Chicago Wedding Photographer | Destination Wedding Photography » Chicago Weddings

cantigny wedding photos | patty & dennis

michele — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 19:38:06 +0000

Bride’s Guide:

Ceremony : Faith Lutheran Church, Aurora, IL
Reception : The Abbington Banquets, Wheaton, IL
Photography: Michele and Andy, assisted by Erwin
Videography: Jim Yeung of Once Still
Music : Rex Balcita
Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas
Flowers: Flower Basket
Make Up Artist: Nekki Cannady
Transportation: Four Star Elite

Join us on FACEBOOK to see more photos from Patty & Dennis’ Wedding!

Don’t forget to check out their Engagement Session photos HERE!

Fun Fact: Many people think that “Misha” is Michele’s nickname! =P

What’s New? PINTEREST! Seriously, why didn’t they have this when I got married… Brides! This is the perfect place for you to “pin” your inspirations for your wedding! Let’s follow each other and get inspired… The more the merrier!!!

oakbrook country club wedding photography | jennefer & alan

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:28:10 +0000

Sweet sweet love between Jennefer and Alan. They celebrated their nuptial by having two ceremonies. A traditional outdoor ceremony along with a Lao ceremony also known as the Baci Ceremony. It was our first time covering a Lao Ceremony and we were very excited! We love learning new cultures and different ways of celebrating the unity of two people. Congratulations to Jennefer and Alan!

Thank you for sharing your day with us. We had so much fun documenting your day!

xoxo Michele & Andy

Facebook it or Twitter it!

Jennefer and Alan started their day at the Oak Brook Hills Mariott Resort.

Jennefer actually wore three wedding dresses! A traditional Lao wedding dress along with two dresses by David’s Bridal.

Flowers by Phillips Flowers

Jennefer and Alan wanted to see each other prior to both ceremonies. Here’s the reveal…

Read more about the Lao Ceremony traditions here.

Once the officiant was finished with the prayers, Jennefer and Alan pay respect to the elderly. The elderlies then start the tradition of tying a white cotton thread around the bride and groom’s wrists. The food (hardboiled egg) and fruits symbolizes many different things in the Lao culture.

“In Laos, white is the color of peace, good fortune, honesty and warmth. The white cotton thread is a lasting symbol of continuity and brotherhood in the community and permanence. The baci threads should be worn for at least three days subsequently and should be untied rather than cut off. Usually it is preferred that they are kept until they fall off by themselves.” Pom Outama Khampradith, Bounheng Inversin, and Tiao Nithakhong Somsanith

Their cake topper was a bobblehead!

intercontinental ohare wedding | rowena & rj

admin — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:05:55 +0000

Congratulations to Rowena & RJ! These two are so much fun! They’re college sweethearts and met at DePaul University. RJ has a degree in music and on the night of his proposal to Rowena, they “stumbled” upon an a capella group in Navy Pier… While the a capella sang”In the Still of the Night,” as requested by RJ, he got down on his knee and proposed to Rowena. Our grooms are getting so creative with how they pop the question, I seriously wish I was there to capture the proposals.

It seems that we’ve been pretty lucky with the weather here in Chicago. The night prior to their wedding, it rained so hard that it flooded many streets downtown. It was a very stressful ride to get downtown since they closed off the expressways and some roads, but we all made it ok. The rest of the day was seamless and went off without a hitch!

A special thank you to our past clients Eric & Mashelle and also Vanessa Frosch for referring Rowena & RJ to us! Also, Yazy for doing a superb job second shooting…

Last but not least, thank you Rowena & RJ for sharing your day!

Join us on Facebook for early teaser photos or if you just want to chat and post on our wall :) and we Tweet too!

xoxo Michele & Andy

Such a fun ring shot… You should have seen the look on the bartender’s face when all I wanted were two cherries! =D

Old St. Patrick’s Church

This little boy caught my eye as Andy was taking a photo of the bridal party. Hope he continues photography… He was so interested in it, he avidly took pictures the whole day!

Other Vendors that we had the pleasure of working with:

Flowers by Kabloom Merchandise Mart

Music by Jay Garcia

The Dress by Enchanted Bride

Bridemaids’ Dresses: David’s Bridal

Invitations: Eagle Print Chicago

Cake by Take the Cake

Videography by Studio 2 Photography

Reception: InterContinental Chicago O’Hare

Transportation by Chicago Trolley

anderson japanese botanical garden engagement photography | patty & dennis : engaged!

admin — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:43:21 +0000

Congratulations to Patty & Dennis! We had their engagement session at the beautiful Anderson Japanese Botanical Gardens. Patty wanted to have their session at a Japanese Garden so she “googled” it and found this location. I never knew that there was such a place in Illinois. Definitely a hidden gem in the city of Rockford, IL . Dennis and I have known each other ever since we were little and I can’t believe he’s getting married! They make such a cute couple =D. We can’t wait to photograph their wedding in 2011!

xoxo Michele & Andy

More photos on Misha Media’s Facebook Page!

