SubscribeThe “A” family has had me photograph them since their daughter was first born, and now they have a new little one that’s arrived! Adorable beyond words, I am so happy this whole family is in my life! We used simply natural window light on a bright sunny day to get some soft and natural portraits at the best setting for a young family – their home. Warm, comfortable, loving and cute 
March 25, 2012 - 12:21 am - These are amazing photos...great pics!
I posted quite a few “sneak peeks” last year but a few weddings, unfortunately, did not get their time in the spotlight. One of those is one of the most beautiful weddings and sweetest couples I have ever met – Priscilla & Dave. They were married at St. Mary’s in Elgin and their reception was at Danada House in Wheaton. From the moment Tara and I arrived at their getting ready spots, we felt warmly welcomed by all. By the end of the night, even I had a few tears shed, several laughs laughed, and a thousand great memories to take with me. David is a complete romantic but is hilarious at the same time, and kept the slightly more serious but elegant and sweet Priscilla smiling the whole day. This couple has started out their lives together in a wonderful way, and I am so happy we got to be a part of it! In a rare post – I am giving you ALL of my favorites from the day, complete with side notes, and a list of the fellow vendors (who have no small part in all of the gorgeous weddings I get to photograph!).
An antique family heirloom bracelet (pictured below) can be a wonderful tradition to have on your wedding day, but also can be complicated to fasten! Be sure to have your favorite Aunt on hand that knows her way around complex jewelry 
Tara took these shots below of the guys getting ready, and David looking dapper by the window light…
P&D had a lovely church service (images below by me and Tara)
Followed by some amazing portraits and reception at the beautiful Danada House in Wheaton!
The next two shots were by Tara! I don’t know what that pose is in the black and white one but I like it!
Awesome decor + Homemade pickled favors = An unforgettable reception!
Most weddings have toasts…Some are very sweet…
Some are hilarious…(and LONG and one of the best best-man toasts I’ve ever heard! He passed the belt on to David, the clear winner of the night!)
But all are worth a toast to the memories they will make!
One thing I love about weddings are the sweet, “in between” candid moments that I often catch. The bride kissing her Grandpa on the cheek right before the dancing started brought a tear to my eye…
And lastly, some evening portraits. A great way to have a quiet, intimate moment on one of the most fun, hectic days of your life!
Special Thanks To My Fellow Vendors:
Getting Ready: The Hilton Lisle/Naperville
Ceremony Location: St. Mary Church, Elgin, IL (stmaryelgin.com)
Reception Location: Danada House, Wheaton, IL (www.danadahouse.com)
Wedding Attire: Volles Bridal (www.vollesbridal.com) and Michael Kors @ Macys
Hair/Makeup: Mario Tricoci (www.tricoci.com)
Jewelry: Studio Jeweler (www.studiojewelerswi.com)
Flowers/Decor: Everything Floral (www.everythingfloral.com)
Catering: My Chef Catering (www.mychef.com)
Band: Vic Valenti (www.vvwchicagobands.com/dynasty/dynasty_songs.html)
Invitations/Programs: Mariette (www.giftbandit.com)
xoxo
All Images in this post are © Hazelton Photography 2012. Please ask permission prior to use. Credit is required.
February 16, 2012 - 6:51 pm - AHHHHHH!!! This wedding was magical!! P&D and every single person involved made it one of my all time favorites:) Great post C!!
February 16, 2012 - 9:26 pm - That shot of them walking down the aisle is so 70s glamour. Beatuful couple.
Amanda waited patiently for the snow to come to take her first set of senior photos with me – I think it was worth the wait! The one weekend we got a good snow and GREAT shooting weather, she was one of the first to book me for a portrait shoot! We took them at Leroy Oakes, one of my fave places to shoot. The contrast of the red barns against the white snow, and her beautiful red hair and awesome blue scarf really popped. Everything about this shoot was visually stunning – I loved it! Amanda is super sweet but has an inner fierce model in her – as shown below!
All Images in this post are © Hazelton Photography 2012. Please ask permission prior to use. Photo credit is required.
February 6, 2012 - 7:08 pm - Wow! These are awesome! And I love her hair!
February 11, 2012 - 3:20 am - The scarf and her hair really worked great together. Cool senior shoot.
So I thought I would start this year off right, by annoucing two of my many business-related resolutions for the New Year. The first is on a more serious note, but relates to my business on a personal level. Ever since I’ve had my son, Jacob, I’ve really felt like my life has changed. No matter how many times you hear it, you don’t really know just how much until the day has arrived when you become a parent. My mind, my body and my soul have all taken on a new persona – “Mom” – and while this can be hard at times, it is nothing short of miraculous. This effect has lead me to feel compelled to give something back to my community – not only do I feel like its important to provide for your own, I feel like providing for your community and for your fellow human beings is the key to life. Well one of them, anyway.
