PJ and Cate’s Chicago Riverwalk Engagement Photos

PJ and Cate decided on the Chicago Riverwalk as the first location for their engagement photos, and I’m so glad they did! We had a stunning, sunny, crystal-clear evening right in the heart of downtown Chicago, a city that they both love so dearly. And whenever you’re right on the river on a bright, clear evening, the sunlight reflects off buildings in a thousand different ways, which is basically a photographer’s dream! We sort of just meandered along the river, stopping here and there whenever something caught our eye. I love that we were able to capture a bit of fall color, right in the middle of the city! Also, let’s just take a minute to acknowledge that while it looks like there was no else in the city that evening… there were a LOT of people in the city that evening! And here are PJ and Cate, acting like it’s no big deal, just doing their thing and killing it in front of the camera! We had so much fun just wandering around, dodging traffic and finding beautiful light!

These two love each other so much (it’s beautifully obvious!), but what I love is the careful ways that they show that love to each other. PJ and Cate live intentional lives. That intentionality was clear to me in my phone conversations and emails with them, and even more as we talked about their wedding plans and their bigger plans for their life together. They are careful to nurture relationships, to thoughtfully consider options, and to make choices based on their values. The second location we went to was Centennial, an amazing restaurant and brewery in Lincoln Park, and they chose it because it’s one of their favorite places in the city! They’ve spent hours there, talking and laughing and enjoying new beers (and old favorites!). It was such a pleasure to capture images of them there. Actually, scratch that. It was such a pleasure to capture images of them everywhere!! I just keep pinching myself, because is this really real? Do I really get to photograph amazing couples like PJ and Cate, in the middle of this big beautiful city, all year long? I absolutely DO, and I thank God every day for the honor and privilege of it all.

Enjoy these highlights from PJ and Cate’s Chicago Riverwalk engagement photos! We can’t wait for their wedding next September!!

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