second on my list.  Needless to say, I was cranky and tired when Judd picked me up, and I fell asleep immediately upon buckling my seatbelt.  My annoyance turned to confusion when I woke up and realized that we had passed our intended exit.  That’s when Judd informed me that instead of dinner, we were dropping the dog off with his parents and going away for the weekend.  As it turns out, Judd had asked my parents’ permission, requested the day off work from my boss, packed my bags, and planned an incredible weekend getaway in Lake Geneva.  Despite one minor speed bump (even though he packed my entire jewelry box and make-up case, my only clothes options were long-sleeved wool dresses and what can only be described as “hooker shoes” that I purchased to go with an 80’s Madonna Halloween ensemble), I could not have hoped for or imagined a more perfect weekend.  Judd got down on one knee on the golf course at sunset.  Not only had he carefully chosen the exact spot where he would propose, Judd arranged for us to have dinner on a terrace overlooking that spot, at an awaiting table strewn with rose petals and a chilled bottle of champagne.  The next day we returned home, where our families were waiting to continue the celebration.  That weekend was just another reminder of how lucky I am to be marrying such an incredibly thoughtful man, who also happens to be my very best friend.

Jessie + Dane | E-Session

The best part of being a photographer is getting to tell a story that other people might not see. The kinds of stories we get to tell are those that happen in just a few seconds, a stolen glance, a laugh at a joke that only one other person heard. These small moments make up the chemistry of a couple, and I love finding these things every time I pick up my camera. It's also especially fun learning the history behind those stories. Today I bring you Jessie and Dane's story along with just a few of our favroite photos from our engagement session with them in Grant Park.

On the dating years, from Jessie:

We met through mutual friends at the end of my four years in college in upstate New York. Dane came to visit and we hit it off immediately, but I figured, since we lived across the country from each other that it wasn't meant to be. Dane figured if we saw each other enough over the summer that the distance wouldn't matter. And it soon didn't. After almost a year of long distance, Dane moved to Chicago. We have spent four wonderful years together. 

On the proposal, from Dane:

I told Jessie that I was proposing in June because she insisted on knowing. On April 26th, I took her out to eat at a small French restaurant and over delicious food and a bottle of wine, asked her to marry me. She was shocked and emotional. She said yes. It was perfect. 

Jon + Joey | an editorial e-session | The Polaroids

Though Polaroid coverage is an option for any of our shoots, we thought it especially appropriate for this session given we were chaneling the 60's, the very heyday of Polaroid technology. In fact our Polaroid Land cameras date from this very era. The tones of these images perfectly matched the feel we wanted. While we can't properly convey the magic of having those small, glossy, white bordered prints, and their beautiful tones in your hands, we can show you an approximation of what they look like. So without further ado:

Thousand Islands | an Engagement Session | Catherine + Chris

Until quite recently, I didn't know that the Thousand Islands was actually a place. I always thought it was just a funny name for a salad dressing. Little did I know that nestled in upstate New York along the St. Lawrence River there are thousands of tiny little islands making up up this very real, and stunningly beautiful place. Growing up, Chris and his family went there every summer, and now, as an adult, it is still something he looks forward to every year. It wasn't hard to see why Catherine has grown quite fond of it too. Thus they decided that Chris's childhood summer home along the St. Lawrence River would be the perfect location for their engagmeent session. 

The session involved two days of shooting on speed boats, incredibly designed antique boats, and walking around Chris' family's three islands. We loved experiencing this beautiful part of the country and came away with some incredible images. Below are just a few of our favorites from those days.

A big thanks to Trey Vars from the Antique Boat Museum in Clayton, NY for facilitaing this shoot and driving the antique boat, and to Gray who expertly drove the chase-boat allowing us to get many of these photos.

(Scroll down to read Catherine and Chris's proposal story). 

 

The proposal:

Chris targeted Friday, January 28th, for proposal-day. The timing was a function of the jeweler’s availability (she wasn’t going to have the ring ready until after the Christmas/New Year’s “rush”) and our planned trip to Africa. Although we hadn’t discussed getting married, Chris knew that people were probably putting odds on the fact that we’d get engaged while in Africa. Partially because of not wanting to be predictable, not wanting to copy William and Kate (who got engaged in Africa in January) and, not wanting to travel with a ring in his pocket, Chris decided to propose the week prior to the trip. 
He chose the Elysian Hotel as the venue since he knew it was Catherine’s favorite in the city. He got a reservation at Ria and booked a suite upstairs. The only instruction that he gave to Catherine was to show up for a “date night”. Unfortunately, not everything went as planned. The ring was in New York and was scheduled to arrive in Chicago on Wednesday, January 26th. However, on the evening of January 25th, New York received a record breaking snow storm. Nothing was getting out of the city – including the ring. It didn’t come on Thursday either. Chris was able to track it down around noon on Thursday and it was on a truck, somewhere in the middle of Indiana. Friday morning came and the tracking results showed that the ring was due to arrive at FedEx’s O’Hare distribution facility at 8am, which was after the day’s cut-off for distribution. As a result, Chris contemplated delaying the proposal. However, he received some advice that he didn’t technically need a ring to propose. He quickly ran over to Sweet ‘n’ Sassy and bought the closest thing that he could find that resembled a diamond ring. The plans were back on track. 
After a fantastic dinner, including a lot of wine, Catherine questioned Chris’s ability to drive home. To which, Chris replied: “let’s just stay here.” At first Catherine thought that Chris was kidding and expected that we’d just leave the car at the hotel for the night. However when it was time to go, Chris directed Catherine away from the elevator that went down to the lobby, and over to the bank that headed to the rooms. At this point, Catherine still had no clue that a proposal was pending. 
Once we entered the room, we were greeted by rose pedals showering the floor and a chilled bottle of champagne. Chris quickly got to a knee for the proposal. Without hesitation, Catherine said “Yes!”. 

