Samantha & Troy | Illinois State Fairgrounds Artisan Building Old European Garden Wedding Photographer

There’s something extra special about the marriage of high school sweethearts. We all remember our first high school crush and for some of us we’re lucky enough to marry him or her. So I was super excited to capture that magic between Samantha and Troy on their wedding day. Samantha is the sweetest, most thoughtful person and you only need to see the way in which Troy looks at his bride to know how much he cares for and adores her.

When Samantha descried how Troy proposed I could hardly contain my
emotions. Every girl dreams of the perfect engagement. Troy took Samantha to Europe and asked her if she would be his wife at sunset in Florence at the Piazzale Michelangelo, a beautiful spot overlooking the city. I know, amazing, right?!

They shared their love for Europe and their travel adventures together with an old-world European themed wedding. Samantha looked stunning in a lace, low-back dress with a simple train by Martina Liana accompanied by gorgeous jeweled Badgley Mischka heels. Centered around the peach of the Sweet Juliet English Rose the color scheme included the burgundy’s of the bridesmaid dresses, the navy blues of the groom and the groomsmen’s suits as well as shades of grey, green and gold as accent colors.

Samantha and Troy were married under a gorgeous geometric arbor with flowers and candlelight surrounded by 125 family and friends at the Exposition Building in the State Fair Grounds. It is a beautiful, open building, with tons of natural light and perfect spaces for portraits. We had the threat of storms all day, but it was an unseasonably 60-degree, sunny day in December. We took photos of the wedding party before heading out to the park for some quiet, romantic, newlywed portraits of the bride and groom with the evergreen trees as a backdrop. I loved the quiet moments with Samantha and Troy right after they became newlyweds, when we traveled to the park for their romantic portraits. It was perfect for them
to have some alone time to just soak in the day and enjoy their first few moments as husband and wife. We caught some beautiful golden hour light before the storms rolled in.

It was an absolute joy to photograph Samantha and Troy and I can’t wait to share these images with you as we celebrate this beautiful couple.

This lawn was full of mud, but you wouldn’t know it because these girls made it look flawless! I adored every part of these indoor, romantic shots! This last photo is super special to me. I photographed all three of these couples’ weddings over the past 2 years. They are all so wonderful in every special way. It means the world to me that they trusted me!