I never thought I'd say the words "cornhole toss" along with bride and groom, but there is a first for everything. The above shot is from an outdoor reception in Villa Park, Illinois. You may have seen the sneak peek a few weeks back. Stephanie and Jordan are online gamers and this is how they met. A very unique courtship has led to their very fun, intimate family wedding. Family members from the Great West and the West Coast attended the nuptials as well as friends from the Illinois area.

This intimate family wedding had Stephanie getting ready at the church she would marry Jordan - Griffith Lutheran on Broad St.

Here is a close up of Stephanie's beautiful dress...

One thing I noticed about this couple was the "let's do this" attitude. They were not nervous up on the altar at all. I thought it was great that the priest mentioned their unique meeting as online gamers.

Although my eyes are usually on the bride and groom and ceremony up on the altar, a longer proceeding with a mass often gives me time to capture candids like these two cute kids...

Then, from the little girl giving her friend a quick kiss we turn to the bride and groom and their first kiss as man and wife. Congratulations!!

Right after the ceremony we had the couple pose for some formals at the altar along with their best man and maid of honor....

We then trekked out to Villa Park, Illinois to a beautiful park tailor made for wedding pictures. This sun kissed summer embrace is one of the couple's favorites...

My pick for favorite couple's picture is what I call the "leaning kiss"....

Strolling around the park, we came across the fountain of love. Don't worry, I tested this ledge out before putting our bride and groom up on the pedestal...

- click image to enlarge -

Here is the one I believe the bride and groom coveted the most. Gotta love the little nose nudge kiss!!

After our formal session, it was all candids at their outdoor reception. Hey, if a cute kid jumps in a tree, better grab the camera...

I'd now like to introduce my youngest assistant...

A big thank you to Stephanie's mom Sue for giving me a heads up on the day's festivities and the changes that happened throughout the day. She was a big help in coordinating and making my job easier and thus enabling me to capture the day effectively. I hope she enjoyed the champagne on ice...

When Stephanie and Jordan revealed their love of the Chicago Bears, along with wedding veil and bouquet - my zoom lens was smiling about as broad as I was. I sense a winning season around the corner.