Chicago area wedding photography by Rachel and Jeff Owen.

#1 Wedding Regret It’s hard to know what areas of your wedding you want to go all out with and what things you can do without. There is one thing brides regret not getting for the wedding above all else: not hiring a videographer. When you see your dad cry and tell you how much…

Six Things You Can Do To Get The Most Out Of Your Wedding Vendors If you’re going to tip, tip early.  It’s standard to tip someone at the end of the job based on how well they did, but if you want the most from your wedding vendors then tip early in the day. Tips…

Jeff and I were lucky enough to photograph Dimitrius’s epic proposal to his new fianceè Tyler.  He teamed up with the amazing team at Creative Ice Theatre to pull it off.  See the whole story below. Tyler is in the middle; she thinks she’s having a group skating lesson. Ralph is in the blue sweater.  She’s…

  What To Expect At Your Glamour/Boudoir Shoot Start To Finish So here’s the breakdown: 1. We’ll do a pre-shoot consultation either in-studio or over the phone. This gives us a chance to talk about outfits, the overall styling, and preparation for your shoot. You’ll also get to see the studio, props/backgrounds, meet me and…

So I just found this music video, and I now believe Trace Adkins is my spirit animal. Can you relate to the woman in this video? Hair and a bun with an oversized shirt and yoga pants every day? Her husband (and others who love her) still see a side of her she can’t see…

9 Things You Wanted To Know About Boudoir, But Were Too Afraid To Ask It’s Pronounced Boo-Dwar Pronounced bood-wa in French the translation and means bedroom. It’s Really Not That Intimidating “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I actually felt really comfortable.” I hear this after every shoot. Corrective lighting and…

The 6 Greatest Piece of Advice You’ll Wish You’d Read Before the Wedding Your Groom May Give You Jewelry The Day of the Wedding This doesn’t sound like a big deal, until you realize is probably excited to see you to wear it down the aisle. Make sure your groom knows you’ve spent time selecting…

Unique Reception Ideas Dueling Pianos Bands and Djs are great, but if you want to wow your guests think outside the box. Dueling Pianos are interactive and a sure way to get everyone up and having a good time. http://www.felixandfingers.com/ Aerial Champagne Chandelier If you’re going to pour champagne why not pour it from the…

If you’ve been doing a little research on boudoir or glamour photography you might find it’s more expensive than you thought. Anytime a product is created for one person and cannot be sold again, you can expect to pay more than the mass products you find on department store shelves. The average eight hours of…

TRUE BEAUTY Lately I’ve been having this conversation about self-esteem with many women. Why as women are we so fixated on our appearance? If I had to take a guess, I would say it’s probably because men are such visual creatures. It is said that when a woman walks into a room, she will judge…

5 Tips To Really Enjoy Your Wedding Day Don’t Get Too Much Of A Plan In Your Head I couldn’t look at my wedding photos for six months after my wedding. If you’re reading this, it’s likely you’ve met me and seen my wedding photos; and they are beautiful! I realize that now, but for…

Unique Reception Ideas Dueling Pianos Bands and Djs are great, but if you want to wow your guests think outside the box. Dueling Pianos are interactive and a sure way to get everyone up and having a good time. Click here   Aerial Champagne Chandelier If you’re going to pour champagne why not poor it…

   As women, we tend to fixate on our imperfections and miss the good stuff.  With a photoshoot at J.R. Owen & Co. I will find your true beauty and show it back to you in photographs that will someday become one of the most priceless things you own.     This beautiful mama-to-be came…

As we come to the close of another year I’m looking forward to all 2017 has yet to be accomplished. My goal is to blog weekly whether or not it’s the next start of an epic novel or thought provoking ideas that will change the world. Just get my thoughts out; get something written. So…

Eight Things You Should Look For When Selecting A Boudoir Photographer You don’t want to be photographed by some creepy guy in his basement. 1. Know the location.  It’s safest to choose a studio with a storefront location. Boudoir photo-shoots in a home or hotel can be shady unless you personally know the photographer. 2. Choose…

When Disaster Strikes Although this title might be a little dramatic it’s likely that your wedding day won’t go 100% to plan no matter how hard you work at it. In our years of wedding photography we’ve seen: hotel shuttle took the out of town guests (most of the guest list) to the wrong reception…

Too Nervous For A Boudoir Shoot? Then Glamour May Be Right For You What is a glamour shoot? Glamour is actually a very similar type of photo-shoot, just not in lingerie. The pose and expressions can still be sexy but in your favorite jeans or gorgeous gown. Often our clients opt for a glamour shoot…

I’m Going To Do A Boudoir Shoot, But I Need To Lose 20lbs First Here are 5 reasons not to wait for your goal weight: I can take off 20lbs just in the way I pose you. Let’s face it, you’ll probably just lose it in your boobs anyway. The hour glass ratio is soooo…

Professional vs Hobbyist There are two things I hear from couples that make me cringe–two choices I know the couple will, without a doubt, regret after the wedding. The first is, “Our friend is a DJ.” A DJ is the single factor that will make or break your reception. Have a bad or inexperienced DJ…