central illinois weddings

September 4, 2018September 4, 2018

| Kelly + Jacob | Decatur Conference Center & Hotel Wedding |

decatur conference center and hotel wedding, dcch wedding, decatur il wedding, indoor wedding, hotel wedding, conference center, sarah jane photography, wedding photographer, best wedding photographer, central illinois weddings,

Today I get to share Kelly & Jacob’s beautiful wedding day with you guys. This was the last wedding I photographed this summer before our little baby girl arrived so I was a tad HUGE but that definitely didn’t stand in the way of us having a great time creating these images.

One thing the Decatur Conference Center does so well is wedding/reception combinations all in one place. It’s so convenient especially with out of town guests to have only one location they’ll need to find and the conference center has the space to let this all happen without any transition time needed to change over the room from ceremony to reception decor. Plus, the wooded grounds of the DCCH are perfect for portraits and we can get a ton of variety right there on site.

Kelly & Jacob opted not to see eachother before the wedding but we were still able to create images of them both pre-wedding to save the time after the ceremony for just images of the larger group and plenty of time for the two of them.

We even found a new assistant! Check him out giving Tiffanie a hand here.

The back pond at the conference center makes for the perfect get away for just the lovely couple to spend some time solo on their big day. This is one of my favorite things to do with couples… the day IS about you two but it can be so hectic with the party and being surrounded by your loved ones that often you actually don’t get any time for just you two. So we always try to carve out at least 20-30 minutes on the big day for you to escape the hustle and just spend some time loving on eachother!

January 9, 2018January 8, 2018

| Amber + Josh | Decatur IL Wedding Photographer |

This weekend I got to meet some brand new 2018 brides and grooms and am so excited to be sharing in some of their big days in the coming year. In the wedding spirit I wanted to share Amber & Josh’s wedding day with you all here!

I had the pleasure of meeting Amber’s dad a few times through speaking at the Decatur Camera Club and it was such an honor that they thought of me when it came time for wedding planning. It’s always a little extra push to photograph for a family with an interest in photography.

These two had a gorgeous day at the Decatur Conference Center and Amber created some beautiful decor with succulents that was so on trend and yet classy and elegant. I’m a big fan of weddings at the conference center not only because their staff really puts on a wonderful event but also because of the photographic locations right at our fingertips inside and out.

I always have fun exploring and we used a back hallway for these two that I hadn’t used before and I love the lighting results. Plus, through a tiny little pathway we discovered a beautiful little meadow out back but favorite of all is the willow tree and pond which was a perfect way to close out our day at sunset.

weddings, best wedding photographers, central il wedding photographer, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, decatur il weddings, central il weddings, central illinois weddings, decatur conference center, best wedding locations decatur il, wedding venue decatur il, wedding photography, bridal style weddings, best wedding photographers, central il wedding photographer, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, decatur il weddings, central il weddings, central illinois weddings, decatur conference center, best wedding locations decatur il, wedding venue decatur il, wedding photography, bridal style weddings, best wedding photographers, central il wedding photographer, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, decatur il weddings, central il weddings, central illinois weddings, decatur conference center, best wedding locations decatur il, wedding venue decatur il, wedding photography, bridal style weddings, best wedding photographers, central il wedding photographer, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, decatur il weddings, central il weddings, central illinois weddings, decatur conference center, best wedding locations decatur il, wedding venue decatur il, wedding photography, bridal style weddings, best wedding photographers, central il wedding photographer, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, decatur il weddings, central il weddings, central illinois weddings, decatur conference center, best wedding locations decatur il, wedding venue decatur il, wedding photography, bridal style weddings, best wedding photographers, central il wedding photographer, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, decatur il weddings, central il weddings, central illinois weddings, decatur conference center, best wedding locations decatur il, wedding venue decatur il, wedding photography, bridal style weddings, best wedding photographers, central il wedding photographer, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, decatur il weddings, central il weddings, central illinois weddings, decatur conference center, best wedding locations decatur il, wedding venue decatur il, wedding photography, bridal style weddings, best wedding photographers, central il wedding photographer, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, decatur il weddings, central il weddings, central illinois weddings, decatur conference center, best wedding locations decatur il, wedding venue decatur il, wedding photography, bridal style weddings, best wedding photographers, central il wedding photographer, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, decatur il weddings, central il weddings, central illinois weddings, decatur conference center, best wedding locations decatur il, wedding venue decatur il, wedding photography, bridal style weddings, best wedding photographers, central il wedding photographer, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, decatur il weddings, central il weddings, central illinois weddings, decatur conference center, best wedding locations decatur il, wedding venue decatur il, wedding photography, bridal style weddings, best wedding photographers, central il wedding photographer, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, decatur il weddings, central il weddings, central illinois weddings, decatur conference center, best wedding locations decatur il, wedding venue decatur il, wedding photography, bridal style weddings, best wedding photographers, central il wedding photographer, sarah jane photography, sjanephotography, decatur il weddings, central il weddings, central illinois weddings, decatur conference center, best wedding locations decatur il, wedding venue decatur il, wedding photography, bridal style

Another super fun detail of this wedding day is that Amber’s maid of honor was none other than her momma. They were so so sweet and you all know I love the mother daughter moments.

December 22, 2016December 14, 2016

| KeepingitKelley Wedding | Kellie & Ryan Kelley | Springfield IL Wedding | Erin’s Pavilion Reception |

It’s time to show off Kellie & Ryan’s beautiful Niantic wedding with you today! One of my favorite parts about smaller older churches is the beautiful wood work and window details that are perfect for creative detail images… and that front door – swoon.

One of my favorite things to do during formal portraits on every wedding day is to try to create photos for the parents of the bride and groom along with the formal of the wedding couple. Often it’s been YEARS since parents have had images of just themselves and I just love seeing the connection and love in these families and even though it’s Ryan & Kellie’s big day, it’s also a big day for these four loving parents.

Every wedding is beautiful and unique and most are meticulously planned, yet somehow at just about every single wedding something goes not quite as planned. For these two our little hiccup (or adventure) for the day was that about 5 minutes before the ceremony was to begin the whole church lost power! Bride was a little nervous but we were prepared and able to photograph with no interior lights as was the videography team and the minister did a wonderful job sans mic. The result was actually a lovely candle-lit ceremony which will be a story for them to tell for years to come. (And about 5 minutes after the ceremony was complete the power came right back!).

It’s not every wedding that we have the chance to personalize their images like this…. at Kellie’s grandparent’s home with a tractor that’s been in her family for generations!

Erin’s Pavilion in Springfield is a beautiful venue for any wedding or reception and one of the biggest reasons why from a photography standpoint is the abundance of stunning locations close by for portraits. This small garden out front was my favorite for this ‘wall of ivy’ type look. We had fun with everything from laughing poses to Kellie’s fierce model look below.

Whenever possible I like to sneak out of the reception with the bride and groom for a few quick sunset images. This gives us something different from what we’ve created earlier in the day, shows the bride with dress bustled (and/or veil gone – Kellie rocked hers all night) but it’s also just a minute with the two of them alone amid the reception festivities which is always romantic!

I have to say it was a joy to be a part of this beautiful couple’s wedding day and I love their hashtag #keelingitkelley because YES this bride’s new name is Kellie Kelley (isn’t it adorable!).