John Andrews Photography

Carter & Dina’s wedding proved to be a great ending to my 2012 wedding season!  Their wedding was amazing!  Everything was beautiful from the ceremony held at The Shrine of Our Lady of Pompeii to the elegant reception at the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame.  The David Rothstein Orchestra provided an evening of AMAZING music and entertainment.

The weather cooperated and while it was a little chilly, we were able to grab some great shots around the city prior to heading over to the ceremony and reception.

Dina was a recommendation (an sister of) from Pat Pecirno.  If anyone is looking for a great videographer in the Chicago area.  Do check out his work!  Thanks Pat!

Check out some of my favorite shots and a great slideshow below!

-Andrew

*** Click to watch Web Slideshow ***

Congratulations Carter & Dina

Vendors
Officiant:  Father Richard Fragamini
Gown:  Eva’s Bridal
Hair/Makeup:  Salon Buzz
Bridesmaid Dresses:  Vera Wang
Invitations:  Papyrus
Catering:  Biaggio’s
Music:  David Rothstein Orchestra
Cake:  Rolf’s Patisserie

Matthew & Elizabeth were married back in November.  Their ceremony was held at St. Damian Church followed by a reception at the Bolingbrook Golf Club.  This was one of the last few weddings on the schedule for 2012 and it was definitely a memorable one!  We were racing to catch the remaining light towards the end of the Relaxed Portrait session but made it just in time!

We met in 2000 at Marian Catholic High School. Our lockers were both in gym hall. We instantly became friends, and decided to finally take our casual flirting to another level in 2008. The rest is history!

We have thoroughly enjoyed wedding planning, but we’re ready to begin our lives as husband and wife. Our wedding day encapsulates so many details that reveal our personalities and interests.

Be sure to take a look at some of my favorite photos as well as the slideshow.

-Andrew

*** Click to watch Web Slideshow ***

Congratulations Matthew & Elizabeth

Vendors
Officiant:  Father Joe Noonan
Gown:  La Sposa Leganes Gown
Hair and Makeup:  Jeffrey LaMorte Salon
Bridesmaid Dresses:  After Six Collection
Groomswear:  Formally Modern Tuxedo
Invitations:  Etsy
Flowers:  Kloeckner Florist
Music:  TVK Orchestra
Cake:  Creative Cakes

Luke & Cindy were the final couple to get married in the trifecta of weddings in the Truckenbrodt family this past year and a half.  It started with Tom & Sally last July, Matt & Carrie this past June and finally Luke & Cindy!  It was a whirlwind museum tour of Chicago with the weddings held at the Art Institute, Chicago History Museum, and Field Museum.  From a photographer’s point of view, it was an amazing experience!

Luke & Cindy held their ceremony at Grace Lutheran Church with the reception at the Field Museum.  We made a quick photo run around the Museum campus prior to heading over to the cocktail hour and were able to catch some beautiful light towards the end of the session, just as the sun was starting to set behind the Chicago skyline.

Here are a few words from Cindy about how she and Luke met and plans for the wedding.

We met at the Kerryman on Jan 2, 2010. I was out with a girlfriend and ran into some old friends from high school. Luke happened to be with them since he had gone to college with them. The rest was history! We got engaged on June 4, 2011 on the steps outside the Field Museum. Luke had not only planned the surprise engagement but had a whole day of activities, including a limo to take us around the city for pictures, a surprise engagement party of family and friends at the Kerryman, and an amazing dinner at Ria at the Elysian hotel. Wedding planning was very fun for me since I have two sisters that got married in the same year! It was tough to make things unique as we are all so similar but I think Luke and I accomplished that by adding a special touch to our first dance…a surprise breakout from Ben E. King’s “Standy By Me” to NSYNC’s “Dirty Pop”…fully choreographed.

Do check out some of my favorite photos and a slideshow below.  Congrats Luke & Cindy!

