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Plans are in the works for the 2nd Annual White Satin Extravaganza.

Girls in White Satin Bridal and Formal Wear will have the sales event 1-5 pm Sunday 16 October 2011 at Hamilton’s 110 North East in Jacksonville, IL 62650. They just returned from the exciting Chicago Markets, and need to make way for spring 2012 arrivals.

Tiffany will be on hand to talk about photography. MarEva Custom Jewelry and Hamilton’s 110 North East will also be part of a mini bridal expo.

The event features discounts, such as

• Wedding Gowns $199
• Mother’s Dresses $99
• Bridesmaid Dresses $59
• Special Occasion $59
• Flower Girl Dresses $49
• Prom Dresses 60% off
• Finishing Touches 60% off

Check Girls in White Satin’s Facebook page for updates. Posted by Steve. Warmowski Photography, husband-wife photojournalist team available to tell the story of your wedding day. Follow us on Facebook. Info on our wedding photography is also featured on the Girls in White Satin web page.

Wanted to help spread the word about a neat series of seminars brought to you by fellow Springfield Local Favorites members Magical Events of Springfield.

How to “I Do” is a seminar designed to help brides and their families at any stage of the planning process. It is to help educate brides not sell them services or products, and is free to all brides and their families. Special guests include area brides, Stevens DJ Service & Entertainment, Specialty Cakes and more!

From 2-4 pm Sunday 23 October 2011 at Specialty Cakes, 1560 Wabash Avenue, Springfield, IL 62704 (behind Famous Liquor).

There are still a few slots open, call 217.741.9850 or email to register.

There is a similar program in the works set for January. Here’s the preliminary information: 2-4 pm Sunday 15 January 2012 at Northfield Inn & Suites Conference Center, 3280 Northfield Drive, Springfield, IL 62702. This event might also have a drawing with gift certificates, discounts and whatnot. We’ll see how things develop!

Posted by Steve. Warmowski Photography, Magical Events,  Northfield Inn & Suites Conference Center & Specialty Cakes are members of Springfield Local Favorites, a group of the top wedding vendors in Central Illinois (on Facebook). Information from the Springfield Local Favorites’ 4th Annual Bridal Bash.

Are you looking for an idea for rehearsal dinners in Springfield? The Northfield Inn and Suites (3280 Northfield Drive, Springfield, IL 62702) not only hosts weddings, they also offer rehearsal packages. It’s a great facility on the northeast side of Springfield. Have your event there, guests can stay in the connected hotel facility.

Posted by Steve. Warmowski Photography, husband-wife photojournalist team available to tell the story of your wedding day. Member along with Northfield of Springfield Local Favorites, a group of the top wedding vendors in Central Illinois (on Facebook). Get free tickets for the 4th Annual Bridal Bash Sunday 25 September, to be held at the Northfield.

I recently found out that Terryl Boulanger of Girls in White Satin is an independent beauty consultant for Mary Kay. We’ve heard some great stuff from our brides how checking with someone from Mary Kay before the wedding was a great idea to make them (and their photos) look even better for their wedding day. More than just a source for makeup, she also teaches you how to use makeup.

Web site, Facebook or call her 217.370.9094.

Posted by Steve. Warmowski Photography, husband-wife photojournalist team available to tell the story of your wedding day. Follow us on Facebook. Listed on Girls in White Satin’s web page as recommended photographers. Member of Springfield Local Favorites, a group of the top wedding vendors in Central Illinois (on Facebook) along with Jacksonville’s Girls in White Satin and Hamilton’s Catering/Hamilton’s 110 North East.

We photographed the wedding of Jennifer Rowe and Chris Sides in Jacksonville in 2007. Chris gained some notoriety recently when he created a Facebook page for Jacksonville natives who’ve moved away called “I grew up in Jacksonville Illinois.” (Or enter “I grew up in Jacksonville, Illinois” in Facebook search bar).

Jennifer posted on our Wall on her 4th anniversary: “Chris and I were looking at our wedding dvds you sent us and realized just how amazing they are. You guys really did a great job!!! Thank you again (4 years later) LOL!!”

Here’s the story that was in last week’s Jacksonville Source.

YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN — FORMER JACKSONVILLE RESIDENT OVERNIGHT FACEBOOK HIT

by Brad K. Karr, The Source (Jacksonville, Illinois)

Anyone who has ever moved away from home knows that eventually homesickness sets in. A word, a sound, a smell- anything- sparks a memory.  Before one knows it, they are back on their parents’ doorstep and revisiting old haunts.  Or you go on Facebook and start a group page. That is exactly what Chris Sides of Madison, Georgia did. “My inspiration was my 10 month old daughter. I often catch myself thinking about the fun times, scary times, and sad times I had growing up. Then I start to think, what kind of memories she will have and how can I make sure she has as much fun as I did growing up! All of this had me thinking and laughing about my early years, and it just hit me! Just as my friends and parents had an influence on my life, my backdrop, Jacksonville is just as important in raising me! After that, I figured Facebook would be a great place to see how Jacksonville influenced others.” From this, “I grew up in Jacksonville, Illinois” was born.

