Maricel Cruz Photography Chicagoland Wedding and Portrait Photographer

April was referred to me by an old high school friend, Lori, who I reconnected with on Facebook. When April contacted me for her Starved Rock Wedding in October, I have to say I was pretty excited! Last year was my first time visiting this beautiful State Park with my friends & family, if you’ve never been there you really should!

April & Tony had 2 ceremonies, a very intimate one near one of the canyons and another outdoor one near the Starved Rock Lodge, where they had their reception. The hike to the canyon was pretty adventurous for me, but all so worth it! After that ceremony we had a quick portrait session around the park. It was such a beautiful day, sunny and in the 70’s, not your standard October weather. Once we were done there, we headed back to the lodge where April had a little surprise for Tony, a formal wedding dress. The look on his face when she walked down the aisle: priceless.

Congratulations April & Tony, it was an absolute honor to document your wedding day!

As you read my blog, you might see that I have a few best friends. Having four brothers, being the only girl and never having any sisters, I have very close friends that are like sisters to me. Jane is my sister-in-law’s sister so we are actually family!

When Jane sent me a text “He went to Jared!“, I was pretty excited for them. Sean proposed to her at home while her favorite movie Beauty and the Beast was playing in the background, very sweet. When they asked me to be their photographer, I did not hesitate and was thrilled to be part of their wedding.

As she walked down the aisle at St. Vincent Ferrer with her father, I did not realize how emotional I would get. I just got through telling someone I definitely would not cry! I think hearing the cry babies in the background (you guys know who you are) definitely did not help and I was sobbing like a baby. Good thing I was on the other side of the camera! We went to a nearby River Forest park for their portraits and then their reception was held at Crowne Plaza hotel. We were so lucky to have such a beautiful day in Chicago in the middle of October, it was perfect! Here are just a few photos from their wedding.

Congratulations Jane & Sean! I’m so happy for you guys, thank you for letting me capture your very important day!

My besties and I!

I am so behind on blogging, even though these are from October I didn’t want to pass on posting the fun weddings and sessions from the past few months.

With that said, let’s start with Sarah & Dar’s wedding. They had a beautiful wedding ceremony at Wilder Park in Elmhurst. Sarah did such a wonderful job with the flowers & she made such a beautiful bride! Dar was just so GQ in his tux, Jeb (the dog) was rocking his tux as well. We took a few minutes after the ceremony and took advantage of the beautiful Wilder Park scenery for some of their portraits. We ended the evening at Furama in Uptown for their reception. Here are just a few samples from their wedding.

Congratulation Sarah & Dar, thanks so much for having us capture your special day!

DIY bouquet, so talented!Absolutely LOVED the simple hair with the flower…

Congratulations Chris & Tom! It was such a fun day! It was a chilly (eventually rainy) May day but Chris & Tom were troopers and enjoyed their special day despite the weather. We started the day at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Highland Park for their ceremony. We ended the evening at Wagner Farm for their reception. Chris made such a beautiful bride and Tom rocked his tuxedo! Best part of the day: Neil Diamond Impersonator. If you closed your eyes you could’ve sworn it was Neil!

Thanks Chris & Tom, it was an honor to capture your special day!

Back in April I met a very talented photographer, Tara Sharma, who was a guest at one of the weddings I photographed visiting from NYC. We connected via Facebook where she contacted me to help her shoot this amazing wedding. Needless to say, I was very excited to join her! I also had the opportunity to meet another talented photographer, Seshu, from Connecticut. With this wedding came many “firsts” for me. It was first time I ever visited the Chicago Cultural Center, first time I ever attended an Indian wedding and my first experience with Indian food. All of which made me ask myself, what have I been missing?

Here are a few samples of my photos from that day (sorry, there are a lot). To see the full blog post of the wedding please visit Tara Sharma’s blog. Thank you SO MUCH Tara for this wonderful opportunity! Congrats to Bharath & Seetal, it was truly an honor to help capture your day!