Proposal Photography In Chicago

December 12, 2016 Steve Vansak

Melecio contacted me a few weeks ago about photographing a surprise proposal in Chicago. He was such a sincere guy and I knew he was in love with this mystery woman named Valerie whom I would not meet until after she became his fiance. It's pretty obvious from the image above that her answer was a resounding yes!!

He chose December 11th, 2016 as that is their Anniversary date. He lured her to Chicago to celebrate the occasion with family. Only trouble was, Chicago was in a middle of a snowstorm and I'm sure she was reluctant to trek out to the city. Family persisted and off they went to shop on State Street. I was waiting for them outside a store and Melecio and I played it off like we knew each other and I just happened to be out there taking pictures of holiday lights. I suggested a quick portrait of them at Millennium Park and off we went. The entire family was hiding underneath Cloud Gate (a.k.a. - The Bean) to watch the entire proposal.

A surprise marriage proposal at Millennium Park in Chicago during a snow storm.

I could see the emotiona welling up on Valerie's face as she said yes. Family surrounded them to celebrate before Melecio even had a chance to put the ring on her finger.

Family surprises the bride to be during a marriage proposal in Chicago.

We gathered the group together along with their wonderful signs for a family photo. I then took the freshly engaged couple around Millennium Park for a mini winter portrait session.

Family photo with a newly engaged couple after a marriage proposal.

Winter engagement photo in downtown Chicago.

Valerie couldn't stop eyeing up her ring as we strolled around Millennium Park and the Michigan Avenue area. We even incorporated some holiday lights into some of our pictures.

A newly engaged couple in Chicago during a December snow storm.

Holiday portrait of the newly engaged couple.

Our final destination before the couple met up with family for a late lunch celebration was The Chicago Cultural Center. This stunning landmark building had a wonderful arch that happened to have a Christmas wreath right in the center.

A newly engaged couple kisses by the lighted arch inside The Chicago Cultural Center.

I had Melecio and Valerie take a slow dance of celebration in the middle of the ballroom. You can see the joy as they embraced in the hallways of The Chicago Cultural Center.

A young couple playfully dances at The Chicago Cultural Center.

It was an absolute thrill to capture the proposal photography and winter portrait session for Melo and Val (as the sign says) at Millennium Park in Chicago. I cannot wait to show them the rest of the images. Let it snow, indeed!!

Chicago Proposal Photography

$399.99

Propose to the love of your life in the beautiful city of Chicago and have it captured by a professional photographer and then go on a mini engagement session in the windy city. NOTE: An in person or phone consultation is required to nail down the logistics of this important event.

90 minute photography session in Chicago
Digital Images Via Download + Printing Rights
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Romantic Engagement Photos On The Streets Of Chicago

May 4, 2015 Steve Vansak

A groom to be dips his bride to be on the Dearborn Avenue bridge in Chicago.

Ah, a groom to be who enjoys dipping his soon to be bride!! Now, that's a beautiful thing. I will be sure to remember that come wedding day for Sandra and Andrew.

Our romantic engagement session on the streets of Chicago saw perfect temperatures and had a cast of characters greeting us as we made our way around the city. We saw everything from a singing older gentleman in a wizard looking outfit to a Polish parade to a train full of NFL draft football fanatics. It was a fun and unforgettable day!!

As is tradition in my Chicago Sessions Engagement Package, we started on the South Shore train platform for a romantic photo with the train speeding by. This specialty engagement shoot features everything shot in color with alternate black white versions, for a 1960's style street photography look.

The train speeds by a couple on the train platform for their engagement photo.

Today is only a sneak peek from the weekend's photo shoot, so I will be mostly showcasing the color versions today. As you can see from the collage below, we traveled the city quite a bit and shot natural candid photos in addition to some romantic staged shots near various landmarks such as the Chicago River, Navy Pier ferris wheel and on State Street in front of the Chicago Theater.

A collage of Spring time Chicago engagement photos.

Sandra and Andrew were a bit nervous at the start, but they did great. They naturally interacted with each other like in this shot on Michigan Avenue with the colorful tulips in the foreground. I made sure to get some nice close up portraits of them as well.

Special thanks to Sandra and Andrew for going the extra mile for our epic engagement shoot. I know I was tiring them out a bit. To the point where I'm sure they really enjoyed this fun, laying in the sun shot at the Millennium Park fountain.

A couple relaxes in front of the Millennium Park fountain in Chicago.

I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek look at Sandra and Andrew's romantic engagement photos on the streets of Chicago. Stay tuned here and on Instagram and Facebook for more images. See the links below!!

Chicago Engagement Photos - Love, Leaves, Football, Trains and More

November 19, 2013 Steve Vansak

A groom to be dips his fiancé lovingly in front of the Centennial Park fountain in Chicago, Illinois for their engagement photo.

