It was a humid early fall Saturday morning in Chicago with thunderstorms approaching and a To-Do list with several non-critical items that I planned to procrastinate on by watching whatever TV series I was currently addicted to on Netflix Instant.  My dear friend Molly had recently moved to Texas with her family and we were both wishing that we could spend our Saturday together like we used to do when we didn’t live so many states apart. I can’t recall who suggested it first but within 3 hours I was headed to the airport having found a killer last-minute deal on a flight to Austin. And so commenced my 48 hour, spur-of-the-moment weekend trip to Texas. Yeehaw!

Having recently moved, their house was still being unpacked with furniture to arrange and tear the plastic off of. Before they found the perfect place for their new sofa, we decided to have a mini-shoot on the front lawn as the sun went down.

Suffice to say I love this family AND their spontaneous hospitality.

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks for me but I could not let another day go by without sharing the rest of Natalia & Todd’s fantastic day.  A rooftop ceremony at Lightology with a gorgeous view of the Chicago skyline, followed by a feast to end all feasts at the Brazilian steakhouse, Zed451. From beginning to end these two laughed and snuggled, and partied it up with their closest friends and family.  It is couples like Todd & Natalia who make me feel so absolutely lucky to have this job.  But more than anything, it is clear to everyone who sees them together that they are each convinced that they are the luckiest in the world to have found the other.

Natalia & Todd,

You are the greatest.

Best,

Kelly

Click HERE to see the rest of their day or go HERE to see Part 1, their portrait extravaganza around Chicago.

You’d better watch out. These two? They are contagious. Their laughter, their happiness, their love. Absolutely contagious and I could not stop smiling all day. Natalia’s gorgeous smile and Todd’s quiet contentment that was just as bright, well, I just love these two. As I sorted through images to prepare a blog post I just couldn’t narrow the number down to a reasonable amount for just one post. So there will be two, stay tuned.

It all started when Natalia & I headed out to meet Todd who was waiting on the shore of Lake Michigan for a first look, followed by a stop at all of my favorite spots around Chicago. Have I mentioned how I love these two?

Natalia & Todd,

Gorgeous. Stunning. Sweet. Fun. And so much more. Thank you.

Best,

Kelly

Angela & Russ are headed to Bora Bora for their amazing honeymoon but maybe this sneak peek will catch them before their flight leaves…

A family is a group of persons who are bonded together, sharing love, tears, and laughter, and around whom you can be at your best and your worst. It defies blood ties and even last names.  In the case of this family, they crossed continents to become complete.  Gibson had been home for just a week or two when I had the honor of capturing this family, but it was ever so clear that he was very much, well, home. Right where he was meant to be.

I love it.

A typical blog post shows only a handful of my favorites from any given portrait session or wedding.  In the case of the Lundgren family, I wanted to share the full story with you.

Enjoy it here.