I know I said that I wouldn’t be doing boudoir until November since of the crazy busy wedding season. We’re now almost to November! So I’m moving it to the first weekend in December.

Sessions will take place Downtown Chicago in a suite this time around! (exact hotel TBD, but it’ll be pretty amazing)

Also, since my pricing has changed, I am HAPPY to announce that Cynthia Sally will be doing airbrush makeup and eyelashes for your session! She also helps out with posing, fixing hair strands, reapplying makeup, changing eye looks, etc. This is all INCLUDED in your session fee! Having someone do your makeup professionally helps you feel better and sexier and make it perfect for the camera!

Times are listed below:
9am
11am
1pm
3pm
5pm
7pm

Sessions still include unlimited outfits, 60 minutes of shooting time, 8×8 leather bound album and a disc of images. Session cost starts at $500 and there are upgrades for albums and such including calendars!!

Please contact me if you are interested! Rush fees available for Holiday delivery!!

Kara
kara@karaschultz.com

Ok ok, get off my back, I’m sorry that this is so long awaited! I had to go out of town for a weekend which meant that week kind of went off to preparing for that, then I get sick! How dare I right? I’ve got that nasty sinus cold that’s going around and the sinus headaches that come with it are KILLER. Poor Jen has probably been stalking, her mom has been calling and I’ve been hiding from the light as that makes the headaches worse!

Things I loved about Jen and Scotts wedding photos:
1. Scott was a total goofball.
2. you can really tell how much they care for each other
3. They stopped at Harry Caray’s for a beer which was on the top of their to-do list that day!
4. I love them so much they’re becoming a new sample album
5. I loved Jen’s styling of the wedding for a late September date, lots of little details!
6. we got a free cab ride
7. outdoor wedding, downtown chicago? perfection!
8. plenty of time left for pictures!!

For all you looking for locations, here’s where we were all day!
Harry Caray’s 33 W. Kinzie Street, Chicago | Phone: 773.HOLY.COW
North Avenue Beach 1600 N Lake Shore Dr, Chicago IL
Cancer Survivors Garden (ceremony) 337 E Randolph St, Chicago IL
Maggianos (reception) 516 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654-7102

It was great to be able to photograph your wedding! I hope you enjoy the slideshow!

Kara
kara@karaschultz.com

Are you thinking about a first look for your wedding day? This new trend has become more and more popular among couples and the photographers always love it! It helps have less time in between your ceremony and reception as all of your pictures are done beforehand so you get to enjoy cocktail hour! There’s no rush on getting to places or anything!

I actually decided on a first look for my own wedding day! And as a photographer, it makes my life a bit easier because there’s very little stress in between the ceremony and reception!

If you haven’t heard of a first look, let me tell you what it is, it’s a moment when the bride and groom get to see each other for the first time, alone, usually with just the photographer and videographer present for that moment. They let the couple have a few moments alone (or as much time as they would like!) and then we move on to portraits with the bride and groom! This is nice because it gives the couple some moments alone on their wedding day which is in high demand! And if you peruse some photography blogs and wonder how they did all of that within the time frame, it’s because of a first look!

Brides have moved towards this more and more because they want the wedding pictures and still want to enjoy cocktail hour with their guests but don’t want a long gap in between or if they’re having their ceremony and reception at the same place. Also, with doing the photos beforehand we don’t get the paparazzi of family and friends vying for your time!

Today on Weddingistas blog, I was featured for some of the photos of Lauren and Brian’s first look! Along with some other great photographers like Rad Photographer out of Ohio made up of a husband and wife team (wish I could get the hubby more on board for this!) and Kristin Byrum who has the cutest pineapple logo! And Robert and Kathleen Photographers in Connecticut who also have a new blog/site combo like me! And lastly but not least some from Raw Photo Design who showed some from Florida and Katie Ardner Photography who we all had first looks from!

The trend is happening all over the nation!

The Weddingista’s also go over the pros and cons of doing a first look on your wedding day! Check them out! Even though they’re in Connecticut, I have camera, will travel

Here’s my one favorite that wasn’t up:

More soon after a nap and hopefully feeling better!!

Kar

I’m sure you remember Kirsten and Will from their Chinatown engagement session.  I just love these two!  (and I apologize immensely for the delay in these pictures but I got that nasty cold/flu thing that’s going around and I still kind of have it…hence why there’s a post at 5:30am this morning!)

Anyway, Kirsten and will got married on a day when it just wouldn’t stop raining, I feel like that’s pretty much been the month of October honestly!  I’m sure Kirsten was nervous that these didn’t turn out and that’s why I didn’t post any but that’s not the case!  Just sickness put a delay!  Kirsten and Will live in Chicago but got married out in Oregon, IL. Even though it was drizzling for pictures, they both braved the elements!

the boys braving the rain for pictures

even though the wedding ceremony had to be moved under the tent, all was fine

aren’t the girls cute?

love.

Loved working with you and being able to photograph your wedding! More to come soon!

