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Chicago’s Carasco Photography

We are so thrilled to welcome Carasco Photography to StrictlyWeddings.com. We’re loving what we’re seeing and can’t wait to publish a featured wedding.

Over the past seven years, Carasco Photography has become one of the most sought after wedding photography companies in Chicago.

As a husband and wife owned company, Cara and Scott Nava understand firsthand all of the elements that go into planning your wedding day and choosing a photographer to preserve those memories. Their ideology is simple. In life there is beauty and through creativity they are able to celebrate this beauty through the still image.

With a MFA in photography from Columbia College Chicago, Scott’s nationally recognized work has been in such magazines as Crain’s Chicago Business, Chicago Social Magazine, CS Brides and ChicagoStyle Weddings. Inspired by fashion editorial and every day experiences, this duo will convey a poetic and unscripted visual narrative of your wedding. Simply put, they love what they do.

Featured Chicago Engagement Photographer: Exposing the true personality of the bride & groom

With some people you just have an immediate bond. That’s how we felt when we first talked to Jai Girard about becoming one of our Chicago Wedding photography partners.

Jai, the person, is as beautiful as the art that she creates. And, to us, and to her brides, what Jai creates with her photography IS a work of art. She has the gift of making her brides, and even us non-brides, feel like you are the center of her focus. It’s all about you! And it shows in the exquisite wedding and engagement photos that she shares so generously with StrictlyWeddings.com.

So enjoy this sampling of just a few of Jai’s Engagement Photos. They’re fun, dramatic, unique and all show off the artistic touch of Jai Girard.

Featured Wedding – Alyson & Daniel

Our Chicago photography partner, Jai Girard, who’s supplied so many of our wonderful featured weddings, has added a new favorite.

From our bride … “Daniel and I both went to Indiana University. We met when I was A Freshman, yet didn’t started dating until my Sophomore year. I always knew that Daniel was the one because he always went over and beyond with me on everything. For example, a few weeks into dating, he surprised me outside my college class with a Starbucks in hand and a ride home during a rainstorm.

We began planning our wedding long before we were engaged, always knowing it was going to happen eventually. Our ceremony was the most amazing part of our wedding because of the tradition of being married by the same rabbi as my parents in the same spot 30 years later. The Willow Tree served as the Chuppah and it was the most magical and beautiful thing I have ever seen.

Everything about the day was absolutely incredible, and perfect. We could have done without the major rainstorm, but everyone was too busy dancing the night away to notice!”

Dress Designer –  Amsale
Floral Designer –  ArtQuest in Highwood, IL
Shoes – Manolo Blahnik
Photography – Jai Girard
Venue – Ceremony was at the bride’s Grandparent’s backyard in Highland Park, IL underneath the same willow tree that her parent’s were married 30 years before.
Reception – Chicago Botanic Gardens at the McGinley Pavillion
Catering – Chicago Botanic Gardens catered the event
Entertainment – Dan Hayes Band
Wedding Planner – Lindsay Stein Cohen at Designer Events Chicago
Cake – Rolf’s Patisserie

Sexy valentines – boudoir photography

Want a great gift idea for the groom for Valentine’s Day that is guaranteed to hit all his buttons? It’s boudoir photos. They capture for your special man the essence of you – the sultry vamp, the playful kitten, or just the oh so sexy come hither look.

Don’t wait until Valentine’s Day. There’s the groom’s gift, anniversary, Christmas or just because. If you have a husband that travels, a little black book of these photos will keep you top of mind while he’s on the road. And even though StrictlyWeddings.com is all about our brides, ladies we’re just as beautiful in our 40′s as we were in our 20′s.

Many thanks to Chicago photographer Jai Girard for these boudoir shots.

Jai Girard – Wedding Photographer Bends Creative Curve

Jai Girard has for years been described as the most innovative and talented wedding photographer in Chicago. Booked as much as two years in advance, she shows an unrelenting desire to bend the creative curve so that every picture becomes not just a chronicle of an event but the capture of a memory that will last a lifetime. She dedicates herself to finding the unique excitement between a bride and groom, has been a pioneer in urban realism, and is known for her unique understanding of the understated simplicity of a wedding’s emotion.

StrictlyWeddings.com is thrilled to add Jai as one of our Chicago partners. Visit her page on StrictlyWeddings.com or her web site.

Strike a Pose! Wedding Photos – More Dramatic, Edgier

There are some tricks that you can adopt to look better in your wedding pictures irregardless of whether it’s a professional photographer who poses you or your uncle or auntie whose instructions is limited to “say cheese!” By knowing some tips and secrets, and spending time in front of the mirror practicing before the big day, you can help look your best for your wedding pictures.

• Point Your Toes
  • You may think a pointed toe doesn’t matter because most wedding gowns cover your feet but it does make a difference.
  • Avoid planting both your feet together while flat on the ground. Move a foot to point your toes by doing this; you are shifting your weight to your back foot, which will cause your hip to shift. This hip-shift makes you look curvier.
• Turn Your Shoulder at 45-degree Angle to the Camera
  • If you turn your body slightly to the right or left, you will appear slimmer in the photo. Generally speaking, your entire body should never be square with the camera but slightly side-on, usually 45-degree or more.
• Relax Your Shoulders
  • People tend to tighten and raise their shoulders when they are nervous and this causes a couple of problems. It makes your shoulders appear narrower, your neck shorter, and worse, it creates a look of tenseness. (Not a happy bride pose!).
  • To be able to do this pose, you have to concentrate on relaxing your shoulders let them fall naturally.

• Keep your Elbows Away from Your Body
  • Unless you are super-slim, pose with your elbows slightly away from your sides. If you pose with your elbows touching the sides of your body, your body will look as wide as the elbow-to-elbow dimension, not to mention that if you have upper arms that are not toned, it will get squished and look even bigger.
  • Just move your elbows slightly away from your sides, creating just a small separation between your body and your arm, people will notice the cut-in of your waistline in your photos and this makes your torso appears slimmer.
  • Learn this pose with care. When you are moving your elbows outward, make sure that you do not lift your shoulders (which we already know, is not a good thing). Also you only want to move your elbows slightly away from your sides – too far out and you’ll look like you’re doing the funky chicken!

• Make Your Eyes Appear Larger
  • Usually, it is not flattering to tilt your head back because your chin becomes more prominent than your eyes. Lower your chin by a fraction of an inch.  This will bring your eyes closer to the camera than your chin and mouth and makes your eyes appear larger. Just a tiny lower – too much lowering and you might cause a double chin. Practice in front of the mirror.
• Relax Your Forehead
  • When trying to accentuate their eyes, brides will open their eyes wide. In the process of doing this, they raise their eyebrows which creates a “surprised look” and a wrinkled forehead.
  • Keep your eyes and forehead relaxed in order to look more natural. Practice your facial poses in front of the mirror till you are familiar with the movements.

Photos courtesy of Jordan Payne Events and Table 4 Weddings.

Chicago wedding photography at it's best

No standard poses here. These acclaimed Chicago wedding photographers capture the beauty, emotion, and spirit of your wedding with a craftsmanship approaching fine art. In addition to the bridal portrait, ceremony, and reception photographs, you may wish to add a prenuptial portrait of you and your betrothed.  The black and white photo featured above is from Rick Aguilar Studios.

With premium photographers booking months in advance, it is best to make your choice soon after the wedding date is set. The professional you commission should be compatible in personality as well as style. Remember to provide a list of required shots, to ensure that the memories you cherish in your heart will also be preserved in print. Ensure the setting is perfect for your photos with the best wedding photographers in Chicago featured at Strictly Weddings Chicago.

The photo above is from Artisan Events.

This next photo is from Peter Thurin who goes on to mention:

“What better to photograph than those extraordinary moments on a day so emotional and spirited. This is the day so many people bookmark in their dreams. It is a milestone that brings family together. It truly is magical. Yet, the real magic in weddings is the emotional, heartfelt expressions from one person to another. It’s the hug in the back of the church, the kiss on the cheek, the tears of a mother (or father) as her daughter is being given away. These are the moments I love to capture with my photography.”