Here are a couple photos we took a week before their wedding when we hung out to talk about the two of them and the last minute wedding details.

***more than 70+ photos can be found on my facebook page. Including the prayer ceremonies at the B&G’s houses before the wedding ceremony. Feel free to ‘friend’ me if you can’t see all the photos there***

Church
Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel
190 S Prospect Ave
Elmhurst, IL 60126

Reception
The Meadows Club
2950 W Golf Rd
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008

On the wedding day, we started in Des Plaines…I love Shaina’s laugh as her friend and hairstylist, Gigi, helps put the finishing touches on the veil. Not to mention that her twin sister (maid of honor) seems to almost have the same laugh…like a mirrored reflection-

A photo of the wedding bouquet-

I loved the dress and veil-

A great makeup job was done by Lillian from Starlight Chicago.

Once at the church I grabbed these two portraits of Abin.

I love this photo of Abin…like…I wish I had my picture taken there too! =)

As she began to walk down the aisle…his eyes began to well up…ever so slightly-

The bride is escorted by her two brothers down the aisle-

I love this moment Shaina has with her father just before he presents her to Abin-

Hammerschmidt Memorial Chapel was a beautiful church with wonderful natural light coming through. It is located in Elmhurst College…Shaina’s alma mater.

In an Indian Christian wedding…the priest (achin) blesses the rings at the very beginning.

He surprised his bride by singing a song for her-

The ever so important manthrakodi – as he places the sari around his bride. If you want to see photos of the necklace tying (minnu/thali) you can see those in the facebook album.

A group photo in front of Hammerschmidt Chapel-

We didn’t have too much time for creative portraits, but I did manage to get this photo after climbing onto the roof- =) In my mind, it looks like a flower-

I love this photo…Abin & Shaina were so great to work with- their connection was just so obvious to me and it made my job as their photographer so easy!

What a moment- I LOVE this-

Love this photo too! =)

He picked her up with ease!

The wedding cake with matching tiffany/baby blue colors.

The ever so important milk drinking ceremony- One of the few couples that actually drank all of it! =)

Thank you Abin & Shaina for having me as your wedding photographer! And thank you for being willing to walk all over for those creative portraits! I’m so glad we took the time for those! As you were faithful to your convictions regarding your relationship before marriage…I can only imagine the wonderful things that lie in store now that you are one- God bless you guys!

with love,

Kenny

Contact – Portfolio – Facebook – Twitter

One thing I keep in mind when taking photos of families, is the personalities of the kids- I love the interaction they have with their parents and with each other. Kids grow up so fast and their faces, smiles and ‘looks’ change all the time! These more casual family photo sessions are a great way to ‘stop time’ and remember your kids at this moment in their lives-

Fun times in front of an old horse drawn carriage.

There were two cousins that joined in for a couple photos!

This was my favorite photo from the portrait session. It makes me smile every time I look at it!

She loved her umbrella – I loved how Julie selected great outfits and accessories for the kids-

What a smile!

I think these guys are looking for a future career in modeling! And I loved the red ties!

He was trying to out run my camera! =)

Thanks Frank & Julie for another awesome family photo session! You guys were great!

with love,

Kenny

On to the wedding day! ***you can see more photos on my facebook page. Feel free to ‘friend’ me if you can’t see all 50+ images on my fb page***

Her lovely wedding dress-

A photo of her shoes-

A cool reflection for the earrings-

Inga had a picture of her grandparents in a locket on her bouquet-

A couple shots of the stunning bride-

Anticipation before the big moment-

A little emotion coming out-

Praying in front of St. Mary-

For our creative portrait session, we headed out to Cantigny Park in Wheaton, IL. The weather was amazing and the sunlight was perfect.

We decided to have some fun with the bridal party at Cantigny Park.

The ringbearer didn’t like the kiss- =)

Other states might have an ocean or mountains, we have…prairies. And Cantigny Park had a prairie that we could walk through!

One of my favorites-

All partied out!

Thanks Inga & Jeff for a great time and for building in a lot of time for some creative portraits! It was really awesome to know that you guys really love what I do- Thanks for having me!

with love, Kenny Nakai

Nakai Photography

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 couple images from their engagement shoot we shot last summer. This first image won an “Accolade of Excellence” at the International WPPI 16×20 print competition in Las Vegas last year. You can see the rest of the images from their engagement session here.

Jeremy mentioned that this image was the wallpaper for his computer- =)

***there are 51 images posted here, there are 81 posted on my facebook page. Feel free to ‘friend’ me if you can’t see them in facebook!***

As you will see from their day, Jo has an eye for details. Even with this first shot…check out the doorknobs in her bedroom closet! Doorknobs from Anthropologie (of course!)

When I saw these Chinese paintings, I had a creative idea for her wedding dress photo!

I love the colors in her shoe shot-

Floral design and execution was done by uber talented Grace from Vale of Enna. She really out did herself on this wedding…the bouquets and centerpieces were top notch! A unique bouquet for sure!

Mother placing the veil. I love these moments-

It was a bit warm in the room, so Jo was trying to stay cool in the hallway-

The moment of anticipation!

The ceremony was held at the Naperville Congregational Church

Look at his smile! I think he’s a little happy…just a little. =)

After arriving at the Hyatt Lodge, we headed out for our creative portrait session. I love the light and shadows in this image-

The sun would play hide and seek behind the clouds, and we took advantage of the rays when we could-

I ran across the pond to grab this shot on a bridge connecting the Hyatt Lodge to a business building.

Tried something new – though it felt a bit awkward posing for this shot, I think it came out great!

I love this portrait of the two of them.

Inside the Hyatt Lodge…

I walked around the Hyatt Lodge grounds and couldn’t resist, I pulled them out for a couple pictures during the reception-

Thanks you guys for an awesome day! Even for standing in goose poop! =) I look forward to seeing what He has in store for you both!

with love,

Kenny Nakai

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