So, my first resolution of the New Year is that I am going to be donating a portion of every portrait session this year to St. Jude’s Childrens Research Hospital. In recent past, cancer has touched my family’s life in a significant way, as it has so many others. I have also come into contact with the even less fortunate parents of children who have to go through this horrible disease. I know that St. Jude’s and hospitals like them need all the help they can get – especially for families who are unable to afford the care they need for their babies.
I wish I could give more, and give to everyone who needs it. This is just small step in what I hope we will all accomplish.
My next resolution was something I’ve been thinking about for a while, and a gentle prod from one of my favorite clients has led me to believe I really needed to do this more often! It’s blogging about my portrait sessions!!! So, what better way to begin the New Year blog than with the very last photo shoot I had in 2011 – the Divine Miss M! OK, so that’s not her real name, but she was truly a model at heart. And she’s only 1 year old! Beautiful and friendly and almost never without a big almost toothless grin (swoon), this little lady was the best way to end a fabulous year:
Mom pulled out her old high chair for a few! Love an “antique” prop (Mom’s younger than me, so its not really, haha)!
So many facial expressions! I will pull out the old “Blue Steel” reference on this one!
Love me some top of baby hair!
And what little girl shoot would be complete without a pink princess ensemble? Perfect!!!
More to come soon!
All Images In This Post Are © Hazelton Photography 2012. Please ask permission prior to use.
January 12, 2012 - 12:41 am - She is GORGEOUS! The one in the chair with her white coat on is stunning! I'm so glad you decided to blog about your portrait sessions! And I love your resolution!
January 12, 2012 - 4:00 am - You are an amazing photographer. All of Maddie's expressions and her huge personality are all captured so perfectly! These are so beautiful.
January 12, 2012 - 4:01 am - You are an amazing photographer. All of Maddie's expressions and her huge personality are all captured so perfectly! These are so beautiful and far exceed any expectations I could have had.
January 17, 2012 - 4:15 pm - Yay for blogging more! You can do it!! Love all those images - that little girl is such a sweetie:) And what an awesome idea to donate to St. Jude's!
Kaitlyn & Brad are awesome! We clicked right away when we met (not just because Kaitlyn and I share a name, as do our husbands!)! I knew we were going to get along great, and the engagement shoot was nothing short of amazing, so I was super excited to shoot their wedding in October! The day was just perfection, as are all my October weddings – the weather was beautiful, the bride and groom were glowing and the feeling in the air was full of love. The reception was at Jennifer’s Gardens – which has a great patio in the back with a fountain, but we wanted to use the beautiful surrounding farmland, and K & B had NO issues walking across a rather large field to get the shots I wanted! This is just another example of two people who feel like friends, rather than clients. It warms my heart to see their photos again and relive their day – and I’m just the photographer! I can’t wait to show them EVERYTHING from their special day. My trusty and awesome 2nd shooter Stephanie came along to this one, and my new intern Kate (more on her later) did too! She took a sweet pic of them they got to see on Facebook, thank goodness for great assistants and technology – they got to enjoy at least one of their photos for a little while so far!
Many more to come soon! xoxo, C.
All photos in this post are © Hazelton Photography 2011. Please ask permission before use. Credit required.
January 2, 2012 - 2:12 pm - Stunning couple, amazing church, and a couple of very talented photographers = AWESOME. Love this wedding. Everyone's so relaxed and natural looking.
Trish & Eric feel like family. Perhaps distant relatives, since we don’t see each other so often But when I met Trish’s sister Stephanie a couple years ago, and then shot her wedding last year, I knew that this entire family and their friends were something special! Stephanie (and her own Eric!) ‘s wedding was one I will never forget. Trish & Eric’s wedding was equally awesome. The couple warmed up to picture taking with their awesome engagement sessions, and on their wedding day they rocked out with the posing! Beautiful and easy to photograph, along with their 3 venues. We went to one of my favorite parks in between – Morton Arboretum. Any time of year it is beautiful there, and early Fall is maybe the best. I could have stayed there all day shooting! But there was partying to be done!
More to come soon! xoxo
All Images in this post are © Hazelton Photography 2011. Please ask permission prior to use.
December 13, 2011 - 11:03 pm - LOVE the pictures and can't wait to see the rest of them!!!!
December 20, 2011 - 11:19 pm - I enjoy how the Season was captured.