“I never expected any more than maybe 200 people to join the page,” Sides muses, “So when I went to bed on the first night there were 300+ people.  When I woke up the next day there were over 700+ and I was shocked!! I had 1400 e-mails in my mail box alone. I had to turn off all emails so my phone would stop beeping.” This didn’t stop Sides from revisiting the site, however. “ I love to read everyone’s posts. It’s very addicting to get caught up in the past with people that shared your same experience.  I think that is the best draw to this site. You’re not remembering alone. There are hundreds of people with the same experience- just different eyes and different takes. The last time I looked there were close to 2000 members on the page! It’s unbelievable, and I’m glad everyone is enjoying the walk down memory lane! “

On these “walks” that date back to the early twentieth century, Sides has seen places he didn’t recall or never knew. “I saw Golden Coral came back up in a couple of posts…and Kens Pizza. My wife (Jennifer Rowe, formerly of Jacksonville) always talks about Spatz’s Ice Cream and Silverfrost, but I guess I was in the minority. I don’t think I ever went to either of them. The walk-up Dairy Queen was a good one. I thought the Eight Wheeler was the only place to skate but apparently there was a skating rink south of town I had never heard of until now.”

Sides was born in Atlanta in 1977, the second of two boys, where his father worked for a record company. The family later moved to San Gabriel California, just north of Los Angeles after Capitol Records offered him a position with them again. For Sides’ father this meant a four- hour round trip commute to work. “My dad told me later that two hour commutes each way will make most people put in transfer paperwork as well.” Also, his father’s family is from Brown County and the senior Sides had worked at Capitol Records in Jacksonville. He was given the transfer and the family moved to Jacksonville from California in 1981. Says Sides, “(I was) four years old. I can just barely remember the move to 600 Locust Street.”

Education in Jacksonville seems to have been a pleasant experience for sides. He attended Eisenhower Elementary from kindergarten to third grade, South Elementary from fourth to sixth grade, junior high at Johnathan Turner, and Jacksonville High School through senior year. Like every student Sides had his favorite teachers. “I was very lucky to get the ones everyone wanted. From Eisenhower School…Mr. Mike Anderson. He was very enthusiastic and animated which kept me… interested and active in his class. When I went to South my 6th grade teacher was Mrs. Pam Gregory. She was just a solid good teacher nothing flashy like Mr. Anderson. She just knew how to keep each student motivated. When I got to Turner, without question, Mr. Mike Bandy was probably the most influential teacher.”

Growing up in Jacksonville was also fulfilling for Sides, especially in the summer. “Back in the mid- eighties my family would always go to Pizzan’s Pizza before the races. We would fill up on the best pizza on the planet, then for desert we would have dirt from Ron Milton’s Baby Blue sprint car with the Pink 8!  My brother and I had to have put ten thousand miles on our bikes before we got our drivers licenses. When we lived on Locust Street we would ride to ISD, … Veterans Park or Duncan Park, and Capitol Records to see my dad every once in a while. Over time our boundaries were pretty much “ride as far as you like but be home by 5 for dinner!  So in the summer we would ride to the pool, Wal-mart to play the newest video games in the lobby area, Prestige Video, the sports card shop at Westward Plaza, Sport City Honda Shop and many other destinations”…including Graham & Wilson’s Sporting Goods.

“I played in just about every sport that was offered, or at least tried every sport that was offered,” Sides recalls his extracurricular life in Jacksonville. “I distinctly remember my first football game for JHS. Back in 1992-1993 there was no pee-wee football so starting out we were at a disadvantage to most, if not all, of our opponents. I remember the first game or at least the first kick-off of my short career in football. I decided to pick out the biggest guy on their team and drop the hammer on him! I think I came to about the end of the 1st quarter. I played through my sophomore year and called it quits when I started playing hockey all over the state with some of my friends.”

One huge annual event was also a large part of Sides’ experience. “Cruise night…was so much fun to go see the cars especially when you are being raised by a gear head like my dad. My parents would drop us off at Hardee’s and they would tell us what time to be back and we would walk the streets and meet up with friends and hang out.”

Sides and his family do try to return to Jacksonville semi- annually. One such visit was this past May for the Jacksonville Downtown Turnaround Celebration. “I got to drive my niece, Carly Eddy, (Little Miss South Jacksonville 2010-2011) in the parade!  I really like the new look of the square. It is a lot different then what I grew up with!! But I like the retro look. Just need to add some trees!” He also stays in touch with friends and family through Facebook, but says it’s also good to hear a voice every once in a while.

But Sides says he misses “the feeling of being ‘home’, knowing every street , the majority of the people, and where to go when you need something specific… and Pizzan’s Pizza!” Even though he and his wife enjoy living in the friend- filled small town of Madison, Georgia, he says “it still lacks that feel we have when we are in Jacksonville.”

