Some of you may remember John & Bethany’s wedding at Salvage One last year.  We certainly do–not only for how awesome it was–but also how these two have become good friends of ours.  We’ve been able to see them perform musically–Bethany singing at weddings and John in the band he plays with, Dozens.  They are awesome people, and they are fully deserving of this feature on Modernly Wed.

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We’re very honored that Jenna & Alex’s wedding is featured today on Style Me Pretty New York.  Their wedding was very deserving of some attention, what with all the details and thoughtful touches.  Go ahead and check it here, and if you’d like to see more head over to their wedding day.

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Things are beginning to look on the up and up here in Chicago.  Although we hardly can say we had a winter, there are still remnants of salt and rock to show for the few snowfalls we had.  I’m excited for all of that to be washed away by the ensuing rains I’m sure we’ll get (or will we?!).

Anyways, just thought I’d write and put up a photo to show we have a pulse.  We’re ramping up for a big season; in just 10 days we’ll be documenting Kyle and Dave‘s Salvage One wedding.  Pretty ‘xcited.

Here’s to Spring. Nothing like a Mason Jar and Billy Ball to brighten our dormant winter moods.

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We’ve done ‘the search’ for our wedding album provider for sometime, and man did we look high and low. It turns out that there isn’t a shortage of companies out there that are in the album industry; however, not all meet a certain standard of quality and timelessness that we’d like them to have.  Then we came across Vision Art.  They are smaller album company that is defined by their quality albums and customer service–two very nice ingredients that make for a great product.  Here, I chose a dark brown leather cover; I love the durability, texture, and feel of this leather.  Maybe I was drawn to this color because it reminds me of coffee sub-consciously.  Or not so sub-consciously…

The pages are similar to cardstock but more durable.  Heres a view of our 50 page, 25 spread 12×12 leather album.

I like the care taken in wrapping the leather onto the book; and the inside cover paper had good clean edges and is mounted smoothly on the inside.

All in all I think a good measure of a product you are offering is whether or not you would actually get it yourself, and thats how we decided to go with Vision Art.  We are pumped to make these for our couples in the future, because we know they will display their wedding day beautifully for many years to come.

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So apparently a hacker thought he could swindle my Facebook contacts into sending ‘me’ some money.  ’My’ alibi was that ‘I’ took a pleasant last minute trip to London (they know me so well–I do that ALL the time!!! pfff..) and inconveniently had all ‘my’ cash and credit cards stolen from ‘myself’.  And since ‘my’ flight was heading out in just a few hours, ‘I’ needed money wired to ‘me’, and fast, so ‘I’ could take care of all the hotel fees ‘I’ racked up on my last minute whirlwind trip to London.

Merry Christmas.

The messed up part is that this hack made a fake email in Yahoo! with my name in it and downloaded all my contacts from Facebook.  Pretty intrusive stuff…crazier thing is I’m pretty discerning with what I click on in Facebook, knowing there is plenty out there in the way of malware and spam.  Can’t beat it all I suppose.

And in case you happen to be in a similar situation, I am now informed that you can report such activity to Facebook, Yahoo!, and the like.  And as Antoine Dodson would put it, ‘Hide ya Facebook, hide ya password, cause dey be hacking everybody up in here!’

I do apologize if you got one of these emails–I feel terrible that something invasive like this would even bother you.

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Alternatively, here is some happier news.  Jon and Val Guerra from Milano have put out a Christmas EP and seeing that Christmas music is in my DNA, I had to get this one.  You should too.  Check it out… 

And we need a photo:

This is an image of the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park from a time-lapse I and Joel from Interrupted Media are working on.

Enjoy your week!

