Stories of wedding photojournalism from the husband-wife team of Warmowski Photography
Michelle & Jordan were married Saturday, December 31, 2011, in Springfield, Illinois.
The bridal party stopped at the capitol building after the ceremony and used sparklers to ‘write’ out the wedding date.
Congratulations to Michelle & Jordan!
All photographs copyright 2012 Warmowski Photography.
Katie Duffin & Jack Contri were married July 2, 2011, at St. Agnes Catholic Church in Springfield and their reception was at Erin’s Pavilion at Springfield’s new Southwind Park.
Enjoy some of our favorite moments from their wedding day!
Katie was given a special hanger which she used to hang her wedding gown on the special day. The hanger was a gift from friends who found it on one of my favorite gift websites – Etsy!
Jack and his brother Val chill out at their parents’ house before getting ready.
Katie’s mom, sister and other bridesmaids help her get ready to go to the park to meet her groom.
Jack & Katie decided to see each other before the ceremony. There was a wedding later in the day at this gazebo in Springfield’s Washington Park, but a call to the park district before the big day ensured it would be available when we needed it.
After a few minutes seeing each other for the first time on their big day, they were ready to head to Katie’s parents’ house for family and bridal party portraits.
Katie’s parents’ backyard includes a bridge over a creek that runs behind their house. Katie’s sister, Shannon spent hours earlier that week power washing the bridge so it would be ready for photos.
Katie and her father Dennis wait for the ceremony to begin. Katie’s mom Theresa surprised Katie by having the florist incorporate Theresa’s own wedding veil into Katie’s bridal bouquet.
Katie & Jack, along with their bridal party, entertained the guests with their entertaining, dancing entrance.
Shannon’s maid-of-honor speech included a prop. The prop illustrated stories of Katie’s graduate school days.
Val’s best man toast was heartfelt and reflected the brothers’ close relationship.
The wagon came in handy when it came to the garter toss.
We always keep an eye on when the sun is setting. If it’s an appropriate time for the bride and groom to leave their party for a few minutes, we try to use the beautiful light to our advantage.
Posted by Tiffany/Warmowski Photography. We notice the things that make your wedding special whether the big day is in Chicago, St. Louis, Springfield and world wide.
Anne & Loren were married Saturday 23 April 2011 at Prairie Productions in Chicago. It has been raining a lot here in the Midwest, so I was preparing myself all week for that possibility. No rain appeared! The day was absolutely beautiful in every way.
Here are some of our favorite details from their day.
Anne & Loren decided to see each other before the ceremony. They did so at a park right near their home.
Anne’s dog, Murphy was an important part of the day (click here for a post on Murphy)
Anne had help making all of the napkins (and decorating the favor boxes).
Loren’s mom, Sharon, and Anne take a peek at people arriving for the wedding.
Loren’s father, Rudy is an organist and musician. He brought a small pipe organ to Prairie Productions and played for the couple’s ceremony.
Anne didn’t choose dresses for her bridesmaids. She simply asked them to wear blue or green. They choose dresses that fit their styles and body types as well as budgets.
They had amazing desserts from Sweet Mandy B’s including macaroons and cupcakes.
The cake Anne & Loren cut was from a bakery & coffee shop they visited the morning of their wedding.
The couple decided on using iTunes for their music. They plugged into Prairie Production’s sound system and danced all night.
There is a great view of the skyline right outside Prairie Productions and we took advantage of it near the end of the night.
Congratulations to Anne & Loren and a beautiful wedding day! Wishing you a long and happy marriage!
Posted by Tiffany/Warmowskiphoto.com
Warmowski Photography photographes couples in Chicago, St. Louis, Springfield, all over Illinois as well as destination weddings.
There were 3 little ones who participated in Monica & Luther’s wedding in Lombard, Illinois. They were Luther’s nieces and nephew.
The nice thing about having kids participating in your wedding is that you never know what’s going to happen. And one of the downsides to having kids in your wedding is that you never know what’s going to happen. Choosing whether or not to have children participate is a decision the bride and groom should make – keeping in mind how easily they are able to roll with things. Because, very rarely do ring bearers and flower girls walk directly and quietly down the aisle. Which is fine! It wouldn’t be memorable if they did!
It look Bode a minute to follow his cousins down the aisle. But he did it!
Bode got going, but then Allison realized her big sister, Avery, had dropped some flower petals. Allison pointed to them and said, “uh oh.” And it took her a minute to decide whether or not she was going to pick them up or keep going. Eventually, she kept going.