 

 

Malia + Bill | A Chicago Engagement Session

Malia and Bill are getting married next summer on an island just outside Seattle, where Malia is from. We were lucky enough to meet these two and document just a bit of their Chicago life. They first met at a wedding in Seattle. Quite randomly, the bride's aunt and uncle who ended up talking with both of them that evening, told Bill he'd be a fool not to introduce himself. Bill did just that, and after that evening a long distance romance blossomed. Bill was living in Chicago, and Malia in New York at that time, so their first date took place in New York, where among other things, they had an impromptu vodka tasting. 

Long dinners, cocktails, walks around the city and good conversation is what these two are all about. Our afternoon with them involved all four of those things, and we most thoroughly enjoyed it. 

Here are just a few of our favorite images.

A Chicago engagement session in Wicker Park | Alex + Veronica

Alex and Veronica are getting married this September at Wooden Gallery in Wicker Park. Both Alex and Veronica work in advertising, though in different aspects of it. Alex is an art director and also the son of a photographer. Needless to say, we were quite honored that they chose to work with us. We spent an incredibly fun evening walking aorund their neighborhood with them and I think we captured an authentic piece of who they are. Here are just a few of our favorite images from the session.

How they met:

Alex and Veronica met at work at an advertising agency in Chicago. Veronica had worked there for about 3 more years than Alex. Veronica worked as an Account Supervisor on the Sponsorship portion of State Farm's advertising and Alex was assigned to work on their NFL sponsorship assignment. After Alex and his partner at work sold the campaign for the year, they went on the shoot to Los Angeles and Minneapolis. Alex arrived in Minn, the day before Veronica. We had not really talked until then. When Alex first saw Veronica in Minneapolis, he asked his producer who she was and what she did. The Producer's response was "Alex, she is way out of your league, don't even think about it." 

After the shoot we became friends in the office. We went on another shoot that year right before Christmas, the following spring we began a flirting relationship at work. Near the middle to end of that summer we began dating right after Veronica made it very clear to Alex that she was interested. Alex had no idea. 

The proposal:

Last October, we went to Italy for our first major vacation together. During the summer while planning the vacation, we talked about not getting engaged until next summer since the trip was going to be our big purchase for the year. Alex, ended up being able to buy a ring and hide it from Veronica before the trip. Each night of the trip Alex planned on proposing to Veronica, but something or another got the way of the moment. First a rude waiter that ruined the moment, then a rainstorm, the over crowding from tourists, veronica getting sick, etc...

Finally on the final night of the trip we were in Rome, Alex wanted to take Veronica up to the top of a hill to look out over Rome and propose, but Veronica was not having it. She thought we would be late to our dinner reservation. While on the way to dinner the stars finally aligned for Alex. The streets cleared, it got quite and we were right in front of a beautiful 1000 year old fountain in the middle of a neighborhood in Trastevere in Rome. Alex got down and one knee and proposed. 

After 10 days of carrying a diamond ring in his front pocket, Alex was able to propose and Veronica said yes. 

Dinner was amazing that night.

A Chicago Engagement session | Manya + Matt

Manya and Matt are getting married in just a few weeks at the Spertus. The day we shot their engagement session was the day of the infamous Chicago hail storm. Incredibly, we were able to finish the shoot just as the storm was beginning, but the dramatic skies made for a great back drop! Here are a few of our favorite images from the session.

(Read how they met below the images!)

 

How they met:

Matt had gotten back from a tour of Afghanistan seven months prior to meeting Manya. He decided that he would celebrate his homecoming in style by using every opportunity to woo the ladies, including online dating. Manya had been online dating for several months and found it disastrous; she was on her way out. But, just before she shut down her profile on Match.com, an interesting man contacted her and said he found something special in her profile. She emailed him back, saying she was burnt out and might not be up for dating anyone anytime soon. He responded that, just as he had been while he was fighting overseas, he would be happy to have a pen pal. They wrote back and forth for a few months until Manya decided to meet him. They count the first day that they met as the first day of their relationship. Guess that meant the date went well. 

A Chicago engagement session | Rebecca + Hubert

Rebecca and Hubert are getting married this winter at the Drake Hotel and then just a few weeks later, they're also celebrating their marriage in Paris where Hubert is from. After a few reschedules due to insane Chicago weather, we finally got a good day, and we're in love with the results. Here's just a few of our favorites.