Metropolitan Imageworks

I have a challenging job. And I love it! What happens when you have a lovely summer day, a beautiful bride and handsome groom, an equally good-looking (and fun) wedding party and a photographer’s eye-candy in terms of backdrop and location? You get a heck of a lot of images. The actual day-of the wedding is second nature to me in terms of timeline, activities, emotions, working with families and capturing all that I need to capture to tell a story and document the day for my clients. Throw in a little weather, be it humidity, rain, direct sunlight, snow, no matter as I have seen it before and I have conquered it before. The real challenge is working with the images after the day is over and the last guest has departed. Part of the reason my clients place a high priority on their wedding photos and choose me is for my vision and ability to capture the day for them. The other part is my ability to take the many images myself and my associate photographer have captured and cull through them to find the best of the best and pare it down to a reasonable number so as not to put anyone – bride, groom, parents, guest – into sensory overload with an unreasonable amount of final images in that story. When we have a beautiful day with a beautiful crew such as on Diana and Rob’s wedding day, it is a much harder and longer process. But well worth the wait when all is said and done.

My 2011 wedding season is midway through and I must brag about how much I adore my Metimages clients. Diana and Rob found me through a referral (which is still how 95% of my clients find Metimages) and we had a fantastic meeting last fall and then met up again a few weeks later for a city engagement portrait session. Starting at a hidden oasis in the heart of Lincoln Park and ending downtown after dark was a perfect adventure and a good warm up for all of us. Diana and Rob each earned an A+ and I didn’t notice any issues with them as Metimages subjects. Well done! I was asked to join the crew for the rehearsal dinner on the eve of the wedding and I decided to start a little earlier during the actual rehearsal of the ceremony. It was a blazing hot day, direct sun blaring down with barely any breeze and we all suffered through. Thankfully their friends and family follow instructions well and only had to run through it once. The rehearsal dinner was held at Hugo’s Frog Bar in downtown Naperville and the private room was wonderfully air-conditioned and provided a nice respite from the heat. Many of us were checking weather updates for the following day and were excited to learn it would be about 20 degrees cooler and have much less humidity. Game on!

Diana and the girls did their getting-ready prep at the Dairyman’s Cottage on the grounds of Cantigny, where the ceremony and reception were to take place, and it was the perfect suite of rooms complete with a fully functioning and modern kitchen. The girls were able to spread out and relax all morning. I arrived just as Diana was sitting down in the make-up artist’s chair. As soon as all the bridesmaids floated down the stairs in full wedding day attire and Diana’s smile lit up the entire room, it was her turn to don her wedding day dress and accoutrements. Another reason I get excited for weddings is because although there is a similar format - girls get ready, bride and groom say I Do, we take photos, celebration commences – many of my clients work very hard to put their own touches on the day. Diana was no exception with the selection of flowers, bridesmaid dresses and her incredibly unique and perfectly fitting bridal gown, complete with pockets!

We headed out for some bridesmaid and then groomsmen portraits around the grounds of Cantigny and then all convened on the East Lawn for the late afternoon ceremony. As we anticipated more movement of the sun, you can imagine our delight right as the ceremony began when a cloud cover blossomed over the entire area. It was like a giant diffuser and not only provided the right atmosphere for the ceremony it also provided the most perfect condition for outdoor photographs. After a touching ceremony with elements from each of their faiths, Diana and Rob were married and ready for some family formals and fun wedding party photos. In the meantime, the guests headed back to the visitors center for cocktails and to await the arrival and introduction of Mr. and Mrs. Rob Springer! First dances, heartfelt toasts, a delicious meal and general guest socialization all took place before the DJ opened the dance floor and an all out dance frenzy broke loose! I’m talking packed floor, dance-offs, spin the bottle, double dutch, the worm and all out good times were had by everyone, young and old.

Here are just a few of my favorite moments from throughout the day: