Carissa Mennen, photographer

Name: Carissa Mennen, photographer
Address: Bloomington, IL, US
Telephone: +17792005132
Price range: $$$

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Bloomington, IL
Carissa Mennen, photographer

• Serving my clients the way I’d want to be served • Fiercely committed to beauty AND honesty • Jesus above all • IL based but you can take me anywhere

05/19/2026

Put a finger down if you’re a serious adrenaline ju**ie and you used to get your thrills from skydiving or hiking angels landing but now you’re a mom and it feels irresponsible to do those things so instead, you get your hit from photographing people’s sacred once in a lifetime moments that can never be replaced and never be redone.

Just me?

Seriously though, this proposal at the Rookery had my heart beating out of my chest, but we pulled it off and she was shocked and I cried because the moment was just so friggin beautiful 🥰

04/27/2026

Wedding season started on Saturday and per usual this season’s lineup is going to be chock full of the BEST couples with the coolest celebrations. Grateful every day for this job 😍

keywords: Chicago wedding photographer, engagement photography, romantic couple portraits, dreamy wedding photography

02/28/2026

story time: when I was 4, I used to sell my crayon leaf rubbings to my parents’ dinner guests for 10 cents each.

when I was 10, I started a homemade bread delivery service in our neighborhood. I only ever had 2 regular customers but I did have business cards and inventory and a marketing plan.

when I look back on those early business adventures, I definitely cringe a little 🙈 but I’m also so grateful to my parents for letting me play around with entrepreneurship in a safe, low-stakes environment. even though it probably seemed silly to them at the time, those early days were such a valuable training ground for what I’m doing today. I got really familiar with tracking income and expenses, doing market research, and—maybe most importantly—experiencing the joy of brightening someone’s day with something I made.

if only that 4 year old girl knew where life would take her 🥹 she would be so proud 🤍

02/05/2026

A moment for this CHAPEL✨

THE TEAM
Second shooter:
(obviously)

Venue:

Reception:

Dress:

Shoes:

Florals:

Catering:

HMU:

Stationery:

02/03/2026

I have to admit, I felt a little unsettled when I first saw the post about the fake wedding photos that looked SO DANG REAL.

It’s really uncanny that we live in a world where it’s literally impossible to distinguish the real from the fake.

It feels like ancient history (even though it was like five seconds ago) when you could look at people’s hands and instantly know that a photo was made with AI. Remember those good old days? 🙈

But it makes me more stoked than ever about my job, because AI will never ever ever be able to document the honest story of YOUR wedding day.

YOUR people.
YOUR facial expressions.
YOUR emotions.
YOUR details, exactly as you planned them.

So now more than ever, it means the world when you hire me to capture your day. Not only are you saying that you trust me to create pretty pictures, but you are also trusting me to truly see and create a record of all the intricate pieces and emotions that happen in your day.

Please know that I don’t take that lightly AT ALL, and it’s a privilege every time.

And now, please enjoy some of my favorite VERY HUMAN wedding moments from the past several years ➡️

Alsoooo there are SO many more where these came from… should I make this a series?? 👀
keywords for the algorithm robots: Chicago wedding photography, elevated documentary photography, fine art weddings, St. Louis wedding photographer, documentary wedding photographer

01/25/2026

A year ago, I really wanted to challenge myself creatively so I determined that I was going to master 35mm film photography. I’d dabbled in it for years with disposable cameras and point-and-shoots mostly, but I wanted to really hone my skill and feel confident on film.

At the beginning of 2025, I took a film photo every day. Did that till about April (and then life got busy) but I still documented most of our family memories from this past year on film. It’s been one of the most magical choices I’ve ever made.

In June I started incorporating film photography into my wedding galleries a little at a time, more and more so as the year went on.

I’m absolutely obsessed with the instant nostalgia that film photos have. There’s just a je-ne-sais-quoi about every film image that digital just can’t replicate.

Would you pay a little extra to have film incorporated into your wedding gallery? 🙋🏻‍♀️
Second shot for

01/21/2026

Hello hello! I’ve noticed some new faces around here and it’s been a while since I’ve done an intro post, so if you’re new here, welcome! I’m Carissa. 🤍

I’ve been told I romanticize life, and that just might be true. My heart leaps when the sunshine hits my counter just right, and we eat dinner by candlelight every evening in the winter because it brings so much joy into an otherwise gloomy season. Also, why not?

A random smattering of facts about me, in no particular order:

- I’ve played piano for 26 years. 😱

- I think warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream is one of life’s greatest joys.

- I married my best friend Caleb in 2019, at the most perfect outdoor wedding with 300 guests. 🤍

- Claude Monet’s paintings make me weepy in the best way.

- I have three blonde haired, blue-eyed kiddos who are absolutely bursting with life and I love them to death. I’ve heard so many mothers talking about “losing themselves” in motherhood but I truly feel like I’ve come home to myself since becoming a mom. It’s simultaneously the hardest and best thing I’ve ever done.

- I’m a strong believer and Jesus is at the foundation and the center of everything I do. Literally wouldn’t be here without him.

- I grew up spending a month in California with my grandparents every summer, and there’s a huge part of my heart that still feels rooted there.

- my favorite pastime ever is backpacking because you’re literally outside 24/7. My favorite trip to date was the Tahoe Rim Trail, which was 165 miles.

- I’m kind of a language nerd.

- I was a middle school teacher for four years before taking my business full time. I have so much respect for teachers—it’s truly one of the hardest jobs on the planet.

These things resonate with you? Let’s be friends 🤍

01/13/2026

Six years in and three kids deep, it’s sometimes the tiniest gestures that mean the most.

I could be having the hardest day with my kiddos or be up to my neck in mountains of laundry, but if Caleb looks me in the eyes, tucks my hair behind my ear and gives me a kiss on the forehead, my walls instantly melt away.

And maybe that’s the essence of “for better or for worse,” isn’t it? Choosing to look other in the eye like we did on our wedding day, no matter the chaos around us. Reminding each other that we’re still obsessed with each other and that he’s my best friend and I am his. Grounding ourselves again and again and again in the good gift we have in each other.

Ladies, find yourselves a man that tucks your hair behind your ear and looks at you like a queen, especially on your hardest days.

01/12/2026

I have entirely too many magical sessions to show off from 2025 but this one needed its own permanent spot on the feed. Simply obsessed with Faith and Joseph and cannot wait for their wedding in June!!

Address

Bloomington, IL

Telephone

+17792005132

Website

http://carissamennen.com/

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