Below is their Misha Media Photo Booth! Patty and Dennis held signs written in their native language (Tagalog – A Filipino dialect, and Korean) which means “I love you”

hyatt chicago ohare wedding photography | mae jane & kenny

admin — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:10:11 +0000

Congratulations to Mae Jane & Kenny! What do you get when you mix LA + Chicago?! Mae & Kenny!! There’s that saying that you’ll never meet your future husband/wife at a nightclub, these two are the exception to the rule… but who’s rule is it anyway?! Getting to know our clients is one of the most important things to us, and when we met Mae & Kenny, we were so touched by how sweet and loving they are towards each other. Their excitement about planning their wedding and all of the hard work that they’ve put into it really shined on their wedding day. I couldn’t wait to see their vision. All throughout the week, we had rain and severe thunderstorms. I really didn’t know what the weather would be like on their wedding day, but come Saturday morning, these two were blessed with a nice hot summer day.

Mae & Kenny, we hope that you had a fun and relaxing time in Fiji! Thank you so much for sharing your day with us!

xoxo Michele & Andy

They did this same jump from their engagement session and it was fitting for them to jump on their wedding day. Kenny, you rocked out the Jordan jump! Loved the shadow that you casted while jumping!

Mae’s wedding gown was custom made by Franics Libiran.

Mae & Kenny got ready at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare and this was were their reception was held.

Mae’s gave Kenny a Movado watch for their wedding!

They wed at St. Mary of the Lake

4200 N. Sheridan Rd., Chicago

Moments before their ceremony…

Mae, you are a beautiful bride!

The photo on the right was the ceiling of St. Mary of the Lake… gorgeous!

These little ones were so adorable!

We had a quick stop in front of the Cubs marquee… on game day… it was the Los Angeles Angels vs. our Cubbies! How fitting… but let’s not talk about the result of the game…

As a California girl, Mae wanted to add a bit of Cali so we stopped by the beach…

Beautiful reception! Loved the uplights! Future B&G’s: really consider having uplights and draperies in your reception… it really makes a huge difference!

Cake by Oak Mill Bakery

Music provided by DJ JayFunk from Kiss FM. He kept the dance floor busy all night long with great music and entertainment!

Immediately following their first dance, Mae & Kenny surprised everyone with a Jabbawockeez number… everyone loved it!

A special thank you to Erwin for assisting us the whole day!

And to other vendors for making the day a success!

Amy Dresser of Hyatt Regency O’Hare

Avis Limousine

downtown chicago engagement photography | phyllis & hector : engaged!

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:50:32 +0000

Congratulations to Phyllis & Hector on their engagement! It was a hot summer day when we photographed Phyllis and Hector at Millenium Park Chicago. Phyllis has a son named Nico and he came along for the session as well. Although it was really hot, we had a blast photographing these three. Here are our favorites! Can’t wait to photograph your wedding in October!

Phyllis is actually sisters with Maria & Lisa! We never had the honor of photographing 3 siblings in one family. Their family has welcomed us right from the beginning and it’s truly an honor. We love this family! See you all soon in Italy for Lisa’s wedding!

xoxo Michele & Andy

chicago trup towers engagement photography | shirin & hyder

admin — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 23:11:37 +0000

Congratulations to Shirin & Hyder on their First Wedding Anniversary! We were booked for their actual wedding a year ago, so Shirin had us photograph their first wedding anniversary shoot. They flew all the way from Texas to have their session and thankfully, our Chicago weather obliged. With impending rain, it just gave us enough time to photograph them. Shirin & Hyder, you’re a beautiful couple! More blessings to you as husband and wife and thank you for choosing Misha Media!

Happy 4th of July weekend everyone!

xoxo Michele & Andy

rookery chicago wedding photography | antoinette & rod

admin — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 04:01:21 +0000

Congratulations to Antoinette & Rod! It was torrential rain the morning of their wedding day and it looked like it was going to rain all day. After getting ready at the Club Quarters in Chicago, it stopped raining the minute Antoinette stepped foot outside and the sun was shining! We had a lot of time after the ceremony to photograph the bridal party, and all we were hoping for was no rain…and it worked! All we needed was that small window of opportunity… Believe it or not, it started pouring the moment we stopped shooting! These two were blessed with one of the most beautiful spring days in Chicago. Antoinette & Rod, thank you so much for sharing your day with us. It was truly an honor to photograph your wedding! Hope you had a fun and relaxing time in Greece!

