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Chicago Wedding Photographer | Ashley and Mike Part 1
Wow wow wow!!! This memorial day weekend may have been my favorite weekend of my entire career as a wedding photographer! I feel like the luckiest photographer in the entire world, because Ashley and Mike chose me as the photographer for their downtown Chicago wedding at the Drake Hotel. Ashley and Mike’s wedding day was so grand, and we ended up shooting their STUNNING downtown Chicago wedding for over 12 hours. So instead of overwhelming you with over 600 photos from this dream wedding, I decided to break their Drake Hotel wedding up into three separate blog posts. Part 1 covers their bridal details, getting ready, and portraits. Part 2 will cover their two sweet wedding ceremonies, and part 3 will cover their elegant ballroom wedding reception details and fun reception celebration. I can’t wait for you to see their full wedding day!
Ashley and Mike are THE most amazing couple. They were so joyful throughout their wedding day. I love the way these two interacted with each other. Their love for each other radiated through the entire wedding day through all of their interactions with each other and their families and friends. They also had the most fun and helpful bridal party to celebrate with throughout their entire wedding day. They each had 10 bridesmaids and groomsmen, so it’s clear that so many people are drawn to how fun and kind this couple is just like myself and Andry were.
I had so many favorite parts of Ashley and Mike’s Chicago, Illinois wedding that it would take more than one blog post just to write about them. But I have to tell you about how touching their first look at the Wriggly Building was! Mike had the sweetest reaction to seeing Ashley for the first time, and I LOVED documenting their tender first moments together on their wedding day. Everyone around these two can tell just how much Mike loves Ashley. I mean, he cried during their first look AND when she walked down the aisle during their wedding ceremony (but you’ll have to wait until part two to see that!)
After the first look, we took bride and groom portraits as well as bridal party photos in front of the Wriggly Building and on the river with the Chicago Skyline in the background. This location is perfect for the Chicago - loving city couple! Next, we took the limo to the Rookery for the rest of our bridal party and bride and groom photos. The Rookery has the coolest staircases! We also took a few last bride and groom photos in front of the Drake Hotel when we got back to the Drake to prepare for Ashley and Mike’s first wedding ceremony. I can’t wait for you all to see the rest of the wedding day!
Ashley and Mike, it was the biggest honor to document your wedding day and celebrate your first day as husband and wife with you! Enjoy these first few sneak peaks! Parts 2 and 3 will be up soon, and I can’t wait to send you all of your wedding photos. I’m already in wedding photographer heaven just editing the highlights!
Update: Check out Part 2 here!
A HUGE thank you to Ashley and Mike’s vendor dream team:
Chicago Wedding Photographer: Rakoteet Photography
Venue: The Drake Hotel
Florist: Juliet Tan Floral Design
Cake and Other Desserts: Joanne Buege - Sweet Food Chicago
Hair: Tony - Exsalonce
Catering: Shaun Rajah & Katerina Opalko
Bridal Gown: Alice in Ivory
Bridesmaid Dresses: Kennedy in Blue
Shoes: David’s Bridal
Jewelry/Rings: Sam Kee Hong Jewelry
Men’s Attire: Formal/Military Uniform
Transportation: M&M Limo
Stationary: Basic Invite
Videography: Ivana and Steven Chen
Wedding Planner: Lisa Jaroscak with Storybook
The Best Wedding Venues in Indianapolis
1 . Laurel Hall
It’s no secret that Laurel Hall is one of my absolute favorite venues in the Indianapolis area. It’s also one of the venues that I photograph weddings at most frequently. First of all, Laurel Hall looks like a castle that belongs somewhere in Europe. There’s nowhere else in Indiana to get this vibe for your wedding day. Also, Laurel Hall is the perfect venue for your entire wedding day from getting ready through the reception. There is a beautiful presidential suite for the bride and bridesmaids to get ready in. The groom suite is in the basement of the building. There are multiple options for your ceremony location including the chapel on the third floor, the lawn outside, or even in the solarium on the main floor. The terrace is the perfect spot for your cocktail hour, and the grand dining hall is a lovely place for your reception. My favorite place to take photos in this amazing venue is the Solarium with its beautiful windows and amazing natural light.
2. Newfields
Newfields, formerly known as the Indiana Museum of Art, is one of the most beautiful places in Indianapolis. It’s an art museum with four floors of cool exhibits as well as acres of beautiful gardens. I love to explore the Newfields museum, gardens, and Lily House even when I’m not photographing weddings and engagement sessions here. There are so many options for your ceremony and reception locations. My favorite spot is probably the terrace behind the Lily House.
2. The Conrad
The Conrad is perfect for couples who love the city and being downtown. First looks at the Conrad happen on the balcony of the penthouse, which has the most incredible view of downtown Indianapolis. I especially love being able to see Lucas Oil Stadium from up there. They also have the most beautiful ballroom for your reception. And the staff of this venue is one of the best venue staffs I’ve ever worked with. They take care of everything!
3. Black Iris Estate
Although, Black Iris Etstate isn’t technically in Indianapolis, I had to include it on this list. Located in the beautiful suburb of Carmel Indiana, this wedding venue is so unique and offers a wide range of photo backdrops. The gazebo outside is the perfect spot for your ceremony. It’s located in the woods with beautiful green backdrops for photos. There’s even a creek running through the trees. Black Iris Estate is also currently working on a Willow Chapel that will make another great ceremony option. I love the elegant feel of the ballroom at Black Iris, which is perfect for your wedding reception.
4. Mustard Seed Gardens
Mustard Seeds Gardens is a wedding venue with a much different look and feel than most of the other venues on this list. It’s the perfect wedding venue for a couple who loves nature and the outdoors. There is a large outdoor ares with huge beautiful trees. The outdoor sting lights add the perfect touch. There are so many great ceremony options from setting up your ceremony at one of the beautiful trees or using the white gazebo. There’s also a beautiful upscale barn that provides the perfect place to party and celebrate your marriage at your wedding reception.
5. The Ritz Charles
The Ritz Charles in Carmel, Indiana is ideal for couples who want to get married in the suburbs. There are so many options and things you can do with this venue, the possibilities are endless. My favorite spot for wedding ceremonies is in their beautiful white chapel, and my favorite place for wedding receptions at Ritz Charles is the garden pavilion. I can’t get over the amazing natural light at the garden pavilion offers for wedding receptions. It’s perfect for couples who love the light and airy look and feel. There is also a ballroom option at the Ritz Charles for couples who prefer the elegance of a ballroom wedding reception.
6. Allison Mansion
Allison Mansion, located on the campus of Marion University is Indianapolis’s best kept secret. I was introduced to this venue by Chrissy from Special Occasions by Chrissy, and I’ve been obsessed ever since. It reminds me a lot of Laurel Hall. It’s a historic mansion with amazing rooms for your reception that are full of natural light.
7. Daniel’s Vineyard
Vineyard weddings are some of my favorite! I’m a big wine drinker and I love exploring vineyards whenever I get the opportunity. I’ve done vineyard tours everywhere from California to Tuscany, so it’s safe to say I really love vineyards. And even though we don’t have the same rolling hills here in Indiana as Italy or Napa Valley, we still have some beautiful vineyards including Daniel’s Vineyard, which is located in McCordsville, Indiana.
8. Union Station
Union Station is located right downtown, and is a great wedding venue for couples who appreciate all of the cool historical elements of the venue. This place is huge and has unlimited possibilities for your ceremony and reception set ups. It’s an amazing venue for your entire wedding day.
9. Canal 337
Canal 337 quickly became one of my all time favorite wedding venues, the first time I photographed a wedding there. It’s the perfect wedding venue for couples who are in love with Indianapolis and also love industrial yet elegant types of venues. It’s located right at the end of the canal, which makes it the perfect venue for all of your wedding photos. You can either get married indoors or you can get married outside right along the canal. The room where most couples choose to have their wedding reception has an entire wall of windows that open up to the canal, so this wedding venue really shows off the beauty of the city.
10. The Central Library
Last but not least, the Central Library in downtown Indianapolis is definitely one of the best wedding venues in the city. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to photograph a wedding here yet, but I’m dreaming about the day when I do. It’s already one of my favorite spots for engagement photos, and it’s one of my favorite spots to just hang out. The architecture of this place and the beautiful natural light are hard to beat. It’s also located right downtown, which means there are so many amazing photo opportunities without even having to drive anywhere!
Are you looking for a wedding photographer? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! Send me a message over on my contact page to see if I have your wedding date available!
My Top 5 Tips for a Stress Free Wedding Day
After photographing over 100 wedding days, I’ve seen it all! I’ve seen weddings go SO smoothly and end up way ahead of schedule. Those are the weddings where the bride and groom can spend the day having the time of their lives focusing on their love for each other and hanging out with their friends and family. I’ve also seen super stressed out brides, grooms, wedding parties, and families because of totally avoidable situations. After witnessing all of this, I want to share the secrets I’ve figured out about how engaged couples can ensure that their wedding day is the best day of their lives and completely stress-free.
1. Use as few venues/locations as possible
The number one cause of stress on a wedding day is multiple venues or locations. If you want a super smooth wedding day AND to save money and time, I would encourage you to only use one venue for your entire wedding day. This includes getting ready, your ceremony, cocktail hour, reception, and all of your bride and groom, bridal party, and family portraits.
Sometimes, my couples tell me they don’t like the look of their ceremony or reception venues for their bride and groom and bridal party photos, so they want to take all of these photos at a third location. I totally get it. Some venues aren’t ideal for portraits, and I want you to have amazing photos. But I would encourage you, when you’re choosing your wedding venue, to choose a location that you LOVE for all aspects of your wedding day. Does the venue have a ceremony location AND a reception location that you love? Does it have a bridal suite and a man cave/groom suite? AND does it have beautiful locations for portraits? Would you be happy to have photos at that location hanging in your home forever to someday be passed down to your children and grandchildren?
Using multiple locations adds so many unnecessary logistics to your wedding day. There are so many more things that you have to think through and there are so many more opportunities for miscommunication. How is everyone going to get from the salon to the church? What is the parking situation like at each of these locations? What if there’s traffic? Plus, it’s so easy to loose someone along the way. I know you’ve told the groomsmen where to go a million times, but one of them will go to the wrong place. I promise, this happens all the time.
When you choose to have your entire wedding day at only one venue, you’ll also save money. Not only on your wedding venues, but also on your wedding vendors. When you don’t have to account for drive time between locations, you won’t have to add on extra hours to vendors’ services to make sure the entire wedding day is covered.