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1.  Keep Lighting in Mind when Choosing a Venue.  For the most part, couples seem to be mindful of this when they have chosen a venue.  If your not sure of what to look for, take notice of how much natural light comes into a room through windows and if light bounces around in the room.  This goes for the all aspects of your day (getting ready, ceremony, reception).  Dark paint and wood will absorb more light and lighter colors will bounce more light.  We have been in a  variety of situations and typically churches tend to be darker and flash is frowned upon during the ceremony.  If there are shades or curtains, see if you can open up those puppies.  Stained glass can allow in light that makes for a nice effect.  Avoid harsh overhead artificial light as much as possible; again, this isn’t always in your control but good to have in mind.  Here are a couple of examples of great lighting situations and what makes them good:

Here is a church that has great stage lighting that doesn’t cast harsh shadows on the face–the stained glass helped fill in light on the pews for candids of the guests.

This church had large windows to the right of the couple and directly in front towards the altar, allowing for lots of natural light.  Notice the light colored walls, which bounce around light as well.

Be willing to get ready near windows that bring in a lots of light; it will allow for more interesting photographs.

2.  Create a List of Family Member Photographs that You (and the Fam!) Would Like.  This seems like a no brainer, but it really is so nice to have this part planned out well so that it flows seamlessly and stress-free.  Most photographers will have the standard list in their mind or with them, but we don’t know the finer dynamics of your family (a friend who is like family, a deceased relative not present, divorced or separated couples).   Having a list of who you would like in the formal photograph avoids confusion.  Then give that list to someone who isn’t afraid to speak loudly!  If your not sure where to start, here is a sample list to get it going.  Family formal photographs are a good way to involve your family on the wedding day; its good to err on the side of abundance as some relatives can take it personally if they are not involved.

3.  Do a ‘First Look’.  We are big fans of the first look, simply because its a great time to get special portraits of the couple and its a big time saver!  If you’re not familiar with a First Look, its a planned moment where you and your fiancé see each other for the first time on your wedding day.  While seeing each other at the ceremony for the first time does have some build up, it can put a strain on how many portraits you can take between the ceremony and reception.  We’re not saying its impossible, but it will alleviate that time in between.  Also, you are your freshest at the First Look, and since it is planned you can think through where you would like to do your first look with your photographer.  Our friends Ray and Kelly Siler have more to say on this topic. Here are a few of our favorite First Look moments…

4.  Be Generous in Planning Time for Photographs. This is huge.  When you are sitting down and doing the numbers for your timeline, you’ll want to plan ample time for portraits as a couple, with your bridal party, and for family formals.  We usually recommend about 45 minutes – 1 hour total for portraits with the couple (including First Look), another 20 minutes with bridal party, and 30 minutes with family, depending on the size of your family.  When its all said and done, you should probably be planning 1.5-2 hours of portrait time with the photographer.  Don’t forget to factor in travel time to different locations if you choose to do so.  Side note: when deciding where to get ready, you’ll do yourself a huge favor in getting getting ready close to one another i.e. in the same hotel, nearby homes, etc.  This will put less strain on your photographer/videographer being in multiple places.

5.  Get to Know Your Photographer so You Can Trust Them.  This is the last one, but realize its a big one.  Trusting someone with a camera to document your wedding day is a big deal, so you’ll want to feel comfortable and at ease with whoever you choose.  And your photographer wants to do a great job for you!  We find we are inspired to do amazing work when the couple trusts our approach and the work we do.  Also, we include engagement sessions in our wedding packages to help with this.  We know that putting yourself in front of a camera can be intimidating and vulnerable.  The engagement session is a great way to get comfortable with this feeling so that come your wedding day you know what to expect.

We hope this helps as you plan your wedding day.  As you hand out responsibilities to different vendors and such, make sure you are totally comfortable with the job they are going to do; worrying over these details will cause you to overlook the bigger, more important aspects of the day like, say, you getting MARRIED.