No matter how many times I photograph at a place (or two), something is always different – the main thing is every couple I photograph is completely different, in spite of their similarities. This uniqueness keeps me SUPER excited about my job, and I truly look forward to waking up on a wedding day and capturing these special things about each bride and groom and their families and friends. Jess & Jason are another beautiful couple that I just clicked with immediately. So easy to talk to and even easier to photograph – they have a natural ability to be comfortable in front of the camera, which makes my job even more fun and easy! Jess also LOVES Etsy (a girl after my own heart), and put so many wonderful details into the day. Jason added one important detail as well – his awesome love for his bride!
They had the swing that used to hang (and will again) in their backyard engraved – it was the spot Jason proposed!
Baker Church in St. Charles is still one of my all time favorite churches. Its beauty, lighting and staff can’t be beat!
Unlike any wedding I’ve done at Baker Church/Hotel Baker before, me and Jason & Jess (along with the wicked awesome I Do Films crew), walked from the church to the hotel after the ceremony! We took some photos along the way.
Jess surprised Jason with a bagpiper! He played his way down the street with the guests, and we met up with him at the hotel.
Incredible details! I found out that I had worked with the florist (Elegant Petal) at Katie & Dave’s wedding last year, also at Hotel Baker! Its such a small world!
Another surprise! Their mascot from Iowa University! He danced and entertained guests, as Jess and her girls cheered him on! He also stuck around for a few photo booth shots!
Jess loved the mod look of our new backdrop, and wanted to use it for her photo booth! We were happy to oblige!
A beautiful day for a great couple! Many more pics to come soon! xoxo
All photos in this post are © Hazelton Photography 2011. Please ask permission prior to use.
December 20, 2011 - 11:18 pm - These are terrific.
A lot of my couples remind me of people who stepped out of another time – a time that was glamorous, innocent, classy and timeless, like Old Hollywood. Jenny & Jim were one of those couples – they had such a sweetness between them – whether in a romantic serious moment or faces alive with belly laughter (there were a lot of those moments, fortunately!). The day with Stephanie flew by in an instant of amazing fun! T
Here are just a few of the images taken that day – many more to come soon! <3
Below is one of my favorite parent wedding day portraits of all time – I was blown away by the veil!
Dad looked on as Mom put on Jenny’s veil – it was such a great moment.
What is better than belly laughs on your wedding day? It is the picture of pure joy.
Yes, that’s a sword cutting open a bottle of champagne! I was afraid to get any closer!
Cathedral length veils are so much fun!
The prettiest bridesmaids (and bridesmaid dresses) at the park!
I love all of the romantic shots we got – but for some reason, the picture below is my absolute favorite!
Many more to come soon!
All Images in this post are © Hazelton Photography 2011. Please ask permission before use.
My first ever Civil Union ceremony was for our amazing cousin, Kyle, and his even more amazing husband Al! I have known Kyle (who is Brad’s cousin), for close to 15 years, and I have loved him more with each passing year. He is full of mischief, laughter, kindness and love. Who could resist him? Certainly not Al, who is equally awesome – he is sweet, funny, handsome and maybe the nicest person I have ever met. I have so much love for these two, and I am so happy they found each other!
Their Civil Union ceremony took place in Joliet, at the Will County Courthouse. They had a small ceremony with just their parents and Al’s sisters and brother, and me! Then, they had a slightly larger reception in their beautiful backyard with close friends and family. It was an intimate affair, and so perfect. Al & Kyle are aspiring caterers and after tasting what they could do, I know they are going to make great things in their future! In more ways than one!
Here is a little sneak peek, more to come soon! xoxo
I found out after I took the picture below I was supposed to only take pictures in the courtroom! Woops! Oh well, I can break the rules to document a piece of history…
They had tables set up in the yard with plants from their garden as the centerpieces! Perfect!
I couldn’t resist posting just one of my little man, at his first wedding!
All images in this post are © Hazelton Photography 2011. Please ask permission before use.
Carol & Peter were married at one of my all time favorite places – Herrington Inn. Everytime I go there I fall in love with it all over again – strangely enough, when you shoot at a place for long enough, it almost feels like you are married to it! That kind of bond is strong within these walls, and Carol & Peter were no exception. They did not do an engagement session, but we did get to meet up face to face prior to the wedding to plan out the details – which I LOVE doing, and I think Peter loved too! He is a very detail oriented guy, and wanted to make sure everything ran smoothly on his wedding day! Well, his wish was granted – and the best detail — he got to marry beautiful Carol, his best friend She has one of those 1,000-watt smiles that is so contagious, and it was hard to capture her without it! I know they will be happy for the rest of their lives. Here is just a small few of my faves so far, many more to come soon!!! Thanks for waiting! <3, C.
Thanks to Steph for helping me on this one – and thanks to Elizabeth Wray Design for making the wedding extra beautiful (as always!)!!!
All images in this post are © Hazelton Photography 2011. Please ask permission before use.
December 5, 2011 - 5:00 am - AMAZING
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