Chicago's First Lady Cruise Wedding

When we got an email in early July asking if we’d be available to shoot a non-traditional, intimate wedding on a boat in downtown Chicago in the next few weeks, we couldn’t believe our luck that we had that particular evening available in the midst of our crazy summer schedule—and that it was Annicka and Jef who were asking. We’ve all followed each other virtually for the past several years on social media, and Jeff had the pleasure of meeting them in person at a bike race a few years back (if you didn’t know, Annicka and Jef are both kind of a big deal in the bike world). So to have the opportunity to document one of their most important days was truly an honor. As an added bonus, the weather ended up being the nicest it had been all summer to make for a textbook perfect Chicago evening. If stars really could align, this day really was it.

While everything magically came together for us to be able to document their big day, just like life, wedding days usually come with some curve balls. And boy did these two experience some major ones. After a couple ear-splitting mic checks, our 100-foot boat nearly crashing into another when the captain was forced to take some evasive maneuvers to avoid killing some reckless kayakers, plus a few hecklers from the cheap seats at Dick’s Last Resort, these two shared some beautiful vows to each other in front of family, friends and anyone within earshot of the Chicago Riverwalk. While any one of those hiccups would make any bride and groom stressed to the max, Annicka and Jef remained incredibly calm, grounded and gracious—and rolled with every punch (or wave) that came at them. The rest of their evening went even better than they planned: they shared their first kiss near the Lake Street Bridge, ate delicious tacos, and danced the night away on a gorgeous Chicago summer evening. Oh, and there were fireworks. Can you really plan a wedding better than that?

The internet can be a really dark place but it can also bring so much light. Without it we would have never met this lovely couple who are even more authentic, kind and amazing in person than their already pretty awesome online selves.

Educations in Hair Event: A Day on Bourbon Street

Imagine you're in the middle of planning your biggest event ever and after all of the details go out to more than 300 attendees there's a last minute venue change. And on top of that logistical nightmare, you’re already teaching on stage in front of hundreds of people while showing difficult hair demonstrations with a giant spotlight shining down on you. Not to mention your calendar leading up to this event is booked full with your regular hair clients, your other continuing education courses you’re teaching, your two kids and all of their summer activities, your four energetic rescue dogs with their needs, and — you know — you’re also attempting to have a life while you run and promote many other businesses in your industry. Yeah, talk about stress. Say it with us now: Girl Boss Mode.

Normally dark venues with zero options for natural light would have given us hives. But when Amanda's longtime hair stylist and friend Katie asked us to capture moments of her largest attended Educations in Hair show to date in the New Orleans Ballroom in Pheasant Run Resort we jumped at the chance (but knowing there would at least be that giant spotlight sure helped). There were times we had to get extra creative, like when we had to climb behind stage to sneak a few shots of the crowd through open curtains, but it was such a fun morning that flew by.

Katie has been in the hair industry for more than 15 years and is a true inspiration and leader in her field. Her passion for teaching and helping others was evident the moment people started to line up to check in. She greeted everyone with a warm smile and didn't let the stress of the day get to her at all. Not many people could hold it all together while trying to keep each attendee entertained. It's no wonder her shows sell out the way they do. This is just the beginning. We can't wait to see what she does next.