Ceremony: Twin City Bible Church (TCBC)
806 W. Michigan St
Urbana, IL 61801

Reception: iHotel & Conference Center
1900 South First Street
Champaign, IL 61820

Yih-Chun & Evelyn both attend the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign…also my alma mater (Go Illini!). I also lived down there for four years after graduating, and I like to say that I know Champaign-Urbana pretty well. BUT I really wanted something special for their wedding photos and I stumbled upon this awesome location-

Evelyn looked stunning in her wedding dress.

He couldn’t stop smiling whenever he looked at her-

Being creative with the environment

I love this detail shot of her bouquet of lilies.

I love, love, love this photo of the two of them. There was so much chemistry between the two of them, and I think this photo captures that connection-

We also spent some time in the Japanese garden and Japan house grabbing some photos.

A park in Urbana…

I have spent so much time at TCBC through the years, I could literally walk through this place with my eyes closed. =) I was blessed to photograph a wedding here-

I LOVE this moment right before the first kiss- it happened so fast, but we got it! Look at her playful face!

The iHotel in Champaign, IL. I love this venue, full of amazing architecture and art. I also appreciated Evelyn’s choice on lighting. Those purple lights really add so much to a venue.

The wedding cake

Grabbed this photo of the handsome groom

Just look at all the expressions during this toast- makes me smile everytime

We had to grab some more photos at the iHotel before I left-

Another one of my favorite photos from the day-

Yih-Chun & Evelyn: Thanks for planning so much time for photography! I think it was worth it! =) And as wedding photographers yourselves, thank you for trusting and investing so much into having me as your wedding photographer!

with love,

Kenny

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“We just finished our engagement session, and I fell in love with Katie all over again. I didn’t think that was possible”

I was so glad Katie & Joe had a memorable experience with me at their engagement session. Here are a couple of images from their shoot at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL.

You can see the rest of the engagement photos here.

***You can see more photos from this wedding on my facebook page. Feel free to ‘friend’ me if you can’t see all 60+ images***

We started out in Elk Grove for the hair and makeup- The bride was being photographed by all kinds of photographers!

The flower girl was more than happy to sit next to Katie’s wedding dress!

I decided to try something different with the wedding shoes- =)

Katie looked stunning in her wedding dress-

The ceremony was held at St Hyacinth Basilica in Chicago, IL. I LOVED these doors-

The men chatting before the ceremony-

The St Hyacinth Basilica is huge! Here she is walking down the aisle!

The church was gorgeous…I loved the light leaking in from the top of the frame and the reflection in the floor-

Um…yes…the church is gorgeous. St Hyacinth Basilica in case you forgot. =)

After the ceremony we grabbed a quick creative photo-

We headed to Itasca for the our creative portrait session. We found some railroads with various shades of fall colors in the background.

At the Westin Chicago Northwest in Itasca, we grabbed some photos inside.

I really like these next two-

A photo of the wedding cake

The best man began talking about Joe’s past…and you can see the fear on Joe’s face! But everyone else is laughing!

She can’t wait for her wedding day to come. =)

Thanks Katie & Joe for having me as your wedding photographer! May your love for the Lord continue to grow as you continually learn more about your relationship with Him!

with love,

Kenny Nakai

I can’t wait to shoot her wedding this upcoming weekend, but until then, here are some shots from our downtown Evanston engagement session!

The light was fading fast, so we had to take advantage of it while it was still around-

We took a break from shooting at had another awesome meal at Joy Yee’s Restaurant before heading out to the streets for some night shots! (my favorite dish there is the sesame chicken) The streets of Evanston had enough light for us to capture some cool shots.

Some good times with Red Mango yogurt. I love all the different berries you can mix into your fro-yo – it not only tastes good, but looks so pretty, you almost don’t want to eat it!

I had a great time seeing the two of them in action at their urban – industrial engagement session that we had in the West Loop of Chicago. Here are a couple of my favorites…you can view the rest of their engagement photos here.

