Recently I took a couple, Amber & Rick, to Downtown Chicago for an engagement session. Because of the diversity the city has to offer we were able to shoot in lots of wonderful locations: Buckingham Fountain, Millennium Park, the Chicago Theater, the subway, the Art Institute of Chicago to name a few. I distinctly remember the groom saying, “I don’t normally like having my picture taken. But I have to say this was a lot more fun than I thought!”
Bride’s let me ask you this question: What is it worth to you to get the groom enthusiastic about the photography for your wedding day? Priceless isn’t it? Many grooms can be indifferent or even adverse to the idea of posing for photography. The engagement session provides the opportunity for the photographer to develop a great bond with both of you. This relationship will inevitably spill over into your wedding day and make that final storybook product even more desirable. How much more valuable would it be to travel to a destination.
Here are some photos taken with Amber & Rick in Chicago. Notice how much more exciting the photos become when you take in the architecture and scenery with the photos. We are also trying to incorporate how a couple met into the engagement session somehow. In this case the couple met at an event called “Blueprint”. So we incorporated an actual blueprint into the texture of several of the photos. Get creative with your photographer and let them know as much as possible about you and your relationship. You will both enjoy the photo session all the more as a result.
Here are some suggestions for locations to shoot your destination engagement session:
- In Milwaukee: Milwuakee Art Museum, River locations, Marquette University, Harley-Davidson Museum, and hotels like The Pfister and The InterContinental.
- In Madison: The capital building, the University of Wisconsin (Bascom Hall & The Red Gym Castle), Union Terrace, and The Monona Terrace
- In Chicago: In addition to the locations mentioned above, The Magnificent Mile, The Observatory for the skyline, riverfront views are breathtaking, bridges, Hotels such as The Drake, Four Seasons, and The Peninsula Chicago, Watertower Place, DePaul University, Loyola University.
- Outside of our region consider: Las Vegas because it is relatively inexpensive to fly and stay in Sin City. New York, Denver, Honolulu, Seattle, and Anchorage!
