London House Chicago Engagement Session - Katie and Brendan

I value every single couple that I have the opportunity to work with. Your wedding and engagement are two of the happiest and most exciting times in your lives, and it’s truly an honor to be there to share those moments with you. As if it couldn’t get any sweeter, every once in a while, I have the chance to work with people that have been close to me long before we met for their photography.

While I didn’t have the pleasure of knowing Katie growing up, Brendan, on the other hand, lived only a few blocks away from my childhood home. We knew each other well growing up, graduated in the same class, and have had the pleasure of seeing each other quite often through the years — be it around town, or at other friends and families weddings and events. When I got the call from Brendan that it was now his turn to tie the knot, I was overjoyed to hear that they were interested in having me capture their big day!

Katie and Brendan scored one of the best inner city views that Chicago offers — The London House rooftop terrace. The view from London House Chicago is absolutely stellar, and overlooks the Chicago River, Michigan Avenue, Upper Wacker and the iconic Corn Cob apartments! Killer spot for an Chicago engagement session if I do say so myself! And if that wasn’t enough, the staff at London House is out of this world. Our host, Eric, reserved us a premium space for their shoot, and had a bottle of campaign on ice ready for Katie and Brendan when we arrived. Considering there’s typically a waitlist a mile long at London House, this was an extra special treat. Thanks again, Eric! You’re the man!

Pop that bottle, Brendan! Let’s get this party started!!

If that’s not one of the best views you can ask for with a downtown engagement session…I don’t know what is!

Aw, heck! Go, Brendan, go!! 😀

Thanks again to Eric, and the entire staff at London House Chicago for helping to make Katie and Brendan’s engagement photos so special! We appreciate you!!

For our next stop, we made our way down to the LaSalle Street bridge for a few classic Chicago bridge photos.

And you can’t pass the AMA Plaza Garage without snagging a few on this backdrop as well! As you can see, Katie and Brendan are getting plenty of dance practice during the engagement photos.

Time for a change of scenery, so we hopped into an Uber and made our way down to Grant Park. Grant Park makes a great spot for Chicago engagement photos with the lush landscaping contrasting against the Chicago skyline. As a bonus, you can catch a glimpse of the Buckingham Fountain in the background, too!

When planning engagement sessions, I always try to build something into the shoot that has meaning to the couple. This can be hobbies or interests that the couple have together, or possibly even a recreation of how they first met. For Katie and Brendan, our next spot was a bit of both! These two met for the first time while playing kickball, and have been sharing the sport together as a pastime ever since.