We were on the island of Maui, Hawaii over Thanksgiving weekend to photograph Kayla and John's wedding and thought that we might as well also do a casual portrait session while we were there. :]

The couple was super busy with last minute wedding preparations so this was a record fast session for us -- just a tad over 35 minutes! But the location (the beautiful Ka'anapali Beach Hotel in Lahaina) was so good that we were able to capture many images in that short time. (The first and last images were taken after their rehearsal at the Lahaina Wedding House.)

Enjoy this sneak peek of Maui, and stay tuned for some photos of a gorgeous Hawaiian wedding coming soon! :]

Kaitlyn is a friend of Alicia's from Stritch. Back in October, Kaitlyn got the unexpected but very exciting news that her fiancée, Amilcar, was approved to come to the U.S. from Peru! We were so excited to finally meet and work with Amilcar, and since their wedding is at the end of December, we wasted no time going ahead with their e-session here in our hometown of Oak Park.

The biggest challenge of the day was that Amilcar only speaks Spanish. While Kaitlyn flawlessly played both model and translator for the afternoon, Amilcar was the best sport you can imagine, cracking jokes and laughing along with us. No language barrier could stop us from picking up on just how in love these two are -- their excitement to finally be together was contagious and left us smiling long after the session was over.

Kaitlyn and Amilcar -- we are so excited that the visa went through and can't wait to celebrate your wedding with you in a couple weeks! :]

When we met up with Julie and Tim for their e-session at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, we immediately appreciated their flexible, "go with the flow" attitudes. As much as we enjoyed taking their pictures, we had even more fun driving between spots with them as we all got to know each other. They are super nice and very easy to like!

As the afternoon went on, we couldn't help but notice just how in love these two are. The way Tim looks at Julie makes it obvious he thinks the world of her, and Julie clearly adores him, too. They never miss an opportunity to smile at each other, hold hands, or steal a kiss. Awwwwww.... It made our job pretty easy. ;]

Julie and Tim -- we are so happy you two have found each other and can't wait for your wedding this summer! Also, we have to give a shoutout to Jackie, one of our biggest fans at Stritch, for introducing us to her sister, Julie. Thanks, Jackie! :]

(P.S. Trying something new this time -- an extra large vertical image at the end. Hope you like it!)

When Allayne and Mike first booked us for their e-session, they mentioned that they both love the Cubs. That made Wrigleyville an obvious location for their session...but I was hoping to get more than just a few shots outside the stadium. A few e-mails and one donation to the Cubs charity fund later, we were booked to do their session on Wrigley Field!

We started off the day at Millennium Park to get warmed up and headed over to Wrigley later in the morning. It was a gorgeous fall day, perfect for standing in fountains, laying under the famous Bean, tossing a ball back and forth down the Cubs 3rd base line, and canoodling in the Cubs dugout. There's nothing quite like using Wrigley Field as your own personal playground for an hour! ;]

It was so easy to make great engagement images of these two -- and not just because of the awesome location! Their friendship and love is obvious in the fun that they have together, and we had a blast capturing their joy with our cameras! Allayne and Mike -- thank you so much for allowing us to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime experience. We can't wait to work with you again at your wedding next summer! :]