matthew whitlock | photography

Seniors!

Seniors aren't a subject I photograph very often, but after how great Tiffany's portrait session went in November, I'd definitely love to shoot some more. Click here for the full gallery!

 

Katie & Jack's Wedding at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart

What a BEAUTIFUL day. So far as wedding days in November in South Bend go, the weather for Katie & Jack was as near to perfect as a photographer could imagine. Everyone was happy and joyus, and the fact that their wedding ceremony was at 9am didn't seem to bother anyone - it was wonderful to be surrounded by so many people, and all of them wishing Katie & Jack a joyous and wonderful start to their new lives together. 

Thanks to the Zakas family, the Rutledge Family and all of their friends for making me a part of their very special day!

Here's the link for their teaser slideshow; And be sure to register for the Full Gallery!

Lexie & Michael's wedding day at the University of Notre Dame

I'll freely admit - I'm biased towards the month of October when it comes to weddings. I love the fall color, the crisp weather and the beautiful Indiana blue sky. I got married in October myself for just those reasons!

Knowing that, it should come as no wonder at all that I had an amazing time today capturing Lexie & Michael's wedding day at the University of Notre Dame. When the fall colors hit the campus, Notre Dame is hands down one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

Check out the teaser slideshow and be sure to register for the full gallery!

Ceremony: Basilica of the Sacred Heart
Reception: South Dining Hall, Notre Dame
Flowers: Yellow Rose Florist
Entertainment: In-Tune DJ Service 
Catering & Cake: Catering by Design

Sarah & Josh's Wedding Day at the Elcona Country Club in Bristol, IN

It rained all week here in South Bend. It rained every day this week, it was miserable and cold, overcast and grey. Until today. As Sarah's Maid of Honor put it, we had a crystal blue sky - and she was dead on. I couldn't have had a better couple than Sarah & Josh to kick off my favorite wedding month of the year (I'll admit I'm partial - I got married in October myself)! Thank you so much for making me a part of your wedding day!

Click here for Sarah & Josh's Preview Slideshow and be sure to register for the full gallery!

Ceremony & Reception: Elcona Country Club
Entertainment: Event Audio DJ
Flowers/Decor: Poppie's Flowers
Cake: Adam's Cake Shoppe

Kim & Chris's Notre Dame Wedding Day with Reception at the Gillespie Center

It's easy to let foul weather get you down, and I certainly wouldn't have blamed Kim & Chris if they'd let the rainy day in South Bend put a damper on their wedding day mood, but they choose to look on the bright side and had a wonderful wedding day. I'm really excited about all of the great photos I did get in spite of the weather:

Thanks for making Matthew Whitlock Photography a part of your day! Be sure to take a look at the wedding day slideshow and register for the full gallery!

Wedding: Basilica of the Sacred Heart
Reception: Gillespie Center at the Hilton Garden Inn
Flowers: Polly McCarthy "Poppies"
Filmmakers: Avid Videographers
Transportation: Royal Excursions Limo Service
Photobooth: Mod Photobooth

Wedding Day Ruminations

I've been photographing weddings now for nearly 9 years, and some days it still awes me the ammount of time, effort, planning and coordination that goes in to planning a wedding day.

There are so many moving parts to a wedding day: Photographers, Lodging, Entertainment, Decor, Flowers, Cake, Food, Ceremony venue...the list goes on and on and on. And since planning my own wedding nearly 8 years ago I've gained an immense appreciation into the skill it takes to pull off a succesful event.

With the knowledge of just how much has to be coordinated, occasionally I will step back in awe that all of the involved vendors actually show up and fulfill their promises. Please don't take any of this to mean that I expect any of the awesome people I'm privledged to work with week  and week out wouldn't deliver exactly what they've promised (and in most cases we ALL do our best to go above and beyone for our customers); it just amazes me that everyone showes up. 

And in the end, we're all doing it for you. I understand that this is our job, but we all take it very seriously. We know how important your wedding day is and we want to make sure that we can in some way contribute to making your day more memorable, more joyous. It amazes me that so many people are willing, nae, WANT to put in that little extra bit in order to make your day truly special. 

In the end, I suppose it's a bit humbling. 

This rambling rumination started out as a reflection on how astonished I am at how a wedding day comes toghter and it seems that it's transformed into a thank-you. To all of my Brides and Grooms over the last 8 years: Thank You. Thank you for your trust, your faith and your willingness to include me in the collection of other amazing people entrusted with making your wedding day awesome. It's been a blast. 

To my future Brides & Grooms: Thank you for putting your faith in me - I can't wait to work with the awesome collection of people you've to insure your wedding days are amongst the best days of your lives.  :)

Shelly & Glen's Wedding at the Battel Rock Garden in Mishawaka, IN

Shelly was a VERY nervous bride this morning, which makes it SO awesome that she chose Eric at Emerald Cut as her Hair & Makeup person this morning. Eric is amazing at getting a Bride to relax, and over the course of her appointment, I watched Shelly relax and begin to enjoy her day. When that happens, I get photos like this:

Shelly & Glen: Thank you SO much for making me a part of your incredibly beautiful and special day. I can't wait to get to work on your photos!

Until they're ready, you can check out their teaser slideshow and register for a discount on photo orders from the final gallery!

Quiet Couple of Weeks

It's been a quiet couple of weeks here at the Studio, but I'm back to shooting today for Shelly & Glen's wedding. We couldn't have better weather here in Michiana for an outdoor wedding and I'm super excited to get out to Battel Park for their wedding ceremony!