A Chicago Engagement Session

Christine and John were complete strangers before fate brought them together at a mutual friend’s going away party almost five years ago, and they’ve been inseparable ever since. It’s proof that really great things can begin at the end of another chapter—you just need to be open and let the universe do its thing.

This past December, the two took a trip to the most magical place on earth and John had a very special surprise up his sleeve. Christine, having zero clue a proposal was about to happen, insisted that they run around the Magic Kingdom to hit all of the rides before long lines formed. So John had to play it cool with her gorgeous ring chilling in his pocket. No sweat, right? Luckily the ring (and John!) survived all of the rides and he was able to keep it together long enough to pull off a perfect proposal in front of Cinderella's Castle. He even made sure there was a photographer there to document the moment (smart guy!).

They wanted a casual, relaxed engagement session at a few different spots around Chicago, including outside of The Chicago Theatre and around the Fulton Market/West Loop area, which was right in our wheelhouse. John is a beer lover, so obviously we had to swing by one of his favorite breweries, Goose Island's Fulton Street Tap Room, for a beer at the end of their session. If it's not completely apparent when looking through these photos, these two not only have a ton of love for each other, but were a blast to capture and hang with. We wish these lovebirds all the joy, happiness and love for their future together and are so grateful that we were able to document it for an afternoon. 

Not Your Typical High School Romance

You know what’s funny about fate? When it’s the right person, right place and right time in life — it will absolutely all come together. Ryan and Michelle both went to the same high school and likely passed each other several hundred times in the halls without even realizing it. And then fate stepped in several years later when their future careers would both bring them back to this very place where they would finally meet and fall in love.

Now that they’re already coming up on a year of marriage and have added two new members to the family, it seemed fitting to get a shoot in with the four of them. It was freezing but you’d never be able to tell from these photos — these two were pros in front of the camera and didn’t need breaks to throw on coats to warm up.

It was a nostalgic shoot for Amanda since she also went to high school there and has known Ryan for more years than she’d like to count (man, we’re old). Jeff also happened to go to the main rival for high school — and because we’re older and wiser (or just older), we didn’t share that tidbit with the couple until the shoot was almost over.

We couldn’t have pulled this shoot off without Amanda’s sister and brother-in-law. Not only did they help keep the pups in line but they also provided some comedic relief to break up the session and keep the smiles genuine. If you look really closely at some of the photos below you just may see them in the background on a few of these. Thanks again guys, we owe you more than a few Starbucks hot chocolates for this one.