Kara

So next year I’ve decided to just get a membership to Cantigny in Wheaton. If you haven’t been GO! And if you’re a wedding photographer reading this, if you haven’t made your way to Cantigny, then I feel sorry for you! And if you need more help, here’s the address: 1S151 Winfield Rd Wheaton, IL 60189-3397 (630) 668-5161

Anyway, I love Anna and Ethan as clients. They’re a blast. Anna follows me on twitter and we respond back and forth a lot! She also is on top of any twitter giveaways I do (hint, I give stuff away on twitter)! Recently they even adopted a cute (kind of little) lab named Scooby who is a typical lab. Anna is used to big st. bernards who don’t really move a whole lot. Since I have a kind of lab and always post about her antics, I hope Anna knew what she was getting herself into! Both Ethan and Anna love to laugh and I totally just let them be themselves. And boy was it fun!

I seriously love this one. It totally says everything. I think Anna wanted a squirrel and Ethan said no!

love these both!

mmm light

Can’t wait to photograph your crazy awesome wedding next year!!

Kara
kara@karaschultz.com

So does everyone remember a few months ago when I posted round 1 of Karen and Greg’s engagement pictures? (ok, click here if you don’t!) Well they wanted more fall pics before their upcoming (eep!! Karen are you ready??) wedding in mid-November.

So you’ll see a lot more of them on the blog! We decided to hit up Busse Woods in Schaumburg. Now I’d tell you the address, but there’s not really one and the one place we thought was an actual building turned out to be a few trailers (no joke).

This first one was caught and I don’t think Karen or Greg knew!

Love the Fall colors!

Ok, I feel the need I have to explain this picture for Karen and Greg’s sake! At their wedding shower, they were given these hats because Karen is a huge Friends fan and of course the rest of you out there understand that “they’re each others lobsters!”

big giant field = gorgeous.

love.

I’ll see you soon Karen and Greg!! And can you believe it’ll be your WEDDING DAY?! I look forward to photographing it for you!

Kara

I’m sure Jessica has been stalking this blog for these ever since we took them the last weekend of September! We decided to do what I call the Grant Park tour which takes us all the way around and ends up in Millennium Park I hope everyone has at least gone there ONCE! I feel like I’m there at least every week whether for engagements or weddings, but me and the cloud gate are good friends!

Jessica and Lane were so much fun and pretty much up for anything I would ask of them! Their wedding isn’t until Summer 2010 but it’s that time of year to get in engagement shoots!

::swoon::

there was a bit of contact involved in the walking picture, haha!

This was way too cute. I told Lane to sit and then for Jessica to sit in between his legs. She just plopped herself down in his lap!

Hope you enjoy them! I can’t wait to photograph your wedding next year!

Kara
kara@karaschultz.com

Hi Jen! Just thought I’d say hi to my blog stalker since I know she’s been waiting very impatiently for this! I have to say that I loved photographing Jen and Scott’s wedding. They were relaxed, had plenty of time for portraits and even would’ve braved the rain if needed! Not only that, my husband (David) taped my ankle for their wedding because just a week before was when I severely sprained it (still hurts to this day!). They were more worried about me but I think I was a trouper too.

Jen put so many details into the day she even joked it was a online wedding since so much of the stuff she ordered offline! Either way, it was way fun to photograph! We started out the day getting ready and meeting.

We then headed over to Wrigley Field and Harry Caray’s for a some photos and a quick drink! Have you ever been to Harry Caray’s? It was hilarious and Mike Ditka was even there! (ok it was an impersonator but still funny) 33 W. Kinzie Street, Chicago | Phone: 773.HOLY.COW (I love their phone number!!)

Scott cracked me up at every turn! This is what happened when I asked him to give me some sass!!

We then made a quick stop at North Avenue Beach: 1600 N Lake Shore Dr, Chicago IL which is an awesome background for wedding photography!

the flying V will never be the same…

Gotta love it.

We then packed into the limo to head over to the Cancer Survivor Gardens which was so awesome! It literally is right next to Lake Shore and you can see Museum Campus down the line. It’s located not far from Millennium Park at all. It’s actually located at 337 E Randolph St, Chicago IL

and then I had some time alone with Jen and Scott after their wedding for bride and groom portraits. We headed to the riverwalk to do that!

And finally to Maggiano’s for the reception 516 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60654-7102

I hope that was enough of a tease for you Jen & Scott! It was a lot of fun being the photographer for your wedding! I can’t wait for you to see the slideshow!

Kara
kara@karaschultz.com

I’m on a roll today huh? (I still have a wedding and an engagement to put up today on the blog!!) I decided to do this trash the dress in downtown Naperville and it was like going back home (I lived in Naperville for a little over 5 years!) I knew all the nooks and crannies of the riverwalk where we did this trash the dress! Kaitlin was being stared at a lot for walking around in her wedding dress and me following photographing her. I’m sure she felt like a model!

love.

Kaitlin then changed into a short white dress to get wet in! She didn’t want to hurt her wedding dress too much but I hold it wouldn’t have hurt it at all!

there’s nothing like a good water fight!

Ah how I love to see wedding dresses get dirty! I hope you enjoyed them all Kaitlin!

Kara
kara@karaschultz.com

Lauren participated in my Trash-the-Dress-Palooza event and I’m finallly getting around to uploading and editing these! She’s been super patient because I’ve been so busy! I just love trash the dresses! I wanted to edit it sooner but still had so much that was going on all the time! Sometimes I call it a post-session because some people don’t want to fully get crazy with their wedding dresses.

Kara
kara@karaschultz.com