Ribbons idea from Ashley’s Petals & Angels


White & orange ribbons along aisle runner in church for wedding, image by Warmowski Photography
Ribbons decorate the center aisle at a wedding at First Christian Church in South Jacksonville. by Warmowski Photography.

Saw a great idea by fantastic florist Ashley’s Petals & Angels. Some churches don’t allow flowers to be strewn along the center aisle, a restriction to keep petals from being smashed into the carpet.

Lori Wankel, Ashley’s owner, cut up ribbons and lined the center aisle. It’s a great way to add color when a church won’t allow flower petals. And, you can exactly match your wedding colors.

Photo above from the wedding of Savanna Engelmann & Charlie Cole, at First Christian Church in South Jacksonville. (Note that First Christian doesn’t have a flower petals restriction, Lori was running with her new idea.)

We’ve done many weddings with Ashley’s Petals & Angels, and they always have great stuff! Check them out on Facebook.

Wedding license and ribbons on altar, image by Warmowski Photography
Ribbons from Savanna & Charlie's wedding also used on the altar.

Posted by Steve. Warmowski Photography, not only great wedding photographers, but a great resource for ideas. Jacksonville, Springfield, Quincy and other locations in Illinois and beyond.

Specialty Cakes open house with drawing for a free wedding cake

Fellow Springfield Local Favorites member Specialty Cakes is having an open house this Sunday 3 October from 1-4 p.m. in Springfield. Specialty Cakes has been in business for 25 years, and is celebrating its new location at 1560 Wabash in Springfield.

Sample wedding cakes, cookies and more; and enter a drawing to win gift certificates — top prize of a free wedding cake.

See Springfield Local Favorites on Facebook. Warmowski Photography is a member of SLF, a group of the top wedding vendors in the Springfield Illinois area.

Lindsey & Luke’s wedding – some highlights

Lindsey Smith and Luke Coultas were married Saturday, September 4, 2010, in Jacksonville. Here are a few highlights from their day:

I love the reflection of the chapel in the window of the limo!
The vinyl cling on the dance floor was an awesome touch!
Lindsey & Luke provided flip flops for their guests at the reception. What a great way to keep the dancing going all night!
To add a bit of fun to the bridal party introductions, Lindsey and her bridesmaids wore funky glasses into the reception.
Luke is a big fan of duck hunting. His wedding band was designed to look like a duck hunting band. Very unique and a great way to personalize wedding jewelry!

posted by Tiffany/Warmowski Photography – Tiffany & Steve love to photograph the details that go into making your wedding personal – in Jacksonville, Springfield, Chicago and beyond!

Tiffany & Steve celebrate 9 years!

Yesterday was our 9th wedding anniversary. Every year at 3pm, the time we were married, we go to the chapel, chat and take our photo.

posted by Tiffany/Warmowski Photography. We love our yearly anniversary tradition, at the chapel at Tif’s alma mater, MacMurray College,  in Jacksonville.

Kristy Gebhardt says “the photography is the best choice we made”


wedding party dances, wedding photography in Virginia, Illinois by Warmowski Photography
The wedding party joins Kristy VanMeter and Ty Gebhardt during their first dance.

Soon after we photographed Kristy VanMeter & Ty Gebhardt’s wedding she sent us this note:

I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate everything you did. From the pictures that I know will be amazing, the pinning of my dress and just being there for anything else I may have needed. The day and night seemed to go off without a hitch. I was absolutely amazed with how my day was the best day of my life and I married my best friend. That night will be one of the most memorable nights of our life forever. For someone to please Ty says a lot, and you guys absolutely did that. . .

I had more fun that night than I have my whole life. I fell in love with Ty all over again and I think he did the same. Our relationship has the strongest bond ever right now and we both realized with our special day that we had the best thing that has ever happened to us. Ty loved you guys as did I (but I think that was obvious). We love how helpful you are and you have a sense of humor that puts the two of you over the top!!! We can’t wait to start our family and you can bet we will be calling you. We hope that the two of you had a good time and we will recommend you to everyone we know. I hope you stay in touch, as we enjoy talking with the two of you.

