Tim Tab's Blog

Timothée & Hélène, Engaged in Paris FRANCE

TimTab — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:58:21 +0000

I met Timothée the summer I was 19. I was a counselor at a camp in the French Alps and he was a camper. Flash forward seven years and I was surprised to find an email from him asking us to shoot his wedding this summer in Provence, France! There was much whooping and hollering, followed by a happy dance. And then, more good news! We found out Timothée and Hélène would be in Paris at the same time Bethany and I were there and they had time for an engagement shoot! Timothée’s favorite Parisian landmark is the Notre Dame Cathedral, so we had to start there.

As you can tell by the photos, Timothée is completely captured by Hélène. Their university studies and new jobs have forced them to be long-distance for the last few years, so they couldn’t be more excited to get married and be close to one another again. We are so happy for them.

Josh & Alison married in Hobart, IN

TimTab — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 22:07:04 +0000

Josh and Alison’s wedding at the County Line Orchard was marked by its warmth, love, ingenuity, hilarity, whimsical style, and mold-breaking mantra. Their ceremony was personally crafted just for them and officiated by one of their dearest friends. They chose their wedding parties based upon closeness in friendship rather than gender. Alison spent months lovingly crafting her wedding decor, making every single flower used in the ceremony and reception by hand. She and her mom wore matching shoes. Josh was hilarious all day long, his energy infectious. The dance party lasted for four non-stop hours as their friends seriously broke it down to arguably the best playlist we’ve heard in a very long time.

We drove away from this wedding feeling incredibly lucky and grateful to have been chosen to capture it in photos. Alison and Josh, we can’t thank you enough for including us in your wedding day.

Paul & Amanda had a baby

TimTab — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 17:26:45 +0000

Bethany and I are thrilled to be an aunt and uncle for the first time. We were all so sure it was going to be a boy, but after 36 hours of agonizing labor Zaylee was born a girl and she proved us wrong. We can’t wait to watch her grow and thrive, and we’re so proud of Paul and Amanda for already being amazing parents to her.

Here are some stills from the day she was born:

Welcome to life on earth, sweet Zaylee. We’re so glad you are here.

We went to France

TimTab — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 20:05:10 +0000

Ever since I moved to the United States for college when I was 18, I’ve never missed a Christmas back at home in Grenoble, France with my family. This time, after the holidays, Bethany and I took the high speed TGV train up to Paris for a little lover’s getaway. Here are the pictures:

Even though we brought one of our Canon 5D Mark II’s with us to the city, we found it was much more fun shooting with our iPhones instead. We found that our big camera was too bulky to use for street photography and so expensive-looking that it made us immediate targets for thieves, which are very common in Paris.

We edited all of these in our iPhones using a combination of Camera+, Cameramatic, CrossProcess and Instagram.

Anthony & Alex, Engaged at Salvage One

TimTab — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 06:00:40 +0000

Anthony and Alex are kind. They are genuine and happy and their eyes get soft when they look at each other. They are handsome and beautiful, they have great style and better dance moves. They laugh easily and have a light that comes from the inside. If you can’t tell yet, we really, really like Anthony and Alex. We like them so much that it’s killing us that we can’t shoot their wedding this coming June because we were already booked for their day when they found us. Instead of calling off the whole deal, they asked if we could just do their engagement pictures instead, which we were thrilled to do. They picked Salvage One in Chicago for their indoor engagement session, which worked out beautifully.

Anthony and Alex; we wish you all the best for your wedding and new life together. Please, PLEASE call us again when you have babies or anniversaries or something. We loved being your photographers.

Nate & Cara Married in Napa Valley, CA

TimTab — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:00:57 +0000

Nate and Cara are a Chicago couple who chose a destination wedding in Napa Valley. Cara’s keen eye for excellence in design and love for florals is displayed throughout their wedding decor. Eighty-some guests traveled from Chicago to California to bask in sunlight, drink good wine, dance to incredible music, and celebrate two best friends unite their lives in marriage.

This wedding was awe-inspiring in so many ways, and we were truly honored to capture it.

Cara’s bridesmaids were awesome. Here they are practicing where to hold their bouquets to avoid the microphone effect during the ceremony.

