Sweet and Candid Fall Engagement in Chicago

I’m not sure if I’ve ever smiled and laughed so much during an engagement session. Emily and Jon take the cake for goofiest, silliest, happiest couple in the world!

These two got married in a sweet, COVID-safe ceremony in Emily’s home town of Appleton, Wisconsin. If you’ve ever considered having your wedding at a nature preserve, let this be your sign that you should absolutely do it. Click here to see their magical summery wedding photos!

So about 8 months before their ceremony (and just a quick month after they got engaged on a rooftop overlooking Chicago) we met up at the Ryerson Woods Forest Preserve. Timing worked out for us, as I already had plans to be in the area (perks of being a destination wedding photographer)! I was photographing a wedding in Wisconsin, and these two lived in Chicago. Meeting in Riverwoods, Illinois was a perfect middle ground, and we couldn’t have picked a better morning. The sky was slightly cloudy, which made for perfect, even lighting, and the sun peeking through the clouds make Emily’s hair glow like a fairy princess!

When you scroll through these photos, I guarantee you’ll be smiling just as much as we were the day we photographed together. Jon is such a goofball, posing Emily as a Y for Yes on their invitations, or N for No, or making the two of them wear orange cones as hats, or even bringing Crocs for “just one photo.” 😂 The two did some light gymnastics in the middle of this park (clearly, they’re professionals hahah), and we frolicked around for the morning! It became pretty clear that these two were meant for each other, and that they’ll have a whole lifetime of pure joy together.

Are you trying to have just as much fun as these two during your engagement session? I know how to make that happen! Get in touch to get on my calendar!