-Andrew

*** Click to watch Web Slideshow ***

Congratulations Luke & Cindy

Vendors
Wedding Planner:  Robyn Bruns – Red Letter Event Planning
Officiant:  Pastor Said Ailabouni – Grace Lutheran Church
Gown:  Demetrios
Hair:  Jorie Van Eck
Makeup:  Tiffany Peterson
Bridesmaid Dresses:  Jenny Yoo
Groomswear:  Black Tie Formalwear
Invitiations:  Style on a Budget
Catering:  Food for Thought
Music:  Orchestra33
Cake:  Toni Patisserie and Cafe

Here are a few words from Hailey about how she and Andy met.

Andy and I met on a magical night in the summer of 2008 right before he graduated from law school. I organized a dinner at a Mexican restaurant in Lincoln Park and invited a bunch of friends including Andy’s brother, Tom. Tom mentioned to Andy that he was going out to dinner with a bunch of cute girls, and Andy asked if he could tag along. Andy and I sat across from each other at dinner and well, the rest is history.

Fast forward 3 1/2 years in Chicago and Andy and I are going Christmas tree shopping. We walked around looking at trees and I picked one out, “No”, he said, “not that one”. I realized later that there were too many people around that tree. He asked if we could look at trees in a different area and I picked out another one. “This one looks good” I said. He replied that it was perfect and got down on one knee next to the tree. Now, Christmas tree shopping will be special for us for the rest of our lives.

Andy & Hailey both got ready at Andy’s parent’s house in the city and had a “first look” on their rooftop veranda which had a gorgeous view of the Chicago skyline in the distance.  From there we made a few stops around the city (Kinzie Street Bridge, Old Chicago Firehouse and the Board of Trade) prior to heading over to the Chicago Illuminating Company for their ceremony and reception.  The David Rothstein Orchestra provided the entertainment for the evening and I don’t think there was ever a point where the dance floor wasn’t packed!

Be sure to check out a few of my favorite photos and a slideshow from their beautiful wedding day.

-Andrew

*** Click to watch Web Slideshow ***

Congratulations Andy & Hailey

Vendors
Day of Coordinator:  Jill Hankee
Officiant:  Rev. Allen Eaton
Gown:  Pronovias
Shoes:  Jimmy Choo
Hair:  Ashley Young – Salon Buzz/Pop Beauty Chicago
Makeup:  Rachel Remian – Pop Beauty Chicago
Bridesmaid Dresses:  JCrew
Groomswear:  Calvin Klein
Invitations:  Yellow Bird
Flowers:  Richard Remiard
Catering:  Food For Thought
Band:  David Rothstein
Videography:  Ronald Wolf

Carl & Anna’s wedding was a very interesting wedding to shoot.  As a photographer I always love unique locations and environments to shoot in.  Although I have shot at Brookfield Zoo in the past, Carl & Anna’s ceremony was amazing as it was held in the underwater viewing area of the Seven Seas Dolphin exhibit.  It was cool to see the dolphins swimming by in in the background during the ceremony!

Prior to heading to the Zoo, we took a trip downtown Chicago and captured some great images at a few different locations.  It was definitely a lot of fun!

One of my favorite parts of the day was at the very end of the night on the way back to the hotel.  The bridal party stopped in a field to light and send off dozens of Chinese lanterns!

-Andrew

*** Click to watch Web Slideshow ***

Congratulations Carl & Anna

Vendors
Wedding Coordinator:  Molly Johnson
Officiant:  John Dimos
Bridal Gown:  Vintage
Bridesmaid Dresses:  Black, Floor Length, Strapless, Sweetheart Neckline
Groomswear:  Black and White Formal Tuxedo
Invitations:  Vintage Boarding Passes / Travel Theme
Music:  Sounds Abound
Cake:  Lezza’s
Honeymoon:  South Africa – Cape Town, Kruger National Park, Johanesburg, Victoria Falls