“Let Them Eat Cake” | Rin + Nick | Drake Hotel Chicago

Friday, September 3, 2010

Rin and Nick stole our hearts from day one. Their adoration for each other and their gentle and kind words would put anyone at ease. They have soft and quiet spirits but that doesn’t stop them from having huge smiles. Everything Rin does and says is graceful yet strong. She’s like a beautiful ballerina. You can almost see Nick’s heart melt every time he looks her way. When we met with them last year during their planning process it seemed like Labor Day weekend 2010 would never arrive. Well, it’s finally here and we are so excited for their wedding on Sunday.

A few weeks ago we teamed up with Rin and Nick’s cinematographers from I Do Films and their wedding coordinator/floral designer, Debi Lilly from A Perfect Event, for a fun Marie Antoinette inspired engagement story at the amazing Drake Hotel in Chicago. Rin has a refined taste for classic and elegant style so we knew this French inspired shoot would be perfect for them. Debi did a wonderful job with all of the over-the-top styling including lots of delicious sweets from Vanille Patisserie, Sugar Bliss Cake Boutique and More Cupcakes. The set up included a cake bar draped in French pleated silk linen, oversized candelabras, elegant silver cake stands, macarons, cupcakes, icing shots, truffles, french pastries and much more! I am not going to lie. We couldn’t wait to indulge ourselves in all of the yummy sweets after the shoot was over. We ate cupcakes for a week! We had such a fun time and can’t wait to see all of the exciting things this weekend will bring at their wedding along with Debi and the I Do Films team.

Be sure to watch the really cute short film starring Rin and Nick below by I Do Films!

Rin & Nick from I Do Films on Vimeo.

This film was produced by I Do Films, LLC.

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A Dog Day Afternoon at Tompkins Park, NYC | New York Lifestyle

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

What better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than with one of your best girlfriends and a little pup? We unfortunately don’t have a dog but would like to adopt this one of Kathryn’s named Baily… he was so cute! This was part two of our shoot in the East Village of New York City. You can view part one here. We had this idea of going to the dog park in Tompkins Park so Kathryn had her husband bring Baily down and it made the shoot even more fun. Shirley and Kathryn are literally best friends and it shows, they have so much energy and chemistry with one another. This is key when shooting fun lifestyle work; that your subjects are completely care free and up for just having fun. It also helps that they are extremely talented at their jobs. We wanted to keep things fun so I shot almost all of our shoot at a true 35mm so you feel like you are right there with them.

Thanks to Ford Models, Courtney Rust for wardrobe styling, Kerry Crawford for makeup and Julius Toussaint for hair.

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Anne Marie + Mark | Chicago, IL

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Anne Marie and Mark are full of laughter and love. They share a respect for each other and their relationship that I admire. Mark is quiet and reserved but he doesn’t let that stop him from showing Anne Marie how much he adores her. During their engagement session we talked about the dance they were learning together for their wedding reception. Mark was nervous about it but it was sweet to hear that he was practicing diligently to make sure he would get all the steps down in time for the wedding. I’m sure he knew it would make Anne Marie so happy. Well, we photographed their wedding a week ago and I can’t give either of them enough props for nailing their dance together. They looked like they came straight out of SYTYCD! They had a standing ovation from the whole room. It was nothing short of awesome.

Thanks to Katie and David, Anne Marie and Mark contacted us almost a year and a half ago about shooting their wedding. It’s hard to believe that much time has already passed and that they’ve now been married for 1 week. We got together the week before the wedding to do this engagement shoot. The sunshine was perfect and besides all of the pesky bugs and the melting temperature we had a great time. Looking at these images makes me wish summer would stay forever. Congratulations AM + Mark! We love you guys!

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New York Lifestyle Shoot | Rooftop

Thursday, June 24, 2010

A couple of few weeks ago we had a meeting in New York and wanted to extend our trip and have a little fun. We collaborated with Courtney Rust, a commercial wardrobe stylist friend of ours here in Chicago. In less than a week we had a concept, models, hair, makeup and location.  Arriving in New York on Friday we settled into a quaint walkup in the East Village near Tomkins Park did some quick scouting then off to shopping for wardrobe. Courtney has an amazing talent of seeing colors and patterns and visualizing how everything will come together . While Stevi and Courtney were shopping I ran for coffee and gave my occasional appoval, but I have learned not to get in the way of women and shopping. Truly I trusted Courtney and knew she would do a fantastic job.  All in all we pulled for three scenes in a “girls afternoon out”.

Surrounding yourself with talented people, especially on a shoot like this, is vital.  Stevi produced the shoot by coordinating travel, lining up models, hair and makup.  She really made my job easy. I have to say the same for Kerry Crawford (makeup artist), Julius Toussaint (hair stylist), Courtney Rust (wardrobe stylist), and of course our models Shirley and Kathryn from Ford Models, all of whom are professionals and masters at their craft.  We focused on having a good time and collaborating on looks so everyone came out happy and had great images for their books. The images below are from the first scene on the roof of the apartment where we were staying.

Special thanks to the crew for making this such a fun shoot!

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Engage!10 | Cayman Islands

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Last week Matt and I attended a luxury wedding business summit in the Cayman Islands called Engage!10.  We came home feeling inspired and renewed.  We firmly believe that in order to continue growing as artists and as entrepreneurs, it is important that we take time to surround ourselves and learn from the people in our industry who have already successfully paved their own way.

Some of the conversations we shared with other attendees left us dreaming bigger than we ever have before.  Without big goals and dreams, we will never be able to fully grow into the person that we are called to be.  We also feel that while working with your spouse is great, it is an even bigger challenge to constantly make sure we are growing together and always open to respecting each other’s perspectives.

Taking time to travel and attend a conference like Engage is a great way for us to feel challenged and refreshed.   Thank you to everyone who made our experience unforgettable.  We’ll let the photos below tell the rest of the story!

A little video recap from our friends at I Do Films!

engage!10 Cayman Islands from I Do Films on Vimeo.

Visit these blogs for more Engage!10 recaps:

(if you want to add your recap to this list email me, contact@averyhouse.net)

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