Using only one location for your entire wedding day is THE number one way to reduce tons of stress for yourselves, your wedding party, your family, and all of your guests on your wedding day!
2. Reduce Your Bridal Party Size
I totally get it. You want ALL of your friends to be your bridesmaids, and you don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Maybe you have a million sisters or a large friend group, and you don’t want to leave anyone out. But you also have to think about what is best for you and your fiance, and what is going to make your wedding day as enjoyable as possible for the two of you.
Adding more people to your bridal party not only adds to the cost of your wedding (think about all those bouquets that you have to buy), it also quickly starts adding to the stress of your day and your entire wedding planning process. You have more people with opinions on dresses and hair and makeup. There’s a lot more communication involved with more room for miscommunications to happen.
On the day of the wedding, the more bridesmaids you have, the earlier you’ll all have to start getting ready assuming you’re all using the same hair and makeup team. There will be a lot more people to corral for photos and make sure everyone is where they need to be the entire day.
One of the best things you can do for your stress level on your wedding day is to only have your absolute closest friends as your bridesmaids and groomsmen. The ones who you know are your lifelong besties. The ones who you couldn’t imagine getting married without them by your side. Hopefully, these are also the friends who calm your nerves and help keep you relaxed on the biggest day of your life.
3. Create your timeline months in advance
Something I do for all of my couples is to create their timeline for them from the very beginning. As soon as my couples book with me, I send them an easy and short questionnaire to fill out, and from there, I create a custom timeline for them. After photographing so many wedding days, I know exactly how long it takes to get you amazing bride and groom portraits and plenty of bridal party photos without having to worry about time. And here’s a little secret: I always add buffer room in the schedule between different parts of the day, so you never have to stress if anything runs behind for any reason.
4. Limit your guest list
This tip is similar to limiting your bridal party size. The smaller your guest list, the less people you’ll need to communicate with prior to your wedding day and coordinate on your wedding day. It’s also a lot less people who are expecting to spend time with you and chat with you at your reception. Focus your invitation list on the people who matter the most to you and your fiance and who you couldn’t imagine the day without. Make sure everyone you invite is someone you want to spend time with at your wedding reception. Of course, this will also save you SO much money on almost every aspect of your wedding from the venue to the food, the rentals, the floral centerpieces, and so much more.
5. Hire a wedding planner
Most of my couples’ number one regret is not hiring a wedding planner. Wedding planners can save you time, money, and stress by taking almost everything off your plate and doing it all for you. They already have all of the expertise in all aspects of the wedding day, and they will plan an entirely stress-free day for you! If a wedding planner isn’t in your budget, I would highly recomend at least hiring a wedding coordinator. They will run your wedding day for you and communicate with all of your vendors. Trust me, you don’t want to be the point person for questions on your wedding day. Lora and Amanda from Magical Moments Event Planning are the amazing planners pictured above!
Are you looking for a wedding photographer? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! Send me a message over on my contact page to see if I have your wedding date available!
Spring Engagement Session | Newfields at the Indiana Museum of Art | Hannah and Bryson
Hannah and Bryson’s spring engagement session this afternoon at Newfields at the Indiana Museum of Art was nothing short of perfect. We lucked out with absolute PERFECT weather for this beautiful golden hour session out by the historic Lily house and gardens.
Hannah and Bryson have been one of the absolute sweetest couple I could have dreamed of to work with as their wedding photographer, and we have so much in common. We actually all graduated from Ball State University, where these two college sweethearts first met. I SO loved getting to know this fun couple during our time together tonight. And I was so thankful that they drove all the way to Indianapolis for their engagement session considering Hannah lives in Cincinnati and Bryson lives all the way in Michigan! Although I’m sure they’ll both agree that the long drives were worth if for such an incredible engagement session location. Newfields never disappoints with its wide variety of photo backdrops in addition to its overall beauty!
It melts my heart when couples take my advice for their session to heart, and this amazing pair definitely did! Their choice of session location was perfect, their outfits were so on point, AND they even brought a stunning bouquet from Laurilyn Farms, which added SO much to their session, and their engagement photos
I already can’t wait for Hannah and Bryson’s September wedding up in South Bend, Indiana! This fall is going to be filled with so many incredible wedding days, and these two tying the knot will be so special.
Hannah and Bryson, enjoy these sneak peaks! Your full engagement session gallery will be hitting your inbox SO soon! I can’t wait to finish editing these gorgeous photos for you!
Vendors:
Indiana Wedding Photographer: Rakoteet Photography
Venue: Newfields at the Indiana Museum of Art
Florist: Laurilyn Farms
A Newfields Engagement Session | Priya and Shane
Pryia and Shane’s Newfields engagement session this afternoon was a dream come true for me as a wedding photographer. These two high school sweethearts were absolutely adorable in front of the camera! I loved getting to explore the museum and gardens with them even if we had to navigate the large crowds. It was such a beautiful day outside today after a rainy week, so it was no wonder everyone wanted to head to the Indiana Museum of Art to enjoy the nice, sunny weather!
Even though this couple is not from Indianapolis, a friend’s wedding nearby in Carmel was the perfect time to shoot an engagement session while they were close by. We had just enough time to head to Newfields for a beautiful session during the cocktail hour of their friend’s wedding.