Jeremiah and Brieanne brought it all to their recent engagement session in downtown Chicago. We needed to show off Fall leaves to blend with their wedding next September. As Indianapolis Colts fans, their devotion to their team also needed to be included. They also fell in love with some recent night time Chicago skyline images I had done as well as my Chicago Sessions Engagement Package that features all the images turned into vintage photographs, evoking old film from the late 1960's and 70's.

So off we went on this brisk November day incorporating all the windy city has to offer. As is tradition with this session, we met at the South Shore train station with the train arriving to take our couple for their adventure.

A couple in love kisses on the platform of the train station.

I shoot these Chicago Session engagement photos in vivid color and then turn them into vintage looking black and white images afterward. Since this is only a sneak peek of last weekend's session, I'll mainly be showing the color versions today. The black and white versions will all be put into a book to tell the story of the day. However, the color versions will be available for the couple as well.

So, let's hop on board and see where this windy city adventure takes us...

A couple clutches hands while taking the train into the city of Chicago for their engagement photo session.

A couple in love shares a laugh on the South shore train going toward Chicago.

I tried to keep my eyes peeled for any Chicago Bears fans who might want to pelt my clients with rocks as they showed off their Indianapolis Colts pride. I can see this image as a Save the Date photo for sure.

An engaged couple writes their wedding date on a football while they kiss in the background wearing their Indianapolis Colts jerseys.

A groom to be tackles his fiancé while playing football in the park in downtown Chicago.

A couple smiles and embraces as they are surrounded by Fall color in the park in downtown Chicago.

Love and football had now been accomplished, now it was time to capture some Fall color. We weren't sure what'd we get this late in November, but I think it worked out pretty good. Brieanne and Jeremiah were up for anything as they braved the winds and the steadily falling temperatures.

A couple embraces as they take a rest during their Autumn engagement photo session in Chicago.

A couple playfully looks at each from each side of a large tree in Millennium Park.

I like to take a good amount of time when I do my Chicago engagement sessions, I do it because i really love it, but it also provides a great story for the album that is included. The city has a photo idea every ten feet it seems. We often take a coffee break and then onto another area. In this case, it was a terrace overlooking the skyscrapers of Chicago. We knew it was going to be cold at this point with nothing to shelter us from the winds off of the Lake Michigan. Brieanne and Jeremiah were very dedicated as I shot the scene a number of times to get the image just right.

The blue Chicago skyline at dusk with a happily engaged couple sitting on the terrace of the Adler Planetarium at the Museum Campus on the lake.

A couple embraces on the shores of Lake Michigan at night with the lighted Chicago skyline in the background.

After night fell, we used the city lights as our backdrop for romantic shots of the couple together celebrating their upcoming marriage. It was a wonderful experience for me and one I think they will cherish forever. There will be many more images to come from this session. For updates, stay tuned here and the Region Weddings Facebook Page as well.

A couple tenderly embraces as city lights blur behind them at night.

A newly engaged couple smiles for the camera on the streets of Chicago at night.

Romantic Engagement Photos in Downtown Chicago

September 27, 2013 Steve Vansak

An engaged couple takes a romantic dip on the streets of Chicago.

If you follow this Journal, you may recognize the following image. It is the signature opening shot of the Chicago Session, my romantic engagement package of a day in the windy city. This is the session in which I meet my couples at the train station and we shoot on the train and of course all around the city. I then take the color images and turn them all into black and white and make them look like old film shots from the 1960's and 1970's. This post is merely a sneak peek with many more images (including the black and whites) to come. For now, we will mostly show the color images. To view more of these types of sessions, go here.

A couple in love huddle up on the train platform in East Chicago.

Kate and Greg were a bit nervous when they arrived at the train station in East Chicago. I can't say I blame them as I'm sure they thought of walking around the city with a camera and lighting on them would attract attention and they'd rather be anonymous. However, natives of Chicago are used to all kinds of activity and they paid us little attention. Soon they were doing romantic dips in the street as well as casually hanging out for candid moments to be captured.

A close up photo of an engaged couple holding hands on the train.

A candid moment between a romantic couple in a garden area in Chicago.

A couple in love share a romantic kiss on a park bench in Chicago during their engagement photo session.

I love going into this city for these engagement sessions. Using the buildings as our backdrop can make for some wonderfully dramatic images. I also love the character of the city and how we can wander just a few feet and have 12 different photo ideas. It's also nice to just have my clients take a rest while I spy on them from a distance making images.

A couple sits at the edge of a flower garden with the tall buildings of Chicago in the background.

An engaged couple overlooks the Chicago River during their engagement session.

Please stay tuned here and on the Region Weddings Facebook Page for more updates on Kate and Greg's romantic engagement photos in downtown Chicago. Once all the black and white images are ready with all of their film textures, etc. I will be sure to post a followup.