I have been plotting this styled elopement session for a while now and since it is finally nice outside (thank you sweet baby Jesus) I finally made it happen. Chicago weather is so crazy, the night before it rained a ton but the day of the shoot was all sunshine!

I must admit that dress shopping for this shoot was super fun! I wanted something boho chic and thankfully that is what is popular right now :) Win win for gorgeous dresses and affordable price tags! The dress we ended up using is from Forever21! Score!

The day of the shoot we hopped in my tiny car and headed out on the open road to Starved Rock A five mile hike and 40 flights of stairs later we were at the perfect location! And that long trek was well worth it! A bit of exercise+ epic location + gorgeous people = a great day!

I really enjoyed planning and styling this shoot, I should get into wedding planning at some point :)

Here are a few images from the session there are so many great ones it was hard to narrow them down!! Perhaps I'll post a bunch more in a separate blog post!

Hello there lovelies!

I thought it would be helpful to write a few tips on how to hire a wedding photographer.

Tip #1-

Forget all of those lists you see on Pinterest- while those can be helpful they are a bit stale. Remember that you are hiring an actual human being and not a robot. Experienced photographers aren't going to need said "list"- they know to capture the first kiss, the first dance, the cake cutting etc.. all those good moments they are already going to be prepared to capture for you. So trust your photographer- you are hiring them for their expertise in the field. If you have any special traditions or ceremonies definitely mention this to your photographer so that they are prepared.

Tip #2-

Make sure to get to know your photographer and that you like their personality, you are going to be spending at least 8-10 hours with them on your special day and you want to make sure that your personalities mesh, you don't want any unnecessary tension on your big day. If you don't like who they are as a person, chances are you aren't going to like the images they give you- even if they are technically solid.

Tip #3-

Make sure their portfolio of work is reflective of your style. If the photographer produces light and airy pastel looking images but you prefer darker moody looking images, then it is not a fit. The photographer is only going to produce work in their style that is reflectively shown in their portfolio.

Stay tuned for more helpful tips in my next blog post!

Starved Rock Elopement

How to hire a wedding photographer?