ST. ANDREWS GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB CHICAGO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER: MELISSA MARIE PHOTOGRAPHY: KEVIN + JILLIAN

This was one of those weddings where my sneak peeks got a lot of attention. For one, the bride is a stunner! (You're pretty nice too Kev) (: But this is the wedding where within those sneak peeks I was giving a bit more behind the scenes or why I captured something in the way that I did. For those who aren't following me on social join the fun at : @melissamariephoto.

A few of the things I shared on those previews are just good tips in general but are especially helpful in questions you can ask your potential venue and why experienced vendors make all the difference in the experience of your wedding day!

Some of the first images I take on a wedding day are the detail shots. The rings, the shoes, your invitation, all the little things that maybe back in the day you'd put in a shadowbox to remember them by after the wedding. Now, it's a big thing for photographers to take flat lay photos of those things. It's gotten more elaborate over the years. Backdrops, backgrounds, special lights, all the things. And those things can be helpful and turn out beautiful but something I'm super intentional about is instead of using a generic (yet beautiful) backdrop, I want to use aspects that are a nod to where we are, what the feel of the wedding is. So the green plaid carpet throughout the St. Andrews golf club totally made sense for this this venue (it's logo is a kilt) as well as the couple's "greenery" color palette. Perfect backdrop for detail shots!

I then capture the getting ready shots. Candids of hair & makeup, hanging with the bridal party, getting set for the day. This location had a few challenges (which with 19 years of weddings for me, I love! It forces me to think outside the box!) one being the lighting in the basement where the girls were getting ready. We had fluorescent overhead lights, incandescent vanity lights, bathroom lights, all giving off totally different colors. My tip is to find the natural light and do as many of the shots in that area as you can. This also helps a lot with makeup and seeing if things are even.

I think capture first-looks. I rarely will do a wedding without a first look (I think it's the greatest gift you can give yourselves on your wedding day, more time together! And thank goodness we had that time here. We were allocated to the parking lot for photos. Which is super funny because I tell my couples often that I'll make a parking lot look good, you just be in the moment. Well, today, we were in the parking lot and proved my theory... I'll make it beautiful, you make it meaningful. These two soaked in each other and didn't let it rattle them that they couldn't be out on the golf course for their photos. That would be something I recommend when looking and booking venues. Asking where can we not take photos? Let's say you booked a place because of beautiful waterfall but you're not allowed to go there for photos, you'd maybe be disappointed about that. For me, it's less about where we are and more about how you are. Are you soaking in the moment that's finally here!? That's the most important in my opinion.

These two did. They soaked each other up, went along with the tides of the day, and they and their day were stunning for it!

Kevin and Jillian, you are beautiful inside and out! Thanks so much for allowing me to capture your incredible wedding day!