The Root Photography Blog

Laurie + David : Wedding Part I

October 25, 2011 by Jensey 2 Comments

When Laurie and David first met us, they were toying around with the idea of having a Disney wedding. We were secretly ecstatic when they moved the location to downtown Chicago. ;) The ceremony and reception were held at the luxurious Elysian Hotel.

Laurie and David opted to have a “first look” which gave us plenty of photo time around the city. :)

They kicked things off by practicing their first dance in the Elysian’s lobby.

David’s gorgeous daughter looking on. :)

Raina and David have the sweetest relationship!

Laurie and David arranged for us to take photos at Wrigley Field. I’m by no means a sports fan, but even I was excited about that! :)

My favorite. :):):)

Laurie designed her ceremony space herself- It looked amazing.

Click here for Part Two! :)

Related Weddings :

First Look on the 1st : Amanda + Eric

October 1, 2011 by Jensey 1 Comment

Sent to us from past bride Amanda of Mouseketrips :

I first got the idea of a First Look when I saw Carrie and Patrick’s wedding. I loved seeing that private moment that the two of them shared and instantly mentioned it to my hubby to be. He of course said no. We both were very hesitant to break with tradition, him more so than me. This was my second marriage and I really wanted it to feel personal and intimate and tradition didn’t matter as much to me. Eric, on the other hand, had a vision that the first time he’d see me was when the doors to the Wedding Pavilion opened. Uber romantic of course!

As we continued with our wedding planning, we realized that to maximize our time during the day, a First Look made more and more sense. One thing I really hated was when a Bride and Groom spent too much time on pictures between the ceremony and reception only to arrive at the reception and spend the whole time greeting guests…no time to enjoy an event we worked so hard at planning. I showed Eric a few more First Looks (done by Roots of course) and he began to come around to the idea. It would give us more time with Roots, plus would allow us to head almost directly to the reception with our guests.

Looking back, we both couldn’t have been happier with our decision. That moment was so private and intimate…I don’t even remember Nate and Jensey being there! The photos that were taken during our first look are some of our favorites and I still remember exactly how it felt when we saw each other for the first time.

Related Posts :

First Look on the 1st : Erin + Steve

September 1, 2011 by Jensey 4 Comments

True story: Whenever I think back to my favorite first looks, this photo immediately comes to mind! Erin and Steve’s first look was so emotional… I remember taking this photo and as soon as Erin’s eyes welled up with tears, so did mine! Thank you so much, Erin and Steve, for sharing your sweet story with the rest of us!

We chose the Roots (obviously) because we wanted to ensure that our wedding’s archival record was every bit as beautiful as our memories of the celebration. For us, the decision to have Nate and Jensey capture our first look, away from all of our guests with plenty of time for creative compositions and makeup tweaking, was easy. Neither of us held any superstitions about seeing each other before the actual ceremony and, frankly, we looked forward to a few minutes alone before taking our place in front of all our friends and family.

I waited with Nathan in a small sitting room at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort while Patricia LeJeune’s amazing-beyond-words team of artists finished Erin’s makeup. Every time I heard a voice, a swell of excitement would wash over me, only to give way to anxiety and Compulsive Watch Checking when I realized it wasn’t her. But then her voice was unmistakable, and with my back turned to the doorway, I heard her walking into the room, sniffling uncontrollably. Of course, this started me sniffling uncontrollably, and when I turned around and saw how absolutely beautiful she was, well, we were both a mess. That first kiss, more than any other, was probably the most intimate moment of the entire day; I still well up every time I see the photographs.

Beyond the intimacy of those first few moments together, there turned out to be some pretty practical advantages to our First Look session. All of Erin’s jewelry was safely secured in her room’s safe; just before our first look, however, the key was nowhere to be found. Search of the room: nothing. Father-in-law’s mad dash to the rental car: not there either. Maid of honor’s call to every family member that had been in contact with Erin in the past twenty-four hours: no one has the key. Jensey whisked Erin away for the first look, while her father called Disney’s maintenance crew. By the time the photographs were completed, the safe was drilled open and Erin’s jewelry rescued. So, not only does a first look session provide for beautiful photographs of a lasting memory, but it also gives you a little bit of extra time to deal with those last-minute (but hardly unexpected) emergencies.

And when Erin appeared at the far end of the aisle, she looked even more beautiful than the first time I saw her.

Previous First Looks on the 1st :

Carrie + Patrick

The Roots!