***there are 30+ images here on the blog, there are 50+ images on my facebook page. Feel free to ‘friend’ me if you can’t see the photo album***

Church: Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Schaumburg, IL
Reception: European Crystal Banquets in Arlington Heights, IL

We started the day at Jen’s parent’s house. The bridesmaids had a relaxing time laughing and eating fresh fruit. It was a really calm atmosphere-

To start, I decided to mix things up and get a little creative with her wedding dress shot-

Jewelry details-

Getting the make up put on-

The hairstylist and makeup artist working at the same time-

Someone woke up from their nap to find his auntie getting ready for her wedding!

Thanks to Nate Mathai for coming out to be my second photographer on this wedding-

I love her expression!

I love the way he looks at her…he cannot help smiling-

We headed out to Busse Woods in Schaumburg for some nature type shots-

Some fun with the ladies-

The guys getting their turn-

As we were driving out, I saw this scene in my head and we had to stop to get this shot- Almost like an art piece.

Then we proceeded to downtown Arlington Heights for a few more-

To be honest, I love these next two photos. Definitely coming from more of the creative – artistic side of my brain-I saw these electrical wires and combined with the color palette, I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to shoot here! But yea, it’s just a vacant lot that I thought had some potential-

Jen helps out with the youth from her church and they came out to sing the newly weds a song-

First dance-

Met a fellow wedding photographer, Rachel, having a good time on the dance floor- Go Rachel!

Thanks for a great time Jon & Jen! And thanks for trusting me with the site selections! What a gorgeous day and a blessing ceremony- I definitely look forward to seeing you both around! As our Lord brought you both together…thousands of miles apart, may He continue to guide you as you live your lives as one-

with love,

Kenny

But the ONE conference is unlike any other. It is run by Jeff & Julia Woods and focuses on marriage and business. As small business owners, the line between the personal and business can often be intermingled. ONE seeks to strengthen that which is more important than money…the love relationship.

I packed my camera gear and traveled down to Washington, IL to help Jeff & Julia with capturing a few of the memorable moments from their conference. If you are a photographer and your spouse helps with your business…I strongly recommend considering ONE next year.

To get more info: http://sidebyside247.com/

And just like last year, the speakers were amazing. Steve & Jen Bebb (affectionately known as “The Bebbs”), Dave & Quin Cheung (of DQ Studios), Kent & Sarah Smith, and Andy & Kia (of Senior Portrait Artists – which I am definitely going to check out).

Each of couple was an open book, not just sharing information, but sharing their lives…as they desired to see couples strengthen their bonds of marriage.

It was great to see the Bebbs again, as I attended their Chicago Bebbinar in June of 08- Their workshop was just what I needed at that point in my career and definitely exceeded my expectations. And they just announced a few more Bebbinar’s coming this fall!

I also enjoyed seeing Dave & Quin in action for the first time. I’ll be honest….I can’t edit without my Quikeys (purchased back in March). It has helped me in so many ways. My time in Lightroom is cut down by 50-75% EASILY. And I can create the albums I want to create and not be stuck into templates. Watch the tutorials to get an idea of what it’s capable of. It’s definitely an investment, but there is no doubt in my mind that it was totally worthwhile.

The PhotoVision crew was working at the conference as well. Ed Pierce had so many of us ‘lusting’ after his gear =) …if you are a photographer looking for some education…photovision videos on DVD is definitely ALOT of bang for your buck- I have two years worth on my shelf.

To all who attended ONE 2009: I hope these images bring you back to those moments…those moments of laughter, tears, and love.

***There are more that 100+ images on my facebook page – (compared the to 49 here on the blog) feel free to ‘friend’ me if you want leave comments***

Here are a sampling of images from their wedding day! ***More pictures are on my facebook page. Feel free to ‘friend’ me if you can’t see the pictures there***

Thanks you guys for such a wonderful day! It was a privilege to see people who give so generously to others…celebrate with loved ones. =)

with love,

Kenny Nakai

****more photos are on my facebook page. Feel free to ‘friend’ me if you can’t see or comment on the pictures****

I started the day at Alma’s house with her family. Special thanks to David Lai for helping to second shoot.

