Jeff and Cindy fell in love in Turkey.  Many details of their reception had hints of where they had met and fallen in love. (including the fun dancing!!)

Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow!!

About four weeks ago Eric and I drove south to the town I grew up in, went to high school, and eventually met Eric and fell in love. It is home. We came from San Francisco, New York and Chicago to be together.  We stayed out in the woods for 3 days, with no iphone buzzing with emails, no tv, no phone calls, just home with my family.  No family is perfect, not everyone gets along 100% of the time, but my family holds deep deep love. It is one of my greatest gifts. One evening we all gathered and listened to Grandma talk about her life.  All her grandchildren and children sat around her listening…. she told us we could ask her anything, so we did.  Silly and serious alike.  We all laughed remembering Grandpa, and asked her what he was like before we all knew him.  She read us her favorite hymn.

On my birthday I went on a walk with my dad, my brother Josh and love Eric.  It is my favorite memory from the weekend. We probably only walked about a half a mile.  I looked ahead of me…. the three most important men in my life, all to myself for an hour in the woods.  I was trailing behind and had a big stupid grin on my face.  Surrounded by green, with the three men I love the most.

We went swimming in the creek every day we were there.

This is my brother Josh another talented photographer himself, with his VERY expensive camera in the creek!! This picture is hilarious to me.

I had forgotten what is was like to go home.

We began under this secluded blanket of trees. Valerie and Aaron brought cards to play….

If you missed Part 1, full of urban goodness and lakeside blues,  click here!

We then walked out into a field full of wildflowers and glowing sunlight…

Thank you Valerie and Aaron for spending the afternoon with us. You two are the real deal.  We can’t wait till October !!

Valerie and Aaron are so fun, carefree and obviously in love.  They laughed easily and comfortably as we documented the two of them together.  I’m not going to lie, they are soon becoming favorites.  Just great people, know what I mean?

We started in the Ravenswood corridor.

We then headed out to Montrose Harbor. Hello blue blue water.

One of Val and Aaron’s wedding colors is orange.  So we went and flew these adorable orange kites in the fading afternoon light. Best part??  Then they gave them to us!

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s Part Two.  I mean it. Wildflowers and these two……

We took this engagement session in the woods of Alabama where our family had gathered to reconnect. It was a hot, humid southern night but the light was amazing. Can I go on my soapbox for a minute and just say how much I love it when couples really trust me?  Aimee and Russ were willing to try anything and relax and really enjoy the whole experience as part of the romance.  I love it!

Meet Aimee and Russell. Stay tuned for their Christmas New York wedding!

Amy, it was great to catch up and revisit what consumed my four years at Auburn University.  I miss spending my days wandering for hours outdoors and learning the ins and outs of our natural world.

Meet Amy.

gold Tom’s… yes please!!

my favorite image of the day. beautiful.

While I was there, Kelly selected, prepped, and put together an amazing bridal bouquet.  Her style has an easy going feel with a touch of whimsey and love of vintage detail.  I couldn’t stop gushing over her bloom selection and final bouquet.  ( Kelly, I toned it down a bit while there but made an immediate phone call to my hubby trying to convey what I was bringing home!)  Take a look for yourself!

Here is more from Kelly!

Because I am a cat lover as well, you have to see the shop kitty…. she roams the shop and hides in the nooks and cranny’s… ah.. the life…

Fleur is located on 3149 W. Logan Blvd, Chicago and has a wonderful blog of their own! Click here to check out their portfolio.   You can also find them on Twitter here!

Know someone that would be interested in our Profile series?  Let us know via twitter or leave us a comment!

Kelly is wonderful.  You know I have an obsession with all things natural, green, and blooming and well, her boutique has all of that and more!  Needless to say Kelly and I had lots and lots to chat about.  We enjoyed a delicious brunch, shared our journeys, and compared favorite Midwest getaways.  We are both in the wedding industry and eager to hear and learn from one another.  Kelly has been working her magic for eight years in her Logan Square boutique. It is ridiculously adorable and filled to the brim with accessories, vintage details, and blooms available by the stem.

We not only talked of work and exchanged accountant’s numbers, but shared about the ups and downs of what we do.  I watched her select and put together a B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L. bridal bouquet that she gave to me!! And yes I squealed with delight when she handed it over.  ( you’ll be seeing all of that tomorrow!) Needless to say, I hope we get to work many wonderful weddings together as well as share a few good glasses of wine.

Meet Kelly.

Who are you? What do you do? How long have you been doing this?

Hi!  My name is Kelly Marie Uss and I own Fleur, a floral and special event boutique.  The storefront has been open for eight years, although I’ve worked with flowers for the past 12 years.  It actually feels incredibly weird to admit to that amount of time, because it doesn’t seem as if has actually been that long!

Walk us through one of your typical work days. Your 9a.m.-5p.m.

Early weekday mornings are incredibly pleasant and possibly my favorite time of the day.  Around 8:30am I arrive at the flower market to select blooms and blossoms for the storefront.  I’ve noticed that I unconsciously work in color palettes each week.  Some days I am feeling blush and sage, other days are ruby and lavender, and there is always so much inspiration flowing at this time of day because the selection sometimes feels endless.  These flowers are available for our walk-in guests and delivery orders. I arrive to the shop around 9:30am where staff and I process all the blooms, de-thorning roses, plumping peonies and cleaning extra foliage around wildflower stems.  From there the day is really a peppering of all things at once!

My “to-do” list includes ordering handmade soaps and cards, inventory, emailing and updating proposals, assisting walk-in customers, clerical work, designing centerpieces and more.  Somedays I am on the computer for 8 hours without stopping.  Fridays are even more busy because we work on the wedding flowers for that weekend.  The phone is always ringing, the emails are always coming through and we’re always creating!  Weekends are filled with the last details of a wedding.., the final boutonniere, wrapping the bridal bouquet and packing up all the centerpieces for delivery.  Then I’m off to arrange the wedding on site.  It is a very long day, but the end result is always very worth it.

Fleur is located on 3149 W. Logan Blvd, Chicago and has a wonderful blog of their own! Click here to check out their portfolio.   You can also find them on Twitter here!

Know someone that would be interested in our Profile series?  Let us know via twitter or leave us a comment!

Stay tuned for more of Kelly from Fleur Inc. tomorrow!

The party was at Kenilworth Country Club on a perfect summer evening with fabulous food Jon at Big Hatt Gourmet . Family and friends came from all over, Paris, Turkey, and from coast to coast to wish them well and celebrate their new marriage!  Ariel chose simple picnic decor and enjoyed all her guests.

WARNING.  These two are incredibly cute together and they ooze with new love.  Not in the gross lovey dovey way, but in the geniune ” I love you just the way you are , who cares about the rest of them” sort of way.  They are full of life and laugh more together than any other couple we’ve photographed. Seriously. I know its cheesy to say but  it is an amazing journey for me  to watch two individuals become husband and wife only six months ago to now capture through my lens them bursting with life and love. What can I say? It was a good day.  A very good day indeed.

Congratulations Dave and Ariel.  We are blessed to call you friends! ( I love when that happens)

At the end of the evening, we found this tandem bike….  They are both avid cyclists and had a tandem bike on their wedding invites!

p.s.  doesn’t her short hair look incredible?