This week we had the pleasure of photographing Chicagoans Bridget, Branden, & their new 6 month old Goldendoodle puppy Wrigley! You may remember these two from their gorgeous Chicago Engagement Session last autumn, but this year these two made the responsible decision to Pandemic reschedule their July 2020 wedding back to July 2021-! These two were so quick to reschedule with Notre Dame and The Morris Inn that they (unlike many of our couples who had to reschedule multiple times since none of us knew what was to come) still got a Saturday in July 2021 for their new wedding date-! At the time of their wedding rescheduling this Spring these two had left their Chicago apartment with their computers to work remotely from Branden’s parents’ house in South Carolina (since it seemed safer than Chicago at the time)-!
Like other couples of ours, these two returned to Chicago in June to continue to Work from Home in their apartment. Just a month later they adopted little Wrigley when she was just a couple months old-! They’ve had her for 4 months now and she is the light of their lives. This sweet girl is even the reason these two decided to have Christmas Portraits taken so that they can send out photo Christmas cards from their little family this year-! Bridget & Branden were our only 2020 Wedding couple that we hadn’t yet gotten to mask up and distance see this year at all (others opting for Summer mini legal weddings or Engagement Sessions prior to their new 2021 rescheduled weddings or even 2020 fall full wedding days), so we were SO excited to see them again for the first time in over a full year AND also get to meet Wrigley! Jenny’s only sibling also has 2 fluffy pups (a Bernedoodle and Wheaten Terrier), so as expected little Wrigley was very light on her feet (unlike our 45 and 55 pound doggos) and extremely soft & fun as every 6 month old pup should be!
On the day that we photographed their Christmas Portrait Session, we met these two (after they drove in from Chicago) around Notre Dame (Bridget’s alma mater) since the final 2020 colorful fall leaves that we had scouted out earlier in the week were right there! Wrigley came dressed in her new Christmas sweater and Bridget & Branden also brought along some fun Christmas sweaters for some photos near the end of their Portrait Session! We all wore our Pandemic masks while walking around and these two only removed their masks for the distanced Portraits we took of them at each spot (masking up while walking to each spot too).
These two told us that Chicago has been fully masked up in public for the past 8 months which we were very impressed by! They also told us all about the Goldendoodle Facebook Groups that they joined and how the community was very welcoming & giving of good advice for pet owners!
We were also very relieved and happy to hear that Bridget & Brandon like us have also not hung out with friends for the past about 8 months of the Pandemic. Their immediate families are also in different parts of the country, so they’ve largely stayed home and worked remotely ever since they returned from Branden’s parents’ home (where they’d also safely worked in South Carolina during the worst of the Chicago Pandemic in the Spring). From looking on Social Media it can seem like so many family and friends are partying with no regard to the Pandemic (while unknowingly spreading Covid-19), but there ARE many of us who have worked HARD to promote safety and who have done our part to show love and compassion by not potentially/ unknowingly passing on a deadly virus. We’re SO thankful to hear these stories of perseverance and love from folks that we know because it makes us feel hopeful as many of us heed the pleas from the medical community.
By the time sunset was rolling in to their Christmas Session and a little drizzle came through, Wrigley was worn out from posing and was ready for bed! As we chatted with Bridget & Branden at our cars, little Wrigley actually fell right to sleep after a very exciting walk and adventures in different Christmas attire & fun leaves and sticks to chase.
We hope that you’ve enjoyed these happy little Family Portraits as we are one week away from Thanksgiving day! Thank you so much to Bridget and Branden for allowing us to capture your first little Christmas Family Portraits in what will be along and happy marriage (after your 2021 wedding)! A HUGE shout out to couples and families like Bridget & Branden who have also given their BEST all year refraining from friend hangs and largely staying at home and working. It does NOT go unnoticed when you all lovingly put the health of our citizens and nation first above having fun unmasked in public! May we all make it through these difficult times to safer times hopefully sometime in 2021-! We SO look forward to seeing so many loved ones and couples once things have reached safer/ non-Pandemic times.
Unrelated/ Semi Related:
Though this year might be a bit lonely and weird for a lot of us celebrating Thanksgiving next week with far fewer family members (just our dogs, cat, and each other) than the normal 40 or 50 family members or Friendsgivings, just remember that you’re actually being very loving by trying to keep everyone safe. One Notre Dame alum in the Spring was chatting with us via video chat this year and as her dad put it: “What a gift to give your loved ones!” i.e. the gift of life and safety by refraining from events. That sentiment has really stuck with us over the past 8 months as we have worn medical grade N95 masks to photograph our clients, have seen a friend couple of ours once, and have only seen a few immediate family members back in July & August. We deeply miss our siblings, their pets, and parents, but for now we will stay committed to keeping our loved ones as well as strangers safe.
**** It DOES go noticed when folks blatantly forego responsibility and love and instead selfishly party. We all notice and we are all hurt that the inaction and lack of precautions and unaccountability by most people that has drawn out the situation we are still in. We just want to get out of this mass of deaths and we need EVERYONE’S teamwork to do so. (We’re looking at YOU!) Please make the RESPONSIBLE and LOVING decisions this year to forego meeting with other HOUSEHOLDS this Thanksgiving and Christmas. To do otherwise shows your privilege and absolute apathy about your health and the health of everyone in our nation. Thank you to those doing their part- we feel the strength and support you exude and you’ve kept this nation moving for the past 8 months! If we all work together, maybe next year we can all come together and celebrate. Until then, please do you best to stay safe and keep those around you safe as well.