Newfields is one of my favorite places in Indianapolis for engagement sessions, weddings, and any other type of photo sessions or events, because there is such a wide variety of amazing photography backdrops throughout the huge garden area outside of the museum. There is stunning architecture of the Lily hourse, beautiful flowers all around, and lush green areas around the grounds. There’s also a super cool green house, which is such a unique spot for photos!
Priya and Shane were such a sweet and fun couple. I LOVED getting to know them and chat about their wedding day. They’re getting married next March at at the Scottish Rite Cathedral and with Jean from Blue Llama Events planning their wedding, I already know it’s going to be an incredible day. I’m already SO looking forward to their amazing downtown Indianapolis wedding next year!
Priya and Shane, enjoy these sneak peaks from our engagement session this afternoon. Your full gallery will be on its way to your inbox super soon!
Black Iris Estate Wedding
Shooting a Black Iris Estate wedding has been a dream of mine since I became a wedding photographer. This venue is so beautiful with stunning, clean white architecture inside the mansion and a beautiful grounds outside with flowing creeks through the middle of the woods. Plus, they always host the most incredible, high end, luxury weddings! You would never guess that a venue with so much beautiful land to host weddings on would be located right in between the busy cities of Carmel and Fishers. That’s why I was so thrilled with Denese from Bloom Custom Floral Design asked me to photograph the behind the scenes of a wedding that she was designing florals for at this amazing venue.
Denese did such an incredible job with the florals. The bride, Christina, almost cried when Denese handed her bridal bouquet to her. I’ve photographed a lot of weddings, and I’ve never seen a reaction like that from a bride before. Christina had been dreaming of her wedding day flowers for so long, and she told Denese that everything turned out EXACTLY like what she had been picturing in her head all this time. It was so special that Denese was able to take Christina’s vision and bring it to life on such a special day. In addition to the bouquets, Denese made a floral installation for the grand staircase, a flower installation for the gazebo, and the most stunning centerpieces for the reception in the grand ballroom. The guests were commenting on how cool the flowers were all night long.
Thank you so much, Denese, for asking me to photograph this fun and sweet day. Enjoy these sneak peaks while I finish your full gallery!
The Vendor Team:
Venue: Black Iris Estate
Carmel Wedding Photographer: Rakoteet Photography
Florist: Bloom Custom Floral Design
Six Wedding Favor Ideas To Make Your Guests Feel Extra Special
Wedding favors can be such a fun little addition to your wedding day if you have a little bit of extra room in your budget to make your guests feel extra special. Usually, these little gifts would be left for each wedding guest at their seat when they sit down for dinner. They can take the favors home from the wedding to enjoy as a reminder of your special day.
Forever Wedding Favors sent me six wedding favors to test out and review for you, so I can’t wait to show you these fun ideas!
These cute, bear hug salt and pepper shakers are perfect if you want your favors to be super useful for your guests in their every day lives.
Key shaped bottle openers are a classic wedding favor. Who doesn’t want a practical addition to their key ring?
This wine bottle opener is probably my favorite wedding favor idea! I’m a big wine lover, so I’ve seen a lot of different types of wine bottle openers, but I’ve never seen one this cute! I thought it was an actual miniature wine bottle at first.
This pack of playing cards is perfect for the game loving couple!
This heart-shaped wine stopper is such a cute, classic, and practical favor!
And last but not least, these love magnets are an adorable reminder of your wedding day that will be on your guests’s refrigerators for years to come.
You can find all of these adorable wedding favors in addition to hundreds of other ideas over at Forever Wedding Favors. Most of their favors are around $1.19, which allows you to add something fun to your guest experience without having it eat up too much of your wedding budget. I hope you found these few little favor ideas helpful when deciding on favors for your wedding day!
Mustard Seed Gardens Wedding Styled Shoot | Noblesville Indiana Wedding Photographer
Underneath one of the giant trees at Mustard Seed Gardens with some of Indiana’s best wedding vendors, today I experienced the true beauty of Mustard Seed Gardens. I was so honored when Chrissy from Special Occassion Design asked me to photograph this Mustard Seed Gardens Wedding Styled Shoot in Noblesville, Indiana. One of the things I love the most as a wedding photographer is getting to collaborate with other local Indiana wedding vendors to create some beautiful high end, luxury wedding inspiration for brides to be. We truly hope that many amazing brides and grooms to be are inspired by the wedding styled shoot that the vendor team put together at Mustard Seed Gardens today.
Mustard Seed Gardens is one of my favorite venues in the Indianapolis area. The amazing lighting that the venue offers is hard to beat, and the venue is stunningly beautiful. It offers a huge, gorgeous outdoor spaces with many different options for ceremony and reception spaces. It also offers a red, indoor barn and a beautiful modern farm house on the premises. I love that our florist, Chrissy, chose to set up the ceremony space around a large beautiful tree with low hanging branches. She created an incredible floral installation on this tree. I love how unique her concept was. I haven’t gotten to photograph anything like this before, but I hope to photograph many ceremonies with floral designs installed on large trees in the future. I think after this elegant wedding styled shoot as Mustard Seed Gardens, I might be hooked.
I hope you enjoy these Mustard Seed Gardens Wedding Photos in Noblesville, Indiana as much as I do! These are the types of days that make me so glad I’m an Indiana Wedding Photographer!
