Mattie & Shaun’s winter wedding at the iHotel in Champaign, Illinois was the perfect way to end my 2019 wedding season. Winter weddings are always some of my favorites, especially when they involve the sweetest bride!

I first met Mattie years ago when my husband was a youth pastor where she attends church. Several years passed and Mattie reached out to me about her wedding photography. I met up with her and Shaun last spring for their engagement session and quickly saw how much Shaun adores her. While he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of photos, he was willing to go along with it for Mattie. Shooting their engagement session made me even more excited for their special day.

When I arrived at the iHotel on the wedding day, Mattie was just finishing up with her hair and makeup. Her bridesmaids were so relaxed and helpful, and just beamed when they saw Mattie in her dress. Once everyone was ready to go, we braved the cold weather to head outside for portraits in the glowing winter light. Mattie and Shaun did not want to see each other before the wedding, but Mattie and her dad did want to do a first look. It was such an emotional part of the day! You can tell that Mattie is a daddy’s girl at heart.

The ceremony was filled with more happy tears as Mattie’s parents gave her away to marry Shaun. I’m not sure there was a dry eye in the entire ballroom.

My favorite part of the day was when we went back outside for bridal party portraits and photos of the new Mr and Mrs. The light was just perfect as the sun was going down and we got some of my favorite portraits of the year. The bridal party did a great job of being cooperative, yet fun and I never once heard them complain about the cold.

Mattie and Shaun, I wish you all the best in your marriage! It was my pleasure to capture your special day.

 

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If you are looking for a wedding photographer, contact me at karen@karenshoufler.com or via the contact form here. I would love to chat with you to see if we’d be the perfect fit!