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Lakeshore #1
Lakeshore & Rocks #1
Lakeshore & Rocks #2
Sunset & Railroad 

I have an appreciation for landscape photography, although I wouldn’t claim to be a landscape photographer.  I would like to do this type of photography more; its a discipline that requires a knack for composure and light and a well versed knowledge of your camera.  I mostly enjoy it because I enjoy being outside and taking in the scenery.  It slows me down and sets aside distractions, something that isn’t easy to do in this world of Facebook, smartphones, and Google-fed knowledge.  For these images, I did do some color correcting to match what I remembered it to look like.

It’s also Halloween.  Wow, I think if I were a kid I would be totally bummed that Halloween fell on a Monday.  Nowadays, it seems that towns have these designated time slots for trick or treating.  Have you heard of this?  Where I’m from in Pennsylvania, I remember they designated it on something like October 28th from 2pm-6pm.  Really?!  How is that trick or treating?  Try being a vampire on Halloween between 2pm and 6pm.  Doesn’t work.

Have a great week, and happy Monday!

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For a while now I’ve been thinking of title posts that we could do on a regular basis.  I suppose you gotta start with some alliteration that somehow involves whatever day of the week it is.  And since its Monday, my mind went to ‘mundane’.  Now, I had do a definition check on my cliché word choice, and it turns out its not a bad fit.  ’Mundane’ seems to get used to describe what is ‘boring’.  More precisely, it means ‘common; ordinary; banal; unimaginative’ according to dictionary.com.  I’m sure there are many nodding their head in affirmation thinking of Mondays.  However, the truest definition of the word or I should say the definition that matches the root of the word is ‘of or pertaining to this world or earth as contrasted with heaven; worldly; earthly’.  Monday’s have a way of reminding us of the ordinary but they also have a way of reminding us of the physical realities in this life and world: school, work, relationships, chores, to-do lists, problems.  Although they are not what fully define us, they certainly have an impact on how we perceive life, even faith.  And before I wax on,  I thought this would be a good blog title series.

October has been a good month.  Theres something about the Autumn that inspires me.  Perhaps its the shift in colors and change in temperature.  It gets me thinking about humanity, small and yet complex.  It makes me think of holing up in a coffee shop and reading a book.  Shar and I are Fall junkies.

The end of October also marks the end of our local Oak Park Farmer’s Market.  At its beginning, I had the ambition of going every week so I could eat the hot fresh homemade donuts (seriously, they’re awesome).  We didn’t quite go every week, but nearly.  It’s ending is a reminder of one inevitable reality here in Chicago: winter is coming.  Plants stop growing.  People head in-doors.  And while that may depress some, I appreciate it simply because its a cycle we must endure.  What’s that line…something like ‘it builds character?’  Yeah, thats the one.

Here are some photographs to help you appreciate the fall and its harvest.  Happy Monday!

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Honduras is a stunningly beautiful country that we were able to first observe on a three hour bus ride after arriving in San Pedro Airport. It was hot and we were tired but we took in the smells, the country side, the street vendors and the vastly different surroundings. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch ravaged most of the country which has left the infrastructure of most communities in a state of continual repair. Poverty is an everyday reality for the majority of Hondurans as they strive to make ends meet.

The focus of our trip was to work with an organization called All God’s Children Hogar de Ninos. The ‘hogar’ is comprised of 5 different campuses: the girls and young boys, the older boys, children with special needs, young mothers, and transitional housing for young adults.  At the moment, some of the facilities they use are being shared to accommodate the needs they have.  Its an amazing ministry thats focus is justice for the needy and vulnerable–that is, the poor, the abandoned children, the blind, the deaf, the mentally handicapped, and even more.  We were blessed by the warmth of the people, the smiles on faces, and the accepting love they had for our group.  We take great hope and joy in knowing that Jesus Christ loves these children.

Fun little side note: in all our visits to different facilities and homes, we didn’t see one laundry machine.  Even homes that were being built for upper-middle class folks were equipped with…a washboard.  Now I know I take way too much for granted living in the U.S., but imagine washing a whole children’s home worth of laundry on a washboards!

Below are some images from our time there.  Vist All God’s Children to learn more about what they do

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