A HUGE thank you to the amazing vendor team that put this inspiration wedding styled shoot together:
Venue: Mustard Seed Gardens
Photographer: Rakoteet Photography
Floral/Decor/Planning: Special Occasion Designs
Styling/Coordination/Planning: Magical Moments Event Planning
Stationary: Pickle Prints
Linens: Linen Hero
CBD Edible Flower Pops: Chef Susan
Cake: Sweet Paige’s
Cookies: Lindy’s Cookies
Cotton Candy: The Frigid Frog
Models: Audrey Spaulding and Ryan Myrehn
Dress: Nancy’s Bridal Boutique
Hair & Makeup: Something Blue Stylists, Hannah and Brittany
Flatware: Setting the Mood
Five Ways You Can Include Your Mom on Your Wedding Day
Happy Mother’s Day! If you’re currently planning a wedding, today may be a reminder of not only how much you love your mom, but also that you want to include her in the wedding as much as possible. Let’s face it: moms are superheroes. And after everything your mom has done for your in your life, the least you can do is show her a little love on your wedding day. Here are my top five ways you can include your mom on your wedding day, and make her feel extra loved and special.
1. Let her get ready with you
Your wedding day is not only the biggest day of your life, but it’s an emotional day for your mom too. She’ll love getting to be there as you’re getting ready and to be able to get ready with you. She’s probably been there with you through your whole wedding planning journey for moments like picking out your dress and going with you to get it altered. This makes her the perfect person to help you put on your wedding dress on your wedding day. Someone has to button all those buttons, and your mom might be the best person to help. Plus is makes for some beautiful photos of sweet memories.
2. Wear her Jewelry
Wearing your mother’s jewelry is a wonderful way to check “something borrowed” off your list of things you need for good luck. On my own wedding day, I wore my mom’s pearl necklace that was passed down to her by her mom. It was so special to both me and my mom. But if a necklace doesn’t go well with your dress, you could also borrow a bracelet, a ring, or a pair of her earrings.
3. Have her escort you down the aisle
Traditionally, fathers escort their daughters down the aisle to meet their groom.. But there is nothing wrong with breaking away from tradition and having both parents walk you down the aisle. Your mom will love being included in “giving you away.”
4. Save her a seat
Usually, unless you’re doing a sweetheart table, the bridal party sits next to the bride and groom at the reception. But, at a few weddings I’ve photographed, the bride and groom saved the seats right next to them for their mothers. I thought this was the sweetest way for them to spend time with their mothers during the reception, and show their moms just how important they are.
5. Gift her with a parent wedding album
Last but not least, you can even include your mom after the wedding by gifting her with a parent wedding album. Usually parent albums are a smaller version of your own wedding album. She will love having a physical book in her home to reminisce on your wedding day for years to come.
Are you looking for a wedding photographer? I would LOVE to work with you! Send me a message over on my contact page to see if I have your wedding date available.
Surprise Proposal During West Virginia University Graduation Ceremony
At West Virginia University’s graduation ceremony this weekend, most of the excited graduates and their friends and family expected a perfectly normal commencement with an encouraging speech by a successful alumna before all of the graduation candidates walk on stage to receive their diplomas. But THIS graduation was about to be so much more special than usual. As the very last graduate walked across the stage, the announcer asked Skyler to come up on stage. Dylan got down on one knee in front of the entire auditorium and asked her to marry him while the whole crowd cheered for them. What a perfect surprise proposal! Of course, she said yes!
After learning more about Skyler and Dylan’s story, I learned that this was the perfect proposal for them as a couple. They’ve been dating for a couple years and have been talking about getting married for so long. But Skyler wanted to wait until after Dylan graduated from college. Dylan wanted to propose to Skyler so badly that he proposed the very second that he graduated. He couldn’t wait 5 more minutes. It’s also the last thing that Skyler would have expected. She’s an extrovert, but Dylan is more reserved and doesn’t like to be the center of attention, so she would have never expected him to propose in front of a crowd. I love how sweet and thoughtful he was to propose in the way he did.
I’ve gotten to know Skyler over the past year and a half or so as she helped with her mom, Sarah’s, workshop tour across the country with her wedding floral business, Intrigue Designs. I got to photograph the behind the scenes of her workshops at quite of few of their tour stops. I was SO incredibly honored with Sarah asked me to come to West Virginia to photograph such an important moment in Skyler and Dylan’s lives.
Skyler and Dylan, enjoy these sneak peaks from your engagement! Your full gallery will be ready super soon!
Florals by Intrigue Designs with flowers from Kroger
Ritchie Woods Nature Preserve and Mustard Seed Gardens Engagement Session | Colleen and Joe
Last night, I had the pleasure of photographing the most amazing spring engagement session with the most gorgeous and sweet couple, Colleen and Joe at Ritchie Woods Nature Preserve in Fishers and Mustard Seed Gardens in Noblesville. Spring is in the air, and all of the budding trees and spring flowers made our engagement session so beautiful. We had to change the date of the engagement session last minute to avoid these April showers we’ve been having, and I’m so glad we did, because we ended up with the PERFECT day.
I first met Colleen a couple years ago when she coordinated a few weddings that I photographed. She always does such an amazing job coordinating weddings, which is how I know her wedding is going to be absolutely incredible! Colleen and Joe are having a destination wedding! Destination weddings are super popular amongst people who work in the wedding industry, and after joining the wedding industry myself, I can definitely understand why. Destination weddings are extra special and beautiful. Their wedding will be in Charleston, South Carolina at a stunning plantation wedding venue, Runnymede Plantation.
