If you follow us on Instagram, you might remember that Jay and I went out to Chicago this past fall to shoot an engagement session. Well, I’m so excited to finally be sharing it with you on the blog today! This was such a fun trip for us and we were so happy to be able to document our couple, Christine and Jeremy, in a place that is so special to them. Chicago is where they met so it has a special place in their hearts!

Jay had been to Chicago before but it was my first time there so I really enjoyed getting to know the city for the first time and discovering some iconic Chicago areas both during our location scouting the day before the shoot and during the shoot itself. From deep dish pizza to lots of cheesy iphone pics in front of the Bean to a helicopter ride over the city, we were so thankful for an excuse to take the day off and spend some quality time together right in the middle of our busy fall season.

When it came time for Christine and Jeremy’s session, we had a few of their favorite spots on our list of shooting locations. I wasn’t sure if we’d make it to all of them but I’m so happy we did because it gave us so much variety during their session. We started out in Old Town, not too far from where Christine lived at one point, and then headed to Lincoln Park Zoo. I loved the willow trees we found there! Our third stop was Milton Lee Olive Park where we had the best views of the Chicago skyline. I was 22 weeks pregnant at the time so I was pretty exhausted at the end of our session but it was so worth it! Destination engagement sessions are always so fun for us and we’re already looking forward to the next one. We’ll be heading out to California in July (with baby in tow this time!!!) for an engagement session in the San Francisco area and we can’t wait!

Enjoy getting to know Christine and Jeremy. They’re planning a September wedding at St. Catharine’s in Spring Lake (one of our very favorite churches) and a reception at the newly renovated The Mill Lakeside Manor (so excited to see what they’ve done there!). I already know it’s going to be beautiful.

Chicago Engagement Photos

Hair + Makeup | @blowoutjunkie

How they met

Christine: We attended the University of Notre Dame together one year apart, but didn’t meet until I moved to Chicago from New York in 2012. On my 25th birthday I asked a mutual ND friend of ours for advice on where to celebrate since I was new to the city. She suggested somewhere and invited an extended group out for the night. Jeremy was planning to stay in and study for the CFA, but instead he was convinced to meet up. We were only friends at first, but became closer after spending Easter Sunday together with a group of friends who had stayed in Chicago for the weekend. I love that we have the shared traditions of Notre Dame and great memories of the time we spent in Chicago, and we are now making new memories in NYC.

Jeremy: We met once or twice briefly through friends, including Christine’s birthday. We ended up spending Easter Sunday together watching March Madness at a local bar. From then on we occasionally saw each other casually, even though I bothered her just about every day. After a month or two of that, I asked her on a ‘proper’ date!

Their first date

Christine: My first date with Jeremy was in April of 2012. He asked me to get sushi with him near my apartment in Chicago on a Wednesday. I knew he was nervous as he showed up with two bottles of wine “in case we finish the first bottle”. On a Wednesday!

Jeremy: Our first date was BYOB sushi at Shiso Sushi, which is now closed. I think we were both pretty nervous, but once we had a glass of wine and after she (disappointingly) ordered a simple California roll, we were also “on a roll”. It ended up going well and we had a night cap at a local watering hole, which is also now closed. (Going 0-2 on first date locations!) We soon planned another date. The second date would be a similar two bottle of wine affair!

When they knew they had found the one

Christine: I knew Jeremy was the one when we were on the same flag football team. Not only did his competitive spirit match mine, but he also reassured me in his athletic ability. Previous to that I had only heard about his high school bowling team in Michigan. When he was able to effectively quarterback the team and we eventually went on to win the league the following season, I knew I could embrace the bowling!

Jeremy: I don’t think there was one specific thing, but a lot of little things. Over time, just realizing that we unconditionally trust and care about each other. Either of us is always willing to do whatever it takes to make the other happy. When I came to the realization that we had a natural and unique thing, I realized she was the one.

The proposal

Christine: Jeremy proposed on the first full day of our vacation in Germany at Burg Eltz castle. In the true fashion of our vacations, we went on a historical tour immediately following the engagement. Jeremy chose the quieter castle we were visiting which I wasn’t expecting. However I knew something was up when he wanted to sit on a bench when we were trying to head over to go on the tour! The sun came out for a few minutes right after he proposed and we had a stranger walking by take some beautiful photos.

Jeremy: There was a bit of rain as we walked the 15 minutes from the parking lot to the castle. As we emerged from the woods I proposed in view of the castle and we had about 5 minutes of sunshine. I ended up proposing earlier in the day than I had initially planned. This turned out to be great for the weather, except that instead of having Christine facing the beautiful view she was facing a trashcan behind me. As is typical for us, we then went on a historical tour of a 1200 year old building to celebrate our engagement.

All about the ring

Christine: Jeremy did a great job picking out the ring. I didn’t initially know what I wanted, but we talked through some features and Jeremy did the rest. He went back and forth to the jeweler to make sure he got the perfect ring and diamond. It turned out better than I had imagined!

One thing they love about each other

Christine: I love that Jeremy makes me laugh. I think his friends and family would also agree that he makes any event or time spent together more fun. I’m lucky I get to spend so much time with him! He also is open to trying new things, like reading Harry Potter!

Jeremy: I love Christine’s silliness and her smile when she is truly laughing.