Alma’s getting some help with her shoes-

These girls couldn’t resist peeking in and they couldn’t contain their smiles-

The family had a prayer service before the wedding ceremony-

Remembering past relatives-

We had a couple moments to grab a couple shots of Alma by herself-

The best man checking out the groom’s reaction-

Someone found something a bit more interesting than the ceremony- =)

He couldn’t keep his eyes off of her-

Here is a large gathering of ‘uncles’ where they chant and shout together. It was crazy fun and the experience was surreal. You just cannot understand it by looking at a photograph or video-

For the first dance, Ajit & Alma surprised everyone by busting out a crazy choreographed dance! I love the energy they showed, a perfect ’10′ from this judge!

He picked up the mic and started throwin down some rhymes

By the way, I love custom lighting. It adds so much to the photos-

And you might be wondering, ‘where are all the creative portraits?’ Well the ceremony went longer than anticipated, and it ate into our photoshoot, (so we didn’t any pictures) but I really wanted to have some creative shots with these two. So I pulled them out of the reception and we had a few minutes to get these shots.

Thanks you guys for a wonderful celebration! I learned a lot of new customs and experienced a little more Indian culture. Thanks for your patience, and I hope it was worth it-

with love,

Kenny Nakai

A couple hours later I get a phone call, “Kenny this is Nora, DISREGARD MY EMAIL! I HAVE to have you as my photographer- If that means no limo, then we’ll get a school bus, but I HAVE to have you!” =) And true to her words, we rode around Chicago in a converted school bus on the day of her wedding- But you know what? We have images that will last forever- =)

So you can be assured that I really wanted to do my best for Nora & Scott-

Here’s a couple images from their engagement session from Wicker Park in Chicago. You can see the rest of the images here.

***you can find more images from this wedding on my facebook page – feel free to ‘friend’ me if you can’t see them!”

We started the day at the Embassy Suites right off Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

Nora wore a pair of ballet shoes- I love the personal touch in all the little details-

I was able to find a little ray of light to grab this creative shot of the wedding bouquet.

Since the guys were all done, we headed downstairs from some creative portraits. The Embassy Suites has a cool restaurant that let us use their facility.

As a surprise, Nora gave Scott and his family cufflinks made in Scotland with their family crest- Talk about sweet-

The church was none other than St. Mary’s of the Angels in Chicago-

I always try to show the overall ambience when shooting a bride walking down the aisle. St Mary’s of Angels definitely has a nice backdrop! =)

A bagpipe sounded to lead the newly weds down the aisle!

We headed out to Washington Park in downtown Chicago (right across from the Newberry Library) for our creative portrait session.

A view of the Embassy Suites from above-

One of my favorite moments from the night-

Before we called it a night, we headed outside to grab a couple shots- after all, we are in downtown Chicago!

Thanks you guys for having me as your photographer and for giving up so much for me to be there- I hope it was worth it! =)

with love,
Kenny Nakai

***to see more images, head to my facebook page*** (feel free to ‘friend’ me if you can’t see the images)

The dress…I loved the juxtaposition of the shapes in the image-

The shoes-

Poking through! Make sure not to mess up the hair and makeup! =)

The traditional Filipino formal attire is a “barong”. The groom and groomsmen were all sporting their barong’s.

I love this shot of Rey looking out the window

Check out the third little guy in the back- =)

A glance back at the boys-

They wanted to shoot at Millennium Park, as that was the location of their engagement. We had a “Random” portraiture of the group- It can be interpreted in many ways-

My favorite bridal party picture-

Aileen wanted to shoot an Abbey Road picture (a la the Beatles)

And since the reception was at the Holiday Inn – Merchandise Mart, we had to take advantage of the city.

There was a great view from the reception hall- as the Holiday Inn – Merchandise Mart is located on top of the Sun Times building.

Thanks you guys for a great time! And I will always remember how it thunder stormed before and after our photoshoot in the city. =)

Take care!

with love,

Kenny Nakai

I loved all the details of their wedding. Starting with the Independence Grove in Libertyville, IL to the colors of the dresses and suits, Grace really knew what it takes to put together a beautiful day.

Thanks to Alex Roy for coming out to second shoot-

***more photos on my facebook page - feel free to ‘friend’ me if you can’t see the album***

What an amazing day! The rain clouds went away, the sun came out, and everything was just gorgeous! Congrats again and thanks for the privilege to be apart of your special day!

with love,

Kenny Nakai