I absolutely can’t wait for their wedding. It will be so amazing to get to photograph this gorgeous couple among the famous Oak trees with the Spanish moss and the beautiful southern plantation architecture. AND their wedding is on “Leap Day” since next year is a leap year. How fun is that?!
Colleen and Joe, enjoy these sneak peaks from your engagement session. I can’t wait to finish editing your full gallery!
Are you looking for a wedding or couples photographer in Indiana or anywhere else in the world? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! Send me a message over on my contact page to see if I have your date available!
Jenna and Cameron | Downtown Indianapolis Skyline Club Wedding
Jenna and Cameron contacted me only about two months before their wedding to ask if I was available to photograph it, and I’m SO glad that I was available on such short notice. I just have to give MAJOR props to these two and their families for planning an amazing, beautiful, and special wedding in just 11 weeks. Can you even believe it? Jenna and Cameron were married at the Skyline Club in downtown, Indianapolis, and the incredible staff there helped them pull everything off in such a short period of time.
Jenna and Cameron are two beautiful souls who have been together for longer than Andry and I even though we’ve been married for over 3 years. They’re high school sweethearts with the sweetest love story. They were in the process of planning their wedding when they found out that they have a sweet little one on the way, and decided to move up their wedding date because of the wonderful news. They had the most adorable intimate wedding with their closest friends and family there to celebrate with them.
They decided not to have a bridal party and just include their dearest friends in special moments in the wedding instead like readings during the ceremony and speeches during the reception. Cam and Jenna really wanted everyone to feel like if they were invited to such an intimate wedding, they really meant a lot to the couple and had a special place in their lives. That’s one of my favorite things about intimate weddings.
Cam and Jenna, enjoy a few sneak peaks from your wedding day! I can’t wait to edit the rest of your gallery!
A huge thank you to the incredible vendor team who made this wedding possible:
Indianapolis Wedding Photographer: Rakoteet Photography
Venue: Skyline Club Indianapolis
Florist: Laurilyn Farms
DJ: DJ Rakobeat
Cake: Heavenly Sweets
Bridal Gown: PinkBlush
Rings: Diamonds Direct and Qalo
Men’s Attire: Indochino
Kelsey's Flower Filled Wedding Day Bridal Portraits
Kelsey’s wedding day bridal portraits were filled with amazing florals, which is my favorite type of bridal portraits! Intrigue Designs did an amazing job with this floral installation on these beautiful stairs at the venue, 2400 on the River. Also, check out the vintage car filled with flowers designed by Cece Designs, LLC. Can you imagine a better backdrop for your wedding photos than tons and tons of flowers?! I certainly can’t! I also loved the bride’s adorable, romantic bouquet.
Kelsey was amazing to work with! She was so sweet and just a joy to be around during her bridal portraits. We has so much fun taking these photos! I loved Kelsey’s unique look. Her “high fashion” stye of hair and makeup went perfectly with her dress and her overall vibe. She was SUCH a stunning bride! I’m such a lucky wedding photographer that I always end up getting to photograph the sweetest and most beautiful brides and grooms! Kelsey was just the perfect bride, and I loved getting to photograph these stunning bridal portraits for her!
I hope you enjoy a few of my favorite photo’s from Kelsey’s wedding day bridal portraits filled with beautiful florals!
CREATIVE PARTNERS:
PHOTOGRAPHER: Rakoteet Photography
HOST: Styled Shoots Across America
PLANNING & DESIGN: Heather Benge Events
VENUE: 2400 On the River
GOWNS: Enaura Bridal
FLORALS: Intrigue Designs, Cece Designs, and Thorne and Thistle
STATIONERY: Brown Fox Creative
CAKES: A Joy Cakes
HAIR: Bilgahmoka
MAKEUP: Makeup by Sarah Lord
LINENS: Nuage Designs
MEN’S ATTIRE: Generation Tux
FURNITURE & DECOR: Milieu Decor
RENTALS: Peach Tree Tents
VIDEOGRAPHER: Aeropexmedia
PROPS & SIGNS: Ten23 Designs
Are you engaged to the love of your life and looking for a wedding or engagement photographer in Indianapolis or anywhere else in the world? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! Send me a message over on my contact page!
Katie and Justin's Engagement Session at Holiday Park in Broad Ripple
After a rainy few April days this past week, we ended up with PERFECT weather for Katie and Justin’s Engagement Session at Holiday Park in Broad Ripple yesterday evening. It was 70 degrees with only light clouds in the sky. We could not have had a more ideal situation for our engagement session. Our golden hour session made for the most beautiful, soft, glowy light for all of our photos. Holiday Park was a great location for our session, because it provides a wide variety of background options, which is just what these two asked for for their engagement session.
Katie and Justin are SO sweet together, and they are so much fun. I just LOVED the way they interacted naturally together. They were such natural models in front of the camera, so I know their wedding day is going to be so amazing. I can already imagine how beautiful their wedding photos will be!
I was already so looking forward to Katie and Justin’s wedding at Finely Creek Vineyards in June. I fell in love with Finely Creek Vineyards when I shot a beautiful fall wedding there last November. The outside of the venue provides so many amazing spots for photos such as the vineyards, the fields, the string lights, the arbor with a chandelier. The inside of the venue is very classy with white walls and beautiful chairs that they provide for the wedding guest tables.
