Sticking with their Irish roots, Wendy and Tim got married on the Saturday closest to St. Patrick's day. The couple made a pit stop on the way to the ceremony: they went to have a pint at the Kerry Piper where Tim proposed. Wendy and Tim got married at Carriage Greens Country Club, where a bagpipe band played and streams of whiskey were flowing!
It's about seventy degrees out today, so it's hard to imagine that last Saturday we had freezing weather and snow. But hey, it's Chicago. It was on that day that Raechelle and Jeremy got married. They had no qualms with the weather, and instead of shunning the snow, they embraced it!
Raechelle got ready at the Presidential Towers, and then the couple said their vows at one of our favorites, Old St. Patrick's church. We spent some time outside taking photos before heading out to Venuti's in Addison for the reception. One of Raechelle's bridesmaids sang the newlywed couple a song, and then the guests danced to some funky soul music spun by the bride's favorite DJ from Vegas!
Last night Kurt, Nick, Belen, Lizz and Maggie attended an event to kick off the Chicago Chapter of Wish Upon A Wedding. Wish Upon A Wedding is the only wedding wish granting organization which connects people who have cancer with wedding vendors willing to donate their services to give them an amazing wedding on a very short timeline.
Gerber + Scarpelli is happy to be donating our services to this worthy, worthy cause. We'll be working with Beth and Nick on the Chicago Chapter's first event!
Beth and Nick first crossed paths over ten years ago, at a small party just outside Chicago. It was Beth who first noticed Nick and looked on with admiration as he came to the defense of a fellow partygoer, who had unwittingly become the brunt of a practical joke. She thought he must be a compassionate person to so quickly defend someone else and after they struck up a conversation that night, Nick asked Beth out on a date.
Despite a memorable first date that ended (quite literally) in fireworks, Beth and Nick spent the next few years dating only casually. Their relationship was always a special one and the two were committed friends, but it wasn’t until they saw each other through some hard times that they realized they were meant to spend their lives together. Beth and Nick talked in the abstract about one day getting married, even going as far as to pick out an engagement ring together, but there was no sense of urgency.
In December 2009 Beth, who is the manager of a 9-1-1 call center for a local police department, began having unusual symptoms that ultimately led to her diagnosis of urachal adenocarcinoma. A few short weeks later, as she was about to undergo surgery to remove part of her bladder, her navel and several lymph nodes, Nick quietly returned to the jewelry store they had visited together and purchased the engagement ring. That evening, Nick proposed.
Beth and Nick understand each other on a fundamental level, and they share an inspiring sense of humor. They have each been a constant support system for the other, while coping through Beth’s diagnosis and subsequent treatments. Beth says that, “Nick is there, even if just to hold my hand, rub my back, or suggest foods that fit into a liquid diet.”
When Beth’s Aunt heard about Wish Upon A Wedding through one of their board members, she passed along the information to Beth and encouraged her to apply. Next month, Beth and Nick will finally say “I do” and are most excited about spending a positive and uplifting day with their friends and family. Beth emphasized that, “We want to put all illness out of our minds for this day, and share our joy and our love of LIFE with those who love us.”
Wish Upon a Wedding is proud to grant Beth and Nick their wish of a very special wedding, which will take place in Chicago on April 18, 2010.
And here's a great film featuring the couple from the great video team over at I Do Films:
Many thanks to our Wish Upon a Wedding Wish Granters, who are donating their services and products to make this wedding wish come true for Beth and Nick. Without you it wouldn’t happen; thank you so much from all of us! So far, the list includes:
Renny, Bliss Weddings Consultant
Bill Pollack, Bill Pollack Music, Inc.
Jane Skarosi, Bridal Mansion of Lisle
Amy Blumen, Event Design
Lillian Toma, Starlight Makeup
Anita Vaughn, Officiant
Kurt Gerber, Gerber + Scarpelli
Carol Woldhuis, CWdesigns, Stationer
Deirdre Sheahan, Chicago Trolley, Transportation
Vicki, Giovan’s Restaurant, Venue & Food
Lori Roche, I Do Films, LLC, Videographer
Again, we're so excited to be on this project with so many wonderful vendors. It's great to be able to use our talents to help give such an amazing couple the wedding of their dreams. If you'd like to find out more information, or make a donation to Wish Upon a Wedding visit their website here:
http://wishuponawedding.org/
A big thanks to them for letting us be a part of this extremely rewarding event.
Our spring photo session for kids went so well. In fact, it was so great that we will have to do another one! Here is a sample of some of our favorite photos. Don't forget to take a look at our kids blog (there's a link located on the left side of this page) for more!
In case you didn't know that we have a blog dedicated to our kids sessions, take a look at it here.
We love doing kids sessions with our clients that come back a year or two after their weddings. In fact, we have a kids photo session sale this Saturday that was booked up weeks in advance. Keep your eye out for another one of these sales, and make sure to let your friends know where they can get precious photos of their little bundles of love!
The day before Valentine’s Day, Rachel and Rod made it official here in Chicago. They got ready downtown, and then we went around the city to take some romantic photos.
Rachel didn’t let the weather get in her way: she threw on her Uggs and did her thing!
Luckily, it was a sunny winter day, so we were even able to get a little blue sky before they went to have their ceremony at Gallery Marchetti.
Rachel and Rod merged their Jewish and Philippine cultures by incorporating a ketubah signing and a chuppah from the Jewish tradition, and the lasso and coin ceremony from the Philippine tradition.
We were honored when Japanese photographer Kazuyo Saeki chose Gerber+Scarpelli Photography when gathering images for her popular exhibition in Tokyo.
She shot weddings with us for a season and went back to Japan to compile the photos for her showing. It was great to work with her, and we’re humbled that she sought us out!
