Tara and Pradeep got married at the Mill Creek Country Club in Geneva, Illinois on a gorgeous sunny day. Tara is my cousin so it was even more of an honor to photograph her wedding and capture those special moments. She was such a beautiful bride and I could just tell how happy and in love her and Pradeep are. I also got to see family that I haven’t seen in years, so I had a wonderful time!

Tara got ready at her parents home and then headed to the country club for a “first look” with Pradeep before the ceremony. They did an amazing job planning their wedding. One of the touches that I really liked was their guestbook which had a picture of everyone attending and you got to sign by your picture. All I could think of was how much work they must have put into collecting and organizing the pictures. Their reception was absolutely amazing and I’m not being biased:) Her sister and maid of honor, Courtney, made a slideshow and from the reactions of the guests it was amazing. (I actually didn’t watch the slideshow, it’s a great opportunity to capture the expressions of everyone watching.) And they had the most amazing DJ I have ever seen!! If you are getting married in the Chicago area I highly recommend Monastero Entertainment. If you are looking for a DJ that is not your typical wedding DJ, Roberto does an amazing job mixing dance music. There was no Electric Slide or YMCA, just awesome dance music that rocked the house!! I felt like I was in a dance club and the floor was packed. Congratulations!! Here’s a **SLIDESHOW** of some of my favs.

I spent the afternoon with Tara and Pradeep taking some pictures of them before their wedding on Friday. I had so much fun with them…they are such a cute couple. It’s going to be so much fun photographing their wedding!! Thanks for lunch and I can’t wait for Friday:)

You’re planning a wedding in a far off and exotic location, maybe because it’s a special place for the both of you or maybe you just have a sense of adventure. Your closest family and friends will be there to share your love and celebrate the beginning of your new life together. Planning a destination wedding can be daunting. You may not be able to travel to the area before the wedding, so most of the planning will be done long distance, trusting in the vendors you have chosen to make your day special. One of the most important things to remember is that you will want the most amazing pictures to remember not only your wedding day, but this gorgeous and romantic place that you brought the most special people in your lives to. It’s hard enough to hire other vendors that you won’t have a chance to meet beforehand, but if the photography is one of the most important aspects of your destination wedding, why not find and hire a photographer who is near you; a photographer who can get to know you personally beforehand and someone you feel comfortable with. As a destination wedding photographer I share that love of adventure and travel with you and offer the opportunity to not only capture your wedding day, but those special moments before and after. Since you will be spending more time at your destination wedding location, opportunities to explore the area and photograph the two of you in either a “we will” or “we did it” sessions in the place you have chosen to start your new life together are a great way to capture more relaxed pictures of the two of you. My second passion next to wedding photography is travel. I’ve traveled all over the world, from South America to Europe and many adventures in the United States and Canada and each experience has provided me with so many amazing memories. I’m available for several destination weddings each year…I already have one booked for 2007 in Chicago, which I can’t wait for, it’s where I was born:)