He put a ring on it, and you now get to plan your dream Chicago wedding! Congrats! The beauty of the city might start at the skyline, but it does not stop there.
When planning out your engagement photos in Chicago, be sure to consider the style and concept you want to convey in the pictures. Keeping an open line of communication with your photographer is also absolutely key to successful photo sessions!
Consider their stylistic approach, and remember, this will be a great way to gain insight as to how pictures from your big day will turn out, as well as give you insight as to how well your photographer will mesh with you and your groom.
Now, the question remains, what are some of the hot spots to take engagement photos in Chicago in the summer? Let’s get started.
1. Wrigley Field
Baseball may not necessarily be your thing, but the Cubs and Wrigley Field seems to be peaking every Northside lovers interest these days, as well as anyone who loves a good underdog story. Being able to position yourselves anywhere in front of the stadium, or even in the midst of a game day crowd could lend itself to some tried and true Cubby blue engagement pictures!
2. The Sky Deck at Willis Tower
Nothing screams “I’m having a Chicago wedding” more than photos of you and your finance backdropped by the Chicago skyline. Where better to achieve some of the most advantageous pictures than on the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower (formally known as the Sears Tower)? With the ability to view four different states while extended four feet out of this iconic building is not only photo worthy, but a definite check off the good ol’ bucket list.
3. Buckingham Fountain
This Chicago landmark is centrally located in Grant Park and produces a stellar show full of incredible water jets and lights that runs every hour on the hour for 20 minutes in length from April- October (weather permitting). For photographs that give off that old Chicago feel, a visit to the fountain would be ideal!
4. Chicago Theater
Captivating by day and night, this cultural phenomena is world renowned! The State Street facing marquee combines the amazing contrast of urban meets the arts, leaving you with countless angles and styles to approach while being photographed. The grandiose ceilings and ornate interior decor is also conducive to classically beautiful images that will last a lifetime.
5. Museum Fronts
With so many legendary museums at our fingertips in the city, it would be a shame not to consider taking advantage of the amazing exterior architecture for your Chicago engagement pictures. From the stoic pillars of the Field Museum, to the towering staircases in front of the Shedd Aquarium, there are countless photo ops that can be captured right in front of these historic gems!
6. Lake Shore/ Lake Front Trails
Being surrounded by Lake Michigan, the Chicago lake shore and lake front trails are not only stunning, but an incredibly active location in in the city. With the amount of bikers, runners, skaters, beach goers, amazing skyline views, etc., this is, yet another, fantastic location to get a little bit of everything for your engagement photos.
7. Navy Pier
With the expected excitement of the record setting 150 foot high Centennial Wheel ferris wheel, the beautiful carrousel, picturesque pier and boats, the Crystal Gardens, skyline views, and the live music events and festivals through the summer you could add a bit of the World’s Fair vibe meets World War II history to your photographs by visiting this one stop shop.
8. Millennium Park
From the beautiful five acres of the Lurie Gardens, the famous Cloud Gate (Bean) and its unique appearance, to the BP Bridge that offers stellar city skyline and Lake Michigan views, this single location offers a little bit of everything for every taste. There is tons of art, culture, nature, and Chicago history all wrapped up in this 24.5 acre area of city landscape.
9. The “L”
Chicago’s famously known public transit system is not only a convenient way to get from point A to B during your photo shoot, but also provides amazing shots of the underground and above ground tunnels, as well as train stations that hold just as much history and eclectic architecture as many of the world renowned museums you can find in the downtown area. Even just simply standing in front of a specific Line sign that holds significance to you and your finance, or maybe the color just so happens to coordinate with your wedding color pallet, or taking a more urban view with photos under the train viaducts could lend themselves to some pretty spectacular images.
10. Street “Action”
There is nothing like the hustle and bustle of the Chicago traffic of cars and people to truly instill the feel of the city! Position your photo shoot in the middle of any downtown street, or your favorite niche neighborhood, and capture the essence of Chicago’s true nature of a quick paced urban wonder.
Above all else, know what you want your pictures to look like!
Now that you have quite the variety of locations to pick from, try not to get overwhelmed. The key to loving your engagement photos in Chicago is that the photos encompass your style, albeit traditional, editorial, etc.
Once you have narrowed that down, you can interview and select a photographer that will help embody all that you and your finance hope to project in your images, because, after all, the pictures will be the living memory of your love and experiences during this special time in your lives together!