To our faithful blog readers: We hope that you like our new and improved blog! Layouts are better, more photos, and much more fun to view! We hope ya like it! And as always, comments are welcome or even a “like” via Facebook is good too!

xoxo Michele & Andy

Beautiful dress and gorgeous flowers by Watters and Vale of Enna

Stunning Bride…

Make up by Tina Salazar

Handsome groom

Invitation by Designers Fine Press

They wed at the Madonna della Strada at Loyola University of Chicago… their alma mater… it was the perfect place to get married in since they met in Loyola!

Bridemaids dresses by Anna Elyse Bridesmaids

Antoinette sporting out her Christian Louboutin’s

Love this city… love that it’s windy… it makes for great photography!

The Reception was held at The Rookery in Chicago. This venue is GORGEOUS!

Antoinette is very detail oriented. She did many DIY details for her reception =D!

Their beautiful place cards, reception menus, and church programs were all designed by the talented Lele Designs

Favors by Voges Haut Chocolat

Antoinette & Rod had San Miguel beer for their reception. For those of you who don’t know, San Miguel is the number one beer in the Philippines. They had it imported as a special surprise for their guests!

Did you see the groom’s cake?! It’s a snowboard! Made by Amy Beck Cake Design

A nice moment during their first dance…

A fun filled day with great collaboration from a team of vendors! Special thank you to Nick for assisting!

Tara and Brittany of Lola Events

Music by Roberto Monastero

Catered by Jewell Events Catering

Video by Rogie of RAC Visual Imaging

chicago botanic gardens engagement photography | erin & john : engaged!

admin — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:29:04 +0000

It was a hot and muggy day when we started to photograph Erin & John at the Chicago Botanic Gardens. But by the time we finished, it must have dropped 10 degrees cooler and it was actually chilly! That is pretty much how Chicago weather is — so unpredictable! We’ve photographed many times at the Chicago Botanic Garden before and it’s truly a beautiful location. Andy and I actually had our own photos taken there along with our bridal party for our post ceremony location 6 years ago, so it’s very near and dear to my heart. The challenge of photographing at a location that you’ve photographed before is keeping it fresh and unique. We both try to forget images from the past and try to see it as a new location… So here’s our take on the Chicago Botanic Garden this time around…

While Erin was vacationing in Miami, John had surprised her with a ticket to meet him in Orlando and while they were in Disney World, he proposed to her during the Fireworks show at Magic Kingdom! Needless to say, she said yes in front of thousands of other Disney fans… oOo Now that’s my type of engagement proposal! Gotta love that mouse! Erin & John, you are perfect for each other! You make such a cute couple. Thank you for a fun engagement session! We can’t wait to photograph your winter wedding in 2011!

Join us for some Facebook Fun!

xoxo Michele & Andy

I love Daisies! Just had to get this shot :) Erin, I hope you like them too!

mariott chicago schaumburg wedding photography | cheryl & michael

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 21:07:32 +0000

Congratulations to Cheryl & Michael! The day started out foggy without a hint of sun in the sky, but by the time Cheryl & Michael finished their vows, the clouds had parted and the sun peeked out and I knew that we would get great photos! The bridal party was a blast to be with and when it was time for us to photograph just Michael & Cheryl, they rocked it out! It was so easy capturing the moments between the two of them… they’re so in love with each other! During the reception, Michael sang and pre-recorded their first dance song as a surprise for Cheryl… And everyone just about melted in the room. The image below was captured during their first dance and it’s such a sweet moment. You can tell that Cheryl was really ‘soaking it in’ as Michael sang softly to her… Although Michael claims to not be a professional singer, he did a pretty good job! Andy and I have become very close friends with these two throughout their wedding planning process. I think it’s because we see a lot of ourselves in them :) We know that they’ve worked very hard to make their wedding a success and it truly shows in all of their efforts and their wedding details.

Cheryl & Michael, you are both very special. Thank you for becoming our friends throughout the process. Aloha! Eat some spam musubi and fresh pineapples for us while you’re out there!

xoxo Michele & Andy

Cheryl’s present for Michael

Handsome Michael

Cheryl, you are such a beautiful bride!

Make up by Antoinette White

Elston Avenue United Methodist Church

Chicago Mariott Schaumburg

The ring shot below was piggybacked from the idea by Josh of Carbon 14 Films. Loved it!

Join us on Misha Media’s Facebook Page to see MORE photos from Cheryl & Michael’s wedding! A special thank you to Erwin for helping us out! =D

Thank you to the other vendors!

Coordinator: Noelle Silos Parker

DJ: Remix Entertainment : Artie Topacio

Video: Carbon 14 Filsm : Josh

Photobooth: Misha Media

Make Up Artist: Antoinette White

Invitations: Marissa De Leon

Florist: Palomino Floral Designs

Cake: Oak Mill Bakery