Katie and Justin, enjoy these sneak peaks from your engagement session while I edit your full gallery! I can’t wait to send you the rest of the photos, and I’m already looking forward to your wedding day, which will be here before you know it!
Are you looking for a wedding or engagement session photographer in Indianapolis or anywhere else in the world? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! Send me a message over on my contact page!
Lauren's Wedding Day Bridal Portraits on the River
Lauren’s wedding day bridal portraits were the perfect blend between a little bit a rustic vibe and a lot of a classic, romantic vibe. The choice of venue, right on the river was perfect for feeling like you were right in the middle of nature. The venue has acres and acres of beautiful land with amazing waterfalls and scenery. I loved the intricate floral installation over the stone fireplace. It was perfectly with Lauren’s stunning bouquet and romantic dress design. Lauren was so fun to work with! She was such a beautiful bride. She is so classy and down to earth. And isn’t she stunning?! I loved the look of her soft romantic curls since she chose to wear her hair down.
For these bridal portraits, we started with some photos in front of the floral installation. Then we went out on the terrace to get some of the beautiful blooming trees and the river in the background of our photos. I love when venues offer a ton of variety in backdrops for photos!
Enjoy a few of my favorite photo’s from Lauren’s wedding day bridal portraits on the river!
CREATIVE PARTNERS:
PHOTOGRAPHER: Rakoteet Photography
HOST: Styled Shoots Across America
PLANNING & DESIGN: Heather Benge Events
VENUE: 2400 On the River
GOWNS: Enaura Bridal
FLORALS: Intrigue Designs, Cece Designs, and Thorne and Thistle
STATIONERY: Brown Fox Creative
CAKES: A Joy Cakes
HAIR: Bilgahmoka
MAKEUP: Makeup by Sarah Lord
LINENS: Nuage Designs
MEN’S ATTIRE: Generation Tux
FURNITURE & DECOR: Milieu Decor
RENTALS: Peach Tree Tents
VIDEOGRAPHER: Aeropexmedia
PROPS & SIGNS: Ten23 Designs
Are you engaged to the love of your life and looking for a wedding or engagement photographer in Indianapolis or anywhere else in the world? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! Send me a message over on my contact page!
Anniversary Couples Session at Newfields | Christine and Caleb
Newfields, formerly known as the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA), is my absolute FAVORITE location in the Indianapolis area for engagement sessions, anniversary sessions, and couples sessions. Christine and Caleb’s anniversary session in the Newfields gardens certainly did not disappoint. Christine wore a beautiful flowy, lavender dress with was perfect for the romantic feel of the Newfields gardens. And I absolutely LOVE when my brides get bouquets for their engagement sessions or anniversary sessions. It adds so much to the vibe of the session, and as an added bonus, if gives you something to do with your hands for those of you that are like me who never know what to do with their hands while getting photos taken.
Unfortunately, we ended up with a cloudy and rainy day for photos, but that’s okay! We always make the best of any situation. Newfields offers such a wide variety of backdrops for photos including many places with coverings, so we didn’t have to worry too much about the rain. I brought my clear umbrellas, but we didn’t even end up needing them for photos. We only used them for walking between locations. We started out in the greenhouse. Newfields has the most adorable little greenhouse, and luckily we were the only ones in there. Next, we headed to the archway underneath the Lily house for more covered photos until the rain stopped. We ended our session on the stairs behind the Lily house and then in front of the Lily house. We had the most beautiful tulips in the background of our photos. All of the flowers are blooming at Newfields right now, and it made for an even more beautiful session.
I hope you enjoy a few of my favorite photo’s from Caleb and Christine's amazing anniversary session in the Newfields Gardens!
A HUGE thank you to all of the talented people who helped with this amazing session:
Photographer: Rakoteet Photography
Florist: Angel Stoffregan with Fleurish Floral Designs
Hair: Allison Williams with Rae Luxury Hair
Couple: Christine and Caleb Tate
Planning and Design: Lillian Rose Photography
Are you looking for a wedding or couples photographer in Indianapolis or anywhere else in the world? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! Send me a message over on my contact page!
Wedding Day Bridal Portraits in a Green House
One of my favorite parts of a wedding day is the bridal portraits. I don’t usually have a ton of time to take bridal portraits on a wedding day, so that we can save most of our portrait time for bride and groom images, but I love to save around 5-10 minutes to take some special photos of just the bride in her dress on the most important day of her life. Lily’s bridal portraits were particularly beautiful, because they took place in this gorgeous green house with the most amazing natural light. Here’s a fun fact: This greenhouse actually came from Euro Disney in Paris! How cool is that?!
Lily was SO much FUN to photograph. I love when my brides are this excited and happy to be marrying the love of their life and they smile this big in every photo. I love how she danced around and twirled her dress out of pure excitement. Any time I gave her direction, she took it and ran wth it, making all of the poses entirely her own. It was absolutely perfect.
Enjoy a few of my favorite photo’s from Lily’s wedding day greenhouse bridal portraits!
