I’m so blessed to have such amazing clients. I really can’t say it enough. Every weekend I get to spend the day with people I truly enjoy on what is the most important day of their lives. Jessi and Steven are a perfect example of my ideal clients. Laid back, fun, up for any crazy idea I have, and really just awesome people to be around. They live in Texas and I’ve actually only spent time with them on three occasions (Steven’s sister’s wedding, their engagement session, and their wedding) but I really feel like I have known them forever. I’m bummed that I probably won’t get to see them for a really long time, but they will definitely be immortalized on my studio wall with the last image of this post. I’ll get to see them every day!
Their wedding was in Rantoul and there are so many unique places to shoot there. There used to be a huge military base in Rantoul but all that has now been abandon and makes for some really cool locations. I said these two were up for anything and I wasn’t kidding. One of the places I took the guys was some sort of abandon missile testing ground or something? I’m not really sure what it was used for, but we definitely had to go around a locked gate and do some exploring to find a door that we could get in through. The shot was worth it though!
The ceremony itself took place right next to a pond. The only problem was that it was about 5 billion degrees outside and it rained about 6″ of rain the day before. So basically the ceremony took place in a pretty swamp
I even suggested that we lay trash bags down the aisle and just have them slip and slide their way down to the alter! Some brides would have been depressed by the circumstances but Jessi (and this is why I love these two) laughed all the way down the isle as she slipped, sunk, and got the bottom of the dress all muddy. All that mattered was that they were getting married and they were surrounded by friends and family (and got awesome pictures!) – the rest was just minor details.
So without further adieu, here is just a small sample of my favorites from their wedding. Thank you guys SO MUCH simply for being awesome
Work it.
This is the shot I was talking about in the abandon missile testing facility (or whatever it was) Definitely worth the trespassing! 
The Backstreet Boys
Charlie’s Angels
The Linden in Rantoul makes for a great wedding reception location!
Here is a little backstory on this image. These are my favorite type of photos to take but they can take quite a bit of time. Finding the perfect location is actually the hardest part. What I usually do is get all the lights set and then bring the couple out for the shot. Casey and I got everything set (after about 25 minutes of flashes not firing and random other problems) before I decided that the spot we were in just wasn’t good enough. So we picked up all of the equipment (which weighs a couple tons) and hauled it a few hundred yards to another spot I had picked. Good call, me. Once we got everything set up we brought Jessi and Steven out for the shot. Even though it was about 9 or 10 p.m. it was still ridiculously hot out. To take a shot like this takes about 4-6 minutes and during that time the couple has to stay extremely still while we run around in the background with the lights (no those aren’t photoshopped in people!) So I was running through the background trying to weave my light between the trees and in doing so I sweat a few gallons and smashed my arms up on the trees. We had to take this picture 4 or 5 times to get it right so by the end I was a repulsive, sweaty mess. Luckily, it was worth everything that went into it. This isn’t just a wedding photo. This is art… and I love it
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