One of my favorite parts of a wedding day is seeing a bride's dress for the first time and getting the chance to swoon over it during portraits. So when Jill Fager of J.M. Fager contacted me to help her take bridal portraits for Bridal Boutique by New Name I was over the moon with excitement! Not only would I get to capture gorgeous gowns, but I'd also get to help support an amazing nonprofit that sells wedding dresses at a discounted rate and then one hundred perfect of its proceeds go towards helping exploited women. How amazing is that?!

Many talented women came together to make this shoot happen (see below!), and I am so honored to have been apart of this incredible team.

Organization - Bridal Boutique by New Name

Makeup Artist - Ashley LaHood

Hair - Unwana Rose

Studio - Mingo Gallery

Models - Geneva, Dana, Tamara & Jenna

Photographers - J.M. Fager & Erika Mattingly Photography

ALSO - On May 5th there will be a New Name Bridal Boutique Sale and Dress Drive! If you're in need of a dress be sure to stop by, friends!!

Featured

Rodseth Family || Gabis Aboretum Valparaiso, IN Maternity & Family Session

Meeker Family || Sunset Hill Farm Valparaiso, IN Family Session

Buchelt Family || Valparaiso, IN Extended Family Session

Kristen + Brady || Goldberry Woods Union Pier, MI Wedding

Stefanie + Adam || County Line Orchard Hobart, IN Wedding

Jillian + Kent || Loyola Beach Engagement SessionChicago, IL

Hana + Chris || Millennium Park + Union Station Wedding

Rebecca + John || Salvatore's Restaurant Intimate Wedding Chicago, IL

Faith + Dan || Lincoln Park Chicago, IL Engagement Session

Shelly + Wyatt || Indiana Dunes National Park Elopement

Rob + Nora || Chicago, IL Virtual Apartment Elopement

Kate + Paul || The University of Chicago Wedding

Shelly + Wyatt || Indiana Dunes National Park Engagement Session

Anna + Quinn || Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool Chicago, IL Wedding

Caitlin + Michael || The Haley Mansion Joliet, IL Wedding

Kylie + Joe || Hans Fahden Vineyards Napa, CA Wedding

Haley + Vincent || Friendship Botanic Gardens Michigan City, IN Wedding

Jordan + Joe || Homewood, IL Backyard Wedding

Katie + Taha || Deer Path Inn Lake Forest, IL Wedding

Erica + Derek || City Winery Chicago, IL Wedding

Lacey + Tyler || Northfork Farm Oswego, IL Wedding

Kristin + Pavel || Newberry Library Chicago, IL Wedding

Sarah + Mike || A New Leaf Chicago, IL Wedding

Haley + Vince || Garfield Park Conservatory Chicago, IL Engagement Session

Jen + Patrick || Chicago, IL Block Party Wedding

Jackelyn + Peter || Chicago, IL Engagement Session

Lacey + Tyler || Bemis Woods South Western Springs, IL Winter Engagement Session

Mary + Sean || Thalia Hall Chicago Wedding

Sarah + Mike || Fullerton Beach Chicago, IL Engagement Session

Ashton + Dan || Valparaiso, IN Backyard Wedding

Shoots with Sweet Melissa Desserts are too good. She seriously makes the most incredible desserts and I just love the way she incorporates inspiration from her grandmother throughout her business. For instance, the bundt cake [pictured below] was her grandmother's recipe and she still even has her grandmother's cake server to go with it!

For this shoot, Melissa and I worked on capturing all her new branding materials and some new treats to her shop... I'll let you in on a little secret - her snickerdoodle cookies are the best I've ever tasted. Seriously. You need to give them a try.

SPOILER ALERT - there's a little surprise towards the end of this blog post.

So my husband, Brandon Mattingly, decided to tag along on this shoot and film some behind the scenes. Here's a little video to see what the shoot look liked. Enjoy!