CREATIVE PARTNERS:
PHOTOGRAPHER: Rakoteet Photography
HOST: Styled Shoots Across America
PLANNING & DESIGN: Heather Benge Events
VENUE: 2400 On the River
GOWNS: Enaura Bridal
FLORALS: Intrigue Designs, Cece Designs, and Thorne and Thistle
STATIONERY: Brown Fox Creative
CAKES: A Joy Cakes
HAIR: Bilgahmoka
MAKEUP: Makeup by Sarah Lord
LINENS: Nuage Designs
MEN’S ATTIRE: Generation Tux
FURNITURE & DECOR: Milieu Decor
RENTALS: Peach Tree Tents
VIDEOGRAPHER: Aeropexmedia
PROPS & SIGNS: Ten23 Designs
Are you engaged to the love of your life and looking for a wedding or engagement photographer in Indianapolis or anywhere else in the world? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! Send me a message over on my contact page!
Atlanta Engagement Session
How lucky am I as a photographer that I got to shoot two engagement sessions in the beautiful Cater Woolford Gardens in Atlanta, Georgia?! I always love getting to photograph weddings and couples in new cities all across the country and the world. Being a wedding photographer is already a dream job, but being a destination wedding photographer is the best job in the world. I don't have to shoot every wedding or session in an exotic location in another country. I get just as excited about shooting in new cities right here in the United States. And whenever I get to go someone a little warmer in the winter, well that's just a huge bonus!
Working with Emily and Trey for their couples session was especially awesome, because Emily herself is a wedding photographer in Atlanta, Georgia, and Trey works with her as her second shooter. I work with my husband, Andry, a lot in my business, so I always think it's fun when I meet other couples who work together as well. I'm always so honored when other wedding photographers choose me as their wedding and/or engagement session or couples session photographer. I know how picky us photographers are when it comes to hiring photographers for ourselves! These two were so comfortable in front of the camera, and they love to have tons of fun together! They were such natural models and were so good at taking my direction and running with it and turing it into cute poses that were so them!
Enjoy a few of my favorite photos from Emily and Trey's Cater Woolford Gardens engagement session!
Are you looking for a photographer for your wedding and engagement session? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! Send me a message over on my contact page to see if I still have your wedding date available!
Cater Woolford Gardens Engagement Session
I first discovered Cater Woolford Gardens around a year ago online. I knew immediately that I wanted to shoot there the next time I was in Atlanta. Atlanta has so many amazing locations for engagement sessions. It makes me a little jealous of the photographers that get to shoot there all the time. Although, luckily, I have been getting to do weddings and engagement sessions in the Atlanta area more and more recently.
Cater Woolford Gardens provides such a wide variety of locations for photos. I love the elegant building with it’s white marble pillars, the woods with its blooming trees, the long staircase in the middle of the woods, and the garden area with its spring blooms. We chose the perfect time to visit Atlanta, because spring was in full force. There were beautiful flowers everywhere, and the trees were starting to get their leaves back. Jasmine’s choice of a light colored floral dress was perfect for the spring vibes of this engagement session.
I loved working with Jasmine and Karl. Jasmine is actually an Atlanta blogger over at http://nlovewithjasmine.webflow.io/. Her blog focuses on motherhood, fitness, relationships, and home decor. I would definitely recomend checking her out! Jasmine is SO gorgeous and was so comfortable in front of the camera. Her and Karl were just adorable together. It’s amazing when, as a photographer, I can tell how in love my couples are just by the way they interact with each other during their engagement session.
Enjoy a few of my favorite photos from Jasmine and Karl’s Cater Woolford Gardens engagement session!
Are you looking for a photographer for your wedding and engagement session? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! Send me a message over on my contact page to see if I still have your wedding date available!
Garden Wedding with Gazebo Ceremony
Jefferson and Mikol were so sweet and fun to work with. Garden weddings, especially ones with gazebo ceremonies are particularly close to my heart. My husband and I actually had our wedding at a gazebo in a rose garden. I love the way Gazebos can be decorated lavishly with flowers.
I loved the soft pinks, oranges, and reds that were chosen as the color scheme for this beautiful, outdoor garden wedding. It was such a romantic addition to the already beautiful scenery. I also loved the uniqueness of Jefferson’s blue suit and Mikol’s strapless dress with a high slit.
Intrique Designs always does such a fantastic job with the flowers. Sarah’s specialty is flower installations, so I knew she would design some incredible flower arrangements for the gazebo. I’m also obsessed with the centerpiece designs for the tables. The vintage piece with overflowing flowers was the perfect choice for a romantic flower-filled look.
Aren’t these two stunning? Everyone was debating over whether they are Prince Harry and Megan Markle lookalikes or whether they are Chris Hemsworth and Hallie Berry lookalikes. What do you think?
Enjoy a few of my favorite photos from this beautiful garden wedding set up with a gazebo ceremony back drop.
CREATIVE PARTNERS:
PHOTOGRAPHER: Rakoteet Photography
HOST: Styled Shoots Across America
PLANNING & DESIGN: Heather Benge Events
VENUE: 2400 On the River
GOWNS: Enaura Bridal
FLORALS: Intrigue Designs, Cece Designs, and Thorne and Thistle
STATIONERY: Brown Fox Creative
CAKES: A Joy Cakes
HAIR: Bilgahmoka
MAKEUP: Makeup by Sarah Lord
LINENS: Nuage Designs
MEN’S ATTIRE: Generation Tux
FURNITURE & DECOR: Milieu Decor
RENTALS: Peach Tree Tents
VIDEOGRAPHER: Aeropexmedia
PROPS & SIGNS: Ten23 Designs
Are you engaged to the love of your life and looking for a wedding or engagement photographer in Indianapolis or anywhere else in the world? I would absolutely LOVE to work with you! Send me a message over on my contact page!