Will Sides ever move back to Jacksonville? “My wife and I have tossed the idea around but, we have it pretty well here in Georgia. My wife is in the insurance field and does very well, and I really enjoy my field of work and Jacksonville doesn’t have a Recreation Department.  Now I would love to see the city or county get on board and notice the benefits of a structured municipal recreation department. If Jacksonville ever gets to that point, my resume’ will be the first on the city or county manager’s desk!”

Until that day, however, Sides will still have a little slice of home on Facebook- stories from others like him who can say “I grew up in Jacksonville, Illinois.”

Reprinted by permission. Warmowski Photography, experienced photojournalists who love to capture the story of your wedding day. Roots in Chicago, based in Springfield/Jacksonville. Available to photograph your wedding. Follow us on Facebook.

Link to on-line photo gallery.

Click here for information on ordering prints and digital files from the 69th Goode Water Ski National Championships held in Wilmington, Illinois Aug. 7-13, 2011. A PDF will be downloaded to your computer.

Contact Tiffany/Warmowski Photography with questions. 217-473-5581 tiffany@warmowskiphoto.com

The week of August 7-13 Warmowski Photography will be providing photography coverage of the AWSA Nationals Waterski Championships (USA Water Ski). The 2011 Goode Water Ski National Championships will be held in Wilmington, Illinois (near Joliet). This will be the resource to access images and get information on the event.

We’d like to thank Jeff Surdej and Darr Leutz for asking us to photograph this year. We stepped in just a few weeks before this tournament when organizers realized previous arrangements for photography wouldn’t work out. Steve previously photographed a tournament at Leutz Lake in Jacksonville, Illinois. (Darr plays racquetball with Steve , and can probably show off a latent bruise from the court.)

• Sunday note: Sorry photos were not more readily available – power in the vendor then did not come on until late morning and the delays put us out of sorts. Other caveat: the delay backed us up, and we think confused us so some photos are in the wrong category. If you see an image in the wrong category let us know.
• Monday note: Sorry for missing a few events – the storm that stopped action blew through the vendor’s tent, threatening our computers. We had to head back to the hotel to get our gear back in action.
• Plans for the rest of the week: We will have 2 photographers covering events through Saturday. Due to previous commitments, Steve & Tiffany will be closing down the photo booth Thursday. There will also be a delay in getting images on-line. Check back next week for images from Thursday-Saturday.
• If you don’t see photos of your competitor, please contact us (e-mail). We only missed shooting a couple events, but we might have missed something when editing. Give us some info, and we’ll see if we can find your photos.

Link to on-line photo gallery. You can purchase small prints and bonus products on this site. Contact us email or 217.473.5581 for special requests (add name/record time to image and the like) and premium products (mounted prints, posters, books, etc.)

When ordering, identify photos using the 5-digit number at the end of the file name. For example, if you’re in Tuesday’s Mens 3 Slalom and you like image 09_M3SL12345, all you need to identify your image is 12345.

• Get updates on the event @warmowskiphoto on the Warmowski Photography Twitter feed.
• Also see the Warmowski Photography Facebook page.

To provide the highest quality product, prints will be made at our professional lab and shipped to your home. As a bonus for ordering during the week of competition, your photo will be uploaded to Facebook for you to tag and share.

The husband-wife photojournalist team of Warmowski Photography are former newspaper photographers, recognized on the state and national level for quality sports photography. Since leaving our newspaper positions we have focused on wedding photography. We are based in Springfield/Jacksonville, but regularly cover events in Chicago, St. Louis and all over Central Illinois. Also experienced with destination weddings — from the farmlands of Kansas to the lights of Las Vegas; international experience in Victoria, British Columbia in Canada, and Europe in England and Sweden. Follow us on Facebook. Contact us with questions: email or 217.473.5581. 

Congratulations to Erin on her wedding Saturday at the Prairie Land Heritage Museum in South Jacksonville. The ceremony was in the historic Liberty Church on the Prairieland grounds. She already had a friend to photograph her on her wedding day (and we already had to photograph a wedding at Erin’s Pavilion in Springfield’s Southwind Park) so the family asked us to make some formal bridal portraits.

Erin couldn’t come in until mid-June, but we still were able to turn around a nice wall print they had framed and on display during the day. Congratulations Erin!

Call Barb Derricks 217.243.4095 for more info on booking Prairieland Liberty Church. Bouquet by Ashley’s Petals & Angels. Wedding dress by Girls in White Satin.

Posted by Steve. Warmowski Photography, experienced photojournalists who love to capture the story of your wedding day. Also offering bridal portraits, senior portraits and more. New studio at 301 E. Court St. Suite B, Jacksonville, IL 62650 – next door to Girls in White Satin, first floor of Hamilton’s 110 North East. Follow us on Facebook.