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I am typing this blog post from thousands of feet in the air. We’re on our way home from Italy, and I have a hard drive full of images that I can’t believe I had the opportunity to take!! There aren’t words to adequately describe how much I loved Greg and Kate’s wedding!! If you have followed me for a while, you know that engagement sessions are a MUST for us. That’s our time to get to know our couples and get them comfortable in front of the camera, but when you’re on maternity leave and your couple lives in Chicago… sometimes an engagement session just isn’t possible. I knew going into Greg and Kate’s wedding day that I would not only be meeting them for the first time but I would also be teaching them how to be comfortable in front of the camera as well!
Thankfully, after about 2 minutes of photographing them, I knew that I had absolutely nothing to worry about. These two are simply amazing, not only because of their modeling abilities…. but because they made us feel like a part of their family instantly! When we left their reception I told Michael that I could have hung out with them for another WEEK! They are the type of people that you tell other people about! They’re fun, kind, entertaining, thoughtful and genuine.
The majority of their dinner was spent listening to the most beautiful toasts. I hear toasts ALL of the time, and it takes a lot for me to tear up during them. I think I cried during at LEAST 4 of their toasts from family and friends, and I didn’t want them to end. However, they definitely saved the best for last. Kate’s family shared earlier in the evening that she was known for preparing poems for EVERY life celebration when she was younger! It was like her “thing”. So it was only fitting that she made a poem for her wedding day that included individual lines for EVERY. SINGLE. GUEST. All 70 of them! First of all, who has a destination wedding to the other side of the world and has 70 friends and family invest in coming all the way over there?! That’s how you know that you have truly invested in people’s lives, and that you’re deeply loved!
Not only did Greg and Kate toast their friends, they also spoke so highly of their families…. especially their parents. Maybe I think this way because I’m a parent now, but I think it’s the most beautiful thing to hear a young couple tell their parents that they love and respect them more than anyone else. Greg and Kate both come from families that love each other so much, and it was so evident to us after just spending one day with them!! It was such a honor to be in their presence and an even greater honor to be the ones capturing their memories!!
Having their wedding at Lake Como was a wild idea that became the most beautiful reality! I can honestly say that it has to be the most beautiful wedding location I have EVER photographed. Hands down. It was a gorgeous day and at moments, I couldn’t believe that it was really happening! We’re getting ready to land and so even though I have so much more to say, I need to let you see these images!! I still can’t get over them!!!!
How amazing are those PLANTS?!
Michael’s amazing shot! Can’t take credit for this one!
I can however take credit for this one! They are such a classy couple!
Thanks for reading!
— Katelyn
MORE RECENT POSTS
I’m so excited to share this final 2020 Wedding with you all!! It’s a special one! We photographed this beautiful wedding day on our own 10 year anniversary! Ten years ago on this day, we were celebrating in my parent’s backyard under a massive white tent too! This was my brother-in-law’s baby sister’s wedding day and celebrating with the Malizia family was such a treat! They are a family MADE for weddings!
Well, I realize this isn’t normal for KJ! I don’t shoot portraits these days but this session was my first non-wedding shoot with my new Canon R6 and I’m obsessed with how these images turned out! It was the most perfect evening for this early fall shoot and the light was incredible!
I’m so excited to share another addition of Student Spotlights from our KJ Education community! It’s so funny to us, but quite often, we find that our friends who know us in everyday life but aren’t in our industry really have no clue what we do! They think we shoot 10 weddings a year and that’s the extent of our work these days but oh… that couldn’t be further from the truth!
When we first decide if we’re a good fit with our potential KJ Couples, we’re looking for a few things…. one of those things is that this couple keeps joyful! We’ve found over the years that couples what take themselves super seriously aren’t always the best fit for us! We love it when couples let their guard down and allow us to get to know them during their engagement session.
For some photographers, bridal details seem like a fun part of the wedding day… but for many others, it’s stressful. It’s the part of the day that throws them off, makes them wonder if they’re actually artistic and leaves them feeling flustered and panicked because they never get everything done in the time they have allotted for detail shooting. In my opinion, this is a REALLY tough way to start a wedding day.
Oh, this wedding day!! What a beautiful Texan dream! I met Melanie when she attended one of our workshops years ago in our home. She had the sweetest spirit and such a kindness about her. I remember loving how she made personal marketing her own and did headshots in a pile of Skinny Pop!! I loved her creativity and her ability to envision what she wanted in her brand.
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