I met Minying (nicknames of Bitty and Betty, which is what I know her as!) through mutual friends way back in high school in downstate Illinois. Luckily enough, we both attended the University of Illinois, so we could both stay in touch, and that is where she and Jason met. I was fortunate to get to know Jason as he and Betty dated throughout college, and was ecstatic when they asked if I could photograph their upcoming wedding this spring! Of course I said yes right away! The day of their engagement sessions was chilly, taking place during the transition between fall and winter weather, but they trouped through, keeping smiles on their faces the whole time (except when I told them I wanted a serious shot, of course!). Our photo adventure took us around the U of I campus (including the Alma Mater, though we had to visit the location twice since the first time there was a large tour group standing around the statue) and then to Lake of the Woods in Mahomet, the stomping grounds of Jason, since that is where he grew up. I met Christy seven years ago, on move in day at the University of Illinois. Her dorm room was right across the hall from mine, which made it easy to become fast friends. Soon we started rolling with the same crowd, affectionately dubbed the "Walrus Loungers". A few months into the semester, Christy and I decided to become part of a roommate swap and move in together--and it was definitely one of the best decisions I made that year! Our friendship grew over the next four years, and one day our senior year, after quite a bit of heckling from our group, she brought Ryan to an event. I've been blessed to enjoy the company of both Christy and Ryan since then, and it's hard to believe that they've been dating for four years now! Ryan has become such a part of our little Walrus Lounge family, and such a great friend to my husband and I, that sometimes I forget he wasn't there with us when Christy and I met that fateful moving day in 2007. I'm so excited to watch them marry this fall, and even more excited to watch their love grow more over the upcoming years :). During Julie and Shane's engagement session last summer, the two expressed a thought at the same time related to where they wanted to go next for photos. As soon as they realized they said the same thing, they said "Spam!" in unison. They then explained to me that "spam" has become their go-to word for when their minds mesh, and I have to assume that they say it often, since I could tell just after a few hours that these two are so in sync with each other! Julie and Shane's wedding day started off at their house in Champaign, where the girls had their hair done before retreating downstairs to finish getting ready while the guys got ready upstairs. Once everyone was groomed to perfection, we moved to their ceremony and reception location at the University of Illinois Golf Course. The weather was beautiful for an October day, not too cold or windy, and the trees showed their splendor in orange and yellow hues. After a beautiful ceremony, we took family photos under the sun and then moved over to a pavilion for dinner and dancing. Of course, the children stole the show, getting their groove on all night long. Thanks again for having 10,000 Words Photography be a part of your special day, Julie and Shane! It was a blast! |
May 2018
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