Bode got caught up in the aisle runner, but Grandpa Dan was right there to help out.
Monica and Luther with their ring bearer and flower girls.
Posted by Tiffany/Warmowski Photography. We photograph weddings with kids and without kids in Jacksonville, Illinois, Chicago, St. Louis and all over.
When I meet with couples before their wedding day to learn the details and hear about what is most important to them, one of the questions I ask is if they plan to see each other before the ceremony.
The answer is about 50/50. Fifty percent of our couples want to stick with tradition. The first time the groom sees his bride on the wedding day is when she is walks down the aisle.
The other 50 percent decide on a special moment before the ceremony where they see each other, ooohhh and aaahhh over each other, and then have their family and bridal party join them for portraits.
Either way works for us. The day, after all, is about the couple and their friends and family, and NOT about the photos OR the photographers.
But, (you knew there would be a but, right!?) we honestly prefer when couples see each other and get the portraits done before the ceremony. The upsides are: fresh make up and clothing, less rushing, not keeping guests waiting, being able to get to the reception when you want to, not when photos are over, and you don’t have to worry about people who were supposed to be in portraits having left for the reception.
Monica and Luther decided to see each other before their ceremony. One reason was that they wanted to stop at their CrossFit gym with the bridal party for photos between the ceremony and reception.
Here are a few photos of their “first look.”
We typically do the “first look” at the alter where the portraits will be taken. There is good light there. The bride and groom usually opt for the groom to stand at the alter with his back turned and the bride walking up the aisle, and he turns around when she gets to him. Although, we have done it other places. Liz and Kris saw each other for the first time in a garden outside the church and Steve and I first saw each other on Rutledge Lawn at MacMurray College across from Annie Merner Chapel in Jacksonville. Rutledge Lawn was where we first met and where he gave me my engagement ring.
Posted by Tiffany/Warmowski Photography. She and her husband, Steve, photograph weddings, like Monica & Luther’s, in Lombard and Homer Glen, as well as in Chicago, St. Louis and all over. And, although Tiffany & Steve saw each other before their ceremony, they both still cried when Tiffany walked down the aisle with her daddy.
Between Monica & Luther’s wedding and reception, the limo took the entire bridal party to Monica and Luther’s CrossFit gym. They had a couple photos in mind. I already put one in the Monica & Luther’s Wedding Highlights blog post. But, I have included it in this entry, too. Monica and Luther began CrossFit the November before their February wedding. They plan to continue even though the big event is over.
Here it is – the Bridal Party Kettlebell Swing!
It took a couple to tries to get it right.
Monica’s awesome “something blue!”
My vantage point from up in the loft
The bridal party’s reaction to the weight being put on Monica’s bar
Steve’s vantage point from the ground
The whole group and Jason, the CrossFit owner and trainer
Posted by Tiffany/Warmowski Photography, photographing brides, grooms and their unique interests in Jacksonville, Illinois, Chicago, Springfield and worldwide.
Fabulous wedding weekend for Monica Marchese and Luther Cunningham!
The wedding was at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Lombard, the church Monica attended while growing up. The reception was at Dinolfo’s Banquets in Homer Glen.
The festivities started Friday night with a themed rehearsal dinner put on by Deb & Dan Cunningham. There will be an blog post dedicated to just the rehearsal and dinner – so keep a look out for that!
In the meantime, here are some of our favorite images of the day.
Liz Overstreet & Kris Montgomery were married 18 September 2010 at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Illinois. Their reception was at The Inn at 835, also in Springfield.
Here’s some favorite images and moments from their day!
The Inn at 835, Stevens DJ Service and Specialty Cakes are fellow members of Springfield Local Favorites, a group of the top wedding vendors in the Springfield region. Liz said this of Matt Stevens during the night: “He’s more than just a DJ — he made the night go so smoothly.”
posted by Tiffany – Warmowski Photography loves to photograph unique ideas in Jacksonville, Springfield and all over to share with brides planning their weddings!
Savanna & Charlie Cole were married 17 September 2010, in Jacksonville. The wedding ceremony was at First Christian Church and the reception was at Hamilton’s 110 North East.
Here are some of our favorite details and moments from their fantastic day!
posted by Tiffany – Warmowski Photography – photographing in Jacksonville, Springfield, Chicago, St. Louis – and beyond!
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.
