Chicago Engagement Photographer | Carrie + Gene

Carrie + Gene met some years ago at Northwestern University. At first, they just met and went on with their lives, but then a couple years later they met again and started hanging out and studying together. It wasn’t long after that until Gene fell in love with Carrie’s infectious personality and Carrie fell in love with Gene’s amazing heart.

Gene asked Carrie to marry him on a summer evening at Carrie’s favorite Chicago spot, Navy Pier. They took a private boat that parked front row for the pier’s famous fireworks. When the fireworks began, he asked her. She of course said yes, and then he surprised her again by stopping at a bar where their friends and family were all waiting to celebrate with them. Such a perfect proposal for two amazing people!

Carrie + Gene currently live in Boston but are having their wedding at ARTRevolution next month. They wanted their engagement session to showcase where they met: their alma mater, Northwestern University, and the the city were they fell in love, Chicago.

We toured the campus and found some landmark spots with beautiful glowing light. As Tom and I walked , we oohed and aahed over all of the perfect spots for pictures with the architecture, history, gardens, and sunset light. Carrie and Gene commented that they didn’t notice the beauty of the campus when they saw it everyday. They were too busy studying to really enjoy the amazing campus of Northwestern. It was very sweet to walk around the campus and watch them truly enjoy it for the first time — together.

Next we went over by the lake to find a painted rock that would work for a photo. We found one that said “I love you” in Korean — Carrie took Gene’s word for it 😀 . If you have never seen these painted rocks, they are so cool! Such a neat tradition this school has. Students paint them for all different occasions. Carrie told me that the rock painting is pretty serious around Northwestern. Apparently, the bigger rocks on campus must be guarded for 24 hours before you can claim them and paint them.

Carrie + Gene are amazing people. So kind, funny, caring, and genuine. Tom and I left this session on cloud nine! We feel so lucky to have the privilege to photograph their wedding day.

It is one thing to leave a session feeling good about the images, it is another knowing you’ve made new friends.