Cara’s sisters were so happy for her and helpful throughout the wedding day. Their special relationship was evident during many different moments, especially this one.

Remember Mike and Lindsay? They recently got married at the Art Institute of Chicago. We love seeing our previous clients at weddings!

Cara’s father delivered a poignant, deeply meaningful, and humorous speech affirming Cara and Nate’s new marriage.

The sisters of the bride share a laugh during their hilarious maid of honor speech.

Venue: Calistoga Ranch
Reception Band: Keith Johnson All-Stars
Florist: Valley Flora
Hair/Makeup team: It’s A Date
Ceremony strings duo: Joyce Lee
Wedding gown: Vera Wang
Wedding shoes: Jimmy Choo
Bridesmaid dresses: J. Crew
Groomsmen’s suits: J. Crew

Seth, Chrissy and baby Lucas in Dekalb, IL

TimTab — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:36:19 +0000

Last spring I had the opportunity to take pictures for our friends Chrissy and Seth and their awesome little guy Lucas. We shot around their neighborhood for a bit and then we went to a nearby forest preserve to get some shots of just Chrissy for her photography website.

Lindsay & Mike Married at the Art Institute of Chicago

TimTab — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 11:42:32 +0000

These two are college sweethearts and still so in love; this much was evident during their beautiful wedding day.

They got ready with their best friends and closest family at the Wit Hotel before heading to the Art Institute of Chicago for their ceremony. This incredible venue allowed for uncrowded bridal portraits on the bridge to Millenium Park with the Chicago skyline in the background, a true rarity and gem for us. They then had their cocktail hour in the McKinlock Court and their reception in the historic reconstructed Chicago Stock Exchange Trading Room. The bridesmaids donned Michigan Blue gowns and the groomsmen were given University of Michigan emblem cuff links in honor of the couple’s Alma Mater. They even had the Michigan fight song played at their reception, which generated a fantastic energy and enthusiasm from all their college friends.

It was an amazing day with wonderful people spent in spaces that are so very poignant to Chicago. Here’s the story of Mike and Lindsay’s wedding day:

We’d like to acknowledged some of the talented vendors who helped make this wedding possible:

Imagine Events - Wedding Coordination
White Lake Quartet - Strings Quartet
Style Matters DJ’s
Angela Makeup Chicago – Hair & Makeup team
Badgley Mischka from Ultimate Bride – Lindsay’s wedding dress

Jon & Sam Engaged in Evanston, IL

TimTab — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 10:09:38 +0000

Jon and Sam are a couple of best friends who grew up down the street from each other, back when Sam was a tomboy.

As it often happens, friends turn into lovers and they got married this November. But before they got married, I got to meet them on the Shore of Lake Michigan in Evanston and get to know them a bit better. These two are so fun: they love to laugh, they love their family, and they love each other. So much.

Sam should teach smiling lessons.

And, because I can’t resist, here’s just a little teaser of their wedding. Night photography makes our world go ’round.

A little plug for engagement shoots: we are now offering them complementary with every wedding package because we think they are really important. The engagement shoot is the perfect time for us to get to know all your best angles and for you to get comfortable with us taking your picture. It makes a huge difference when the wedding day rolls around. Take advantage!

Carlos & Megan Married in Thousand Oaks, CA

TimTab — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 18:26:09 +0000

Shooting this wedding felt like going to see family for Bethany and I. Megan is one of four siblings in her family, and I’ve had the honor of photographing three of their weddings. They treated us like honored guests, and we were really blessed by that.

Now, about Carlos and Megan; they are a couple of winners. This wedding is a true example of the kind of happiness and celebration that bursts forth effortlessly from a couple who loves each other selflessly and cannot wait to be married. Megan approached her DIY wedding with all hope, optimism, and joy to start her life with Carlos. One thing Bethany really appreciated was how Megan let her loved ones help her and celebrate her. The cook, officiant, hairstylist, florist, DJ, decorator, and owner of the Ruby Ranch wedding venue were all friends of the family who gave their best talents to make the wedding beautiful. I, for one, appreciated the delicious home-made wedding cake and Intelligentsia coffee :)

This day was marked by an outpouring of love and joy. I hope you see it in the pictures.