Today we’d like to introduce you to Aileen and Ed Ciesielski.
Their story is a long one!! But hey, that’s what happens when you grow up together. They started dating in high school in 2002, and even back then, they were always into photography. They worked 5-6 years in family portrait studios during undergrad and post-graduate. Eventually, though, they both made their way into more corporate fields.
By 2011, Aileen became a corporate attorney, and Ed was an e-commerce manager. They hated their jobs but didn’t really think they could get out. They were married in 2014 in their beautiful hometown of Chicago. And over their honeymoon, they kept hogging the camera!! They must have taken over 8,000 photos, haha! They definitely took this as a sign because from the minute they got back to Chicago, they started thinking of things to do to make photography more prominent in their lives. So in March 2015, Ed & Aileen Photography was born! They had no idea just how happy working together and being able to grow this business would make them. And within six months, they both quit their corporate jobs, and haven’t looked back since!
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Honestly, one of the biggest hurdles has been learning to not let work take over our lives. Being a husband and wife team is absolutely amazing, but it creates difficulties in separating life/work. We can be on a date to the movies or bathing in a hot spring in China, and rather than being in the moment and enjoying each other’s company, we can easily slide right into chatting about workflow or upcoming deadlines. Because of this, we now have boundaries in our home. There are “No Shoptalk Allowed” zones! For example, no chatting about head swaps during dinner and no mentions of bookkeeping while in bed.
Please tell us about Ed & Aileen Photography.
We are Ed and Aileen – a husband and wife wedding photography team based in Chicago, IL. We tell stories in documentary form all over the world, and we believe in the authenticity of a relationship. From the nervous glances to the whirlwind of emotions that occur on a wedding day, we have the privilege of capturing true happiness. Our couples commission us to capture the realness of their love.
We are proud to say that we focus on human interactions rather than the perfect shot of your shoes.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
Aileen: Definitely has to be our regular, everyday family dinners. And when I say “family,” I don’t just mean immediate family. I’m talking about aunts, uncles, and grandparents too! We would all gather around the table every night, telling stories and recapping the events of the day. And the best part was that Ed even got to experience these dinners too!
Ed: Christmas Eve. Hands down. The entire family would gather at my grandparents’ house, and while the adults gathered around the bar, the kids would all sit around the TV, watching old Christmas movies. We would then open gifts by age – I was the oldest of the cousins, so I would always open last!! I remember Aileen’s first Christmas Eve – she was taken aback by the mountain of gifts (there’s a lot of us, lol).
Pricing:
- Most of our couples invest between $4,500 and $6,000.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://edandaileen.com/
- Phone: 872-829-3177
- Email: info@edandaileen.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/edandaileenphotography/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/edandaileen/
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