Downtown Peoria, Illinois Engagement Session | Kylie + Carson
Kylie and Carson’s little family is so supremely sweet, and I’m beyond stoked to have the privilege of covering photo and video for their wedding in 2022. Their morning engagement session was a last-minute addition that I’m so happy we were able to fit in!
Kylie and Carson’s little family is so supremely sweet, and I’m beyond stoked to have the privilege of covering photo and video for their wedding in 2022. Their morning downtown Peoria engagement session was a last-minute addition that I’m so happy we were able to fit in!
The light and the humans in my camera were absolute magic. Peep some of my favorites!
Need some photos of your own? I can help with that.
Chelsea + Mason - Peoria, Illinois Wedding Photography
It was so much fun shooting wedding photography for Chelsea and Mason’s Peoria, Illinois wedding! Well, we also did some stuff in Pekin, too. Chelsea and Mason are highly special people and, as evidenced by their engagement session, hanging out with them is always an adventure.
It was so much fun shooting Chelsea and Mason’s Peoria, Illinois wedding! Well, we also did some stuff in Pekin, too. Chelsea and Mason are highly special people and, as evidenced by their engagement session, hanging out with them is always an adventure. If you need a refresher, we spent half our time wandering around a trailer park playground at sunrise trying to find the entrance to a trail we saw online, only to realize it was a quarter mile up the road. We also learned the story of a man named “Bad Chad.”
Anyways, regarding their wedding, this was one of those classic COVID-weddings that we’ve all grown so accustomed to and that I have grown to totally adore. The small size, the subdued tension, and the joyous, intimate celebration at the end of the day make for a really special wedding. Chelsea and Mason had all that and more!
We began the day getting ready in separate locations, Mason at his family's home, and Chelsea at Grace United Methodist Church in Pekin. Fortunately, this is also where the ceremony was to be held, so we were able to get a lot done in a short amount of time. We met up with Mason and the gang at Mineral Springs Park (commonly called the Pekin Lagoon) for their first look and some quick portraits before they had to jet back to the church to GET MARRIED!
After the beautiful ceremony with some super-sweet vows, we skipped on over to the Peoria Riverfront for a few more shots before sunset. Oh, by the way, Nikki Erin Films was with us every step of the way doing video. She’s a rockstar and produces amazing work.
The reception was at Alexander’s Steakhouse in Peoria and, on top of some amazing food, the party was so special and alive! I can’t thank Chelsea and Mason enough for trusting us with their wedding day, and if a full-blown event is soon to come with tons of lovely folks, know that we’ll be there to capture that, too.
Be warned, there are a lot of smiles below… 👇
Need some photos of your own? I can help!
Kaitlyn + Trey - Peoria, Illinois Engagement Session
Check out Kaitlyn and Trey’s chilly Peoria, IL engagement session at Laura Bradley Park! Also, read within for a secret, bonus blog post about how to survive these wintry engagement sessions…
Engagement Session at Laura Bradley Park in Peoria, Illinois
We had a blast running around Bradley Park in Peoria, and I couldn’t be happier for Kaitlyn and Trey! I went to high school with Kaitlyn and we sang in our school’s Madrigal choir together, so we go way back! Currently, Kaitlyn and Trey own and run a totally awesome pizza restaurant called 460 Pizza. If you’re in the Peoria area, check them out!
As if they couldn’t get any cooler, they were troopers throughout this entire session. It was 25°F, after all! This leads us right into the sub-blog, or, the blog within the blog, if you will. How to survive a sub-freezing engagement session!
Tips For Surviving Your Chilly Engagement Session
Hot Hands! You know, those little bags of mobile hand, saving heat? Use them, love them, keep them on your person. I picked up about 20 packs of them the morning of this session, and they were a WELCOME addition to those moments when we were walking from place to place. To all my future clients, I got you covered!!!
Donuts! They don’t keep you warm, and they may freeze by the end of the session, but they still taste good and I got a dozen for the three of us as treats after the shoot. We had leftovers, and I ate so many!
Easy-on, easy-off jackets! Dress warm enough under the jacket that you won’t freeze to death, but choose a jacket with a zipper rather than buttons. Throw some hot hands in the interior pockets, and with a quick zip, you’ll be on a train to warm-town in seconds. We laugh in the face of hypothermia!
Coffee. Useful for your sanity on any normal day, useful for keeping yourself warm during a sub-freezing engagement session. This one is a no-brainer.
And there you have it! Scroll on down and enjoy a few of my favorites from Kaitlyn and Trey’s session!
Thanks for reading! Do you or does someone you know need some pics taken? Let me know!