Real Wedding

Facebook Real Wedding Contest Winners | Amanda & Brian

We asked our past brides via Facebook to upload their favorite portrait from their wedding and other Bella brides and fans would vote for their favorite. Congratulations to Amanda and Brian who are our August winners. Their beautiful wedding is featured below!

The Story of Amanda & Brian

How they met: They first met each other in college. Brian was an upper classman who convinced Amanda that he needed help with his Music Theory homework. "Little did I know that he was a master at Music Theory and was just trying to convince me into him taking me out on a date!"

The proposal: Brian proposed to Amanda at U.S. Cellular Field/White Sox stadium during batting practice before a home game. Amanda was told that they were going to be taking a picture with the team at home plate, but the White Sox team was waiting for Brian to get down on one knee and propose to her! "I was completely SURPRISED! My parents and close friends were at the game to support us with 'Just Engaged' posters. The excitement continued throughout the day when Brian surprised me with an engagement party with all of our close friends and family in the city!"

 
The Wedding:  They celebrated with 215 guests at the Fountain Blue outside of Chicago. "Fountain Blue  was perfect for our elegant yet classy wedding! Our venue had a beautiful garden and fountain for great pictures and cocktail hour along with a luxurious grand ballroom for dinner and dancing! The food was plentiful and absolutely delicious! Guests especially loved the sweets table!"

 
On Bella Pictures: "Bella took great care of us and our needs. We had a great experience working with our photographer! He went above and beyond to capture every precious moment of our day!!! We were looking for a photographer who would capture both traditional photos and photojournalistic photos and Bella was able to match us up with the perfect photographer! Our wedding turned out to be above and beyond what we had both every expected! We would like to thank our parents, family, and friends and especially Bella for our lasting memories!"

Funny story about the wedding day: "One of the many highlights of our wedding day was when both the father of the bride and the father of the groom decided to celebrate our marriage and the Fourth of July by lighting off fireworks inside the reception hall. Their festivities were shortened when security had to step in and extinguish the firework show. Despite the mini firework show, guests continued to dance and celebrate the night away!!!"

Real Wedding in Chicago, IL | Samantha & Tom

Samantha and Tom had a summer wedding in a town outside of Chicago, Illinois where their beloved dog was a part of the ceremony! They were married at Lewis University and had their reception at a gorgeous mansion. Check out some great locations to have your wedding or reception in the suburbs of Chicago!

Facebook Real Wedding Contest Winners | Jamie & Matt

We asked our past brides via Facebook to upload their favorite portrait from their wedding and other Bella brides and fans would vote for their favorite. Congratulations to Jamie and Matt who are our June winners. Their beautiful wedding is featured below!

The Story of Jamie & Matt

How they met: Jamie and Matt met in college at a weight training class that they had both randomly signed up for. "Matt tells everyone I gazed into his eyes the first time I saw him!"

The proposal: Matt proposed to Jamie in their home they had bought together during Easter weekend. "It was perfect because we had all weekend to celebrate with friends and family"

The Wedding:  They had a very intimate wedding (only 85 guests!) at a gorgeous castle which had always been one of Jamie's dreams! "Our wedding day was perfect!  It called for rain all day but luckily, the weather held out as most of our plans were outside!  It rained for about ten minutes during the reception just for good luck"

On Bella Pictures: "Working with Bella was absolutely perfect!  I can't even tell you how many compliments we got about our photographer that day.  He was fabulous to work with!  We love our photographs so much and couldn't be happier :)"

Funny story about the wedding day: "Our ceremony was short and sweet.  I thought I would cry more than I did but as soon as I saw Matt I was nothing but perfectly happy.  I only choked up once, right before I said for richer or poorer.  Matt told me he thought I just didn't want to say poorer!"

Real Wedding in Philadelphia, PA | Lauren & Ken

Lauren and Ken had a traditional and romantic wedding in Philadelphia, PA! They opted to have their ceremony in a cathedral and chose the great city of "Philly" as their back drop for their wedding portraits. Check out our planning section to find out some great places to go for your wedding portrait photography in Philadelphia!