Wow! Thanks Kristy! After a couple e-mails and her seeing her photos, she emphasized the point, writing “the photography is the best choice we made.”
Keeping champagne from spilling, nail salon, wedding photography in Jacksonville Illinois by Warmowski Photography
Kristy's bridesmaids try to keep the champagne from making a mess as they get their hair done.
Kristy & Ty’s wedding day was a long one for us — exactly the kind of coverage we like to offer to our brides. Kristy chose our Package A, which includes a full day of photography, high-resolution images and a wonderful 40-plus page coffee table book. The day started out with Tiffany covering the action at the On The Clip Side salon in Jacksonville. We followed them to First Christian Church in South Jacksonville for more getting ready images as well as portraits before the ceremony.
bride takes a deep breath before entering reception, wedding in Virginia Illinois by Warmowski Photography
Kristy takes a deep breath before walking in to the reception at Fairway Hills Golf Course in Virginia.
A lot of work went into decorating the reception. The centerpieces were great and the chair covers and different colored bows added so much to the room (rented from the Beardstown Class of 2011). And as the sun went down and the room got darker, the many votive candles made for a very romantic feel.
Bride gets nose full of frosting, cake cutting, wedding reception in Virginia Illinois by Warmowski Photography
Ty gets the better of Kristy as they have fun after sharing a piece of cake.
Despite a calf injury Kristy sustained earlier in the week, she was able to dance and enjoy the reception. One thing that helped was her choice of footwear. Even before her injury, Kristy had decided on gym shoes. Because of the fullness of her dress, nobody could even tell – and she was comfortable all day!
Kristy's Nike Shocks kept her comfortable all day.
Dancing at wedding reception, Virginia Illinois, by Warmowski Photography
Kristy & Ty don’t seem to notice anyone else as they dance on the crowded dance floor.
Dancers cast shadows from DJ lights, Virginia Illinois wedding by Warmowski Photography
Dancers cast shadows on the ceiling, with lighting effects by D.J. Joe Kindred.
We love to stay until the end of the night because we feel we are better able to tell the full story of the day. We have two super fast lenses (f1.4 & f1.2) and top-class cameras with high sensitivity (iso 6400 plus) so we can practically shoot in the dark! We followed Kristy & Ty out to their get-away vehicle to complete the story.
Night time view of passengers in truck, after wedding in Virginia Illinois by Warmowksi photography
Kristy jumps into her dad's truck at the end of the night while her groom rode in the back seat.
Kristy & Ty also had us do their engagement photos. During all our portrait sittings we start in the studio to get more traditional images. But we also like to create images that reflect the couple’s personality and their relationship – and that can’t always be done well in the studio. With Kristy & Ty we headed to Virginia High School to make photos at the ball diamond, where Ty is the head softball coach and Kristy is assistant coach. (Kristy also coaches volleyball). We also took some photos at Rexroat Prairie, a beautiful nature reserve on the south end of town.
Engagement photos in Virginia, Illinois by Warmowski Photography
Engagement photos: Kristy gets first choice on the softball diamond in Virginia.
Sitting in antique cabin porch, Rexroat Prairie in Virginia, Illinois, engagement image by Warmowski Photography
Kristy & Ty at Rexroat Prairie in Virginia, Illinois.

Wedding details: Ceremony at First Christian Church in South Jacksonville; hair and nails at On The Clip Side in Jacksonville; Brad Wessel caterer; Joe Kindred DJ; Ty’s ring from Infinity Tungsten; Kristy’s ring from Helzberg Diamonds, Springfield; wedding dress from David’s Bridal; reception at Fairway Hills Golf Course in Virginia; flowers from Nancy Bork, Jacksonville.

Posted by Steve. Warmowski Photography, wedding images in Jacksonville, Illinois 62650 and Virginia, Illinois 62691. Follow us on Facebook.

Springfield Local Favorites pre-bridal bash meeting

This month’s Springfield Local Favorites meeting was our last planning meeting before our 3rd Annual Bridal Bash. The event will be held Sunday September 26th at The Rail Golf Course in Springfield. Don’t forget to register for the show, which automatically enters brides for door prizes and the top prize of an 8-day, 7-night honeymoon package courtesy of Savvi Formalwear.

Besides adding our information to the goodie bags for the first 100 brides at the show, we met up with new member Tom Anderson of An Event Design — florist, event planning and coordinating. We’ve done several weddings with them in Jacksonville, and we’ve received many queries about them — especially on how they decorated MacMurray College’s dining hall for a wedding last summer. Find him on Facebook or call 217.414.7371 or 7123.

Also met other new members:

  • Ron & Paula’s Ballroom Dancing, to help you make a splash for your first dance.
  • Nita Crews of Gifts by Nita — bridesmaid gifts, make-up expert, personal shopper and custom bridal registry. Register with her, and out-of-town or super-busy family can select a gift for her to purchases, wrap and deliver. All they have to do is show up and have fun.

Posted by Steve. Warmowski Photography, recognized as one of the top wedding photographers in Springfield, Illinois 62703 by the members of Springfield Local Favorites.

Service provides interview and photos on video

Tiffany’s friend and fellow Rotary Club member Brian Ganz has started a service where he will mix an interview with images and create a video on DVD. An idea for a video to display at your reception, or other family uses.

Check him out at Living Legacy in Arenzville. 217.248.5397.

How many times have you said, “We need to have these stories documented.” The reality is, no one ever finds the time to actually get it done.