I have known Adam for years. For so long now, that I can’t even remember when our families were first introduced. Through the years, his family has been good friends of my family. For several years, we had this little tradition of going downtown Chicago the day after Thanksgiving, or close to Christmas. We would all join in the madness of the thousands of shoppers frantically rushing about to purchase gifts for Christmas. We would sip coffee, do a little shopping, and then end the day with ice skating at Millennium Park on Michigan Ave. It is one of my favorite memories of Chicago at Christmas. Good friends, good food and ice skating to the sounds of Christmas.
Adam was actually my boss. Crazy to think about now! But we both worked at a non-profit organization in Oak Brook, he was the director of the Purchasing Department and I worked there as his secretary/purchasing agent. There are great memories of accomplishing big projects, serving at the inner city women/children’s shelter downtown Chicago, and making the every day office life a little less monotonous. For those of you who know Adam, you know that there is always something mischievous up his sleeve!
We kind of lost touch as I got married and moved to Raleigh, and he took a job in Dallas Texas. We would bump into each other occasionally in Chicago, but not often. When I first saw pictures of this girl Gabrielle, I was curious to know more about her and excited that Adam had finally found “the one”.
Turns out, he was in Chicago for his sisters wedding, the same weekend Jamie and I were there to photograph a wedding. We worked out the details and set a date for their engagement session downtown Chicago. The only problem was….it was a 7AM engagement session!!! That was literally the only time that it worked for our schedules to get together…
But it worked out perfectly. Morning sessions are a rarity for me, A: the light is a little harsh that time of day and B: quite honestly, Jamie and I are just not morning people! But we were up for the challenge, and I really wanted to meet Gabrielle and of course I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to shoot downtown Chicago!
They picked us up at our hotel eeaaarrrly and we were on our way! Fishhook Pier was the first stop. Adam had made his declaration of undying love, and proposed to Gabrielle on the Pier (ok, maybe not so dramatic!) so it was an appropriate place to start the session.
We could not have asked for a more gorgeous day. The color of Lake Michigan is mesmerizing this time of year…so blue…aqua…endless. And the skyline is always a perfect backdrop! From there we headed to Buckingham Fountain, with a little illegal parking, ahem. Then on to Museum campus, my favorite spot for a skyline view. It did not disappoint! Perfect blue sky, puffy white clouds, and a couple in love. Awwww.
As I edited the pictures, I couldn’t help but smile at all of Adam’s silly, lovesick grins…haha! He is a goner for sure! I am so glad he found such a great girl…they make a sweet couple and seem like they have a lot of fun together!
After the session was done, we decided to eat breakfast together, at one of my favorite restaurants downtown…Grand Lux Cafe. Yum! Good food, good friends, downtown Chicago. The tradition continues!
SO happy for both of you! I am sure you are counting down the hours until December 4th gets here. Wish we could celebrate with you on your special day!
by Joy Lyn
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