Prarie Productions Archives - Rife Ponce Photography

Amy and Ryan’s Two Day Wedding

One of the best things about being a photographer is the intimate access to so many different lives! I LOVE that each wedding is unique and special, like Amy and Ryan’s. They split their celebration between two nights; on Friday, on a small sail boat, with the sun setting over lake Michigan, they exchanged their vows. Saturday night, they continued the party at Prairie Production with a rocking band and all their family and friends.

When I first met Amy, we shared dessert at Julius Meinl back in the Fall of 2010. From what she told me then, I knew her wedding would be 1. Lots of Fun (they were bringing in a live band to cover rock songs all night) 2. Full of laughter (Amy has such a great smile) 3. Extra Special because their two-year old daughter would be involved. In the spring, I was able to meet Hailey, a.k.a Dragon, during their engagement/family photo session. She is the best combination of two awesome people, and from the pictures, you’ll see she’s already taking after her Dad’s music skills 🙂

Amy and Ryan are a fun-loving couple who bring everyone together. For example, they made a point of introducing me to all their friends and family (who were great!) and insisted I stay for to hang after I finished shooting pictures. Within a week of her wedding, Amy had already written the nicest review on yelp!

“I used Maggie for both our family/engagement session in February 2011, and also for our wedding ceremony and reception on 8/12-13/11. All I can say is, I could not have found a more talented, hardworking and personable photographer for such an important time in our lives. As an Art Consultant, I was looking for someone who has a good eye with an artistic vision, someone who could capture the moment yet not make anything look posed or staged. She is extremely talented of knowing when to take shots…all our pictures came out beautifully and I don’t even remember having to pose for anything. All of our friends/family absolutely loved having her along for the ride, and I can’t say enough about how wonderful the experience was, and how our photos turned out. She is very quick to respond with requests, and I found that the value of the work she does for her pricepoint is unbeatable. Maggie and her photography truly made our wedding weekend special, and I can’t say enough great things about her work.”

Thank you SO SO much Amy and Ryan! I’m beyond happy for you. Congrats and all the best to you both!

Amy randomly was pulled on stage by an A cappella group. She was a great sport and they even gave her a wedding gift, their CD!

Day 2- On to Prairie Production to celebrate!

Ryan’s sister gave her speech inspired by Flight of the Concords in the form of a Rap. It was AWESOME!

Florist – Jayson Home and Garden (www.jaysonhomeandgarden.com/)

Artwork – Chicago Art Source (www.chicagoartsource.com)

Venue – Prairie Productions (www.prarieproductions.net)

Caterer – Kenmare Catering (www.kenmarecatering.com)

Band – The Breakfast Club (http://www.breakfastclublive.com/)

Dress(es) – Nordstrom Wedding Shop

Shoes – BCBG

Hair – Cortney Tippen at Salon Soca

Stefanie and Andrew- Chicago Wedding at Holy Family Parish and reception at Prairie Production

by Maggie Rife Ponce

Stefanie and Andrew were married at Holy Family Parish in the warm glow of summer’s light coming through gorgeous stain glass windows. At their reception, the white linen tables were covered with center pieces garnished with mint and rosemary and adorned with pictures of the couple from countries across the World. At first glance, guests might have thought these were photoshopped postcards where the couple pasted smiling poses in picturesque scenes from Italy, France, Morocco, South Africa. These images were real though.

The couple met while working at American Airlines, where they spent weekends getting to know each other as they got to know new cultures. In fact, their first date was in PuertaVallarta. Stefanie said, “we spontaneously decided to travel there one weekend with anothercouple. After only four months of dating, we took a week-long trip together toBolivia and Peru, and traveled through the Andes, Lake Titicaca, and Macchu Picchu. It was one of our most amazing experiences together.”

They’ve spent the last four years traveling to over 50 countries! It’s not surprising to hear that Andrew proposed to Stefanie on Ecuador’s foreign soil. The self-described “silly” couple has recently settled into a more stationary routine, though no less remarkable. They each just completed their masters degree from University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. Now they’re both done, I suspect they’ll be back in the air soon enough.

Shout-outs:

Cupcakes: Sweet Mandy B’s

Florist: Asrai Garden

Venue: Prairie Productions

Caterer: Hearty Boys

I’m in love with Stefanie’s flair. She chose white and shades of grey for her wedding colors. These shoes were a nice pop!

Stefanie’s makeup artist is also her close childhood friend. To keep from succumbing to a flood of tears, she uses the “touch the nose” tactic.

Lesley and Zach’s rocking Wedding at Prairie Productions

by Maggie Rife Ponce

Lesley and Zach’s wedding was infused with their personal style and taste. It was mixture of tradition and contemporary flavor. From the heart embellished shoes to the tree stamped ties from etsy.com. Their bridal party was divided into “Team Bride” and “Team Groom” comprised of mixed gender players standing up for the couple.

Speaking of players, did I mention the groom and his mates, the “all star performers,” played with the band on multiple sets throughout the night. What a blast!

Zach and Lesley are such a great couple. A close friend of theirs officiated the ceremony. Over the last years she interviewed family and friends, compiling details, quotes, and tales about the couple. She wrote the most touching and engaging story about how Lesley and Zach’s history and relationship. From that story, their interactions, and the time I spent with Lesley and Zach prior to their wedding, I can sincerely say they have loving, accepting, and inspiring partnership . It was a pleasure to document their day.

Check out the video at the end to see a clip of Zach’s bandmate doing a stellar version of Arcade Fire’s Tunnels