It was girl’s night on a summer evening in Chicago, and Megan and her friends met at Rockit for cocktails and gossip. As they sat at their table chatting about the past week, the cute guy at the table next to Megan handed her a shot of tequila. The two toasted to the weekend and felt the warmth of the tequila trickle into their stomachs. Megan waited for Neil to introduce himself, but he turned back to his friends following the shot. She was a little disappointed that he didn’t try to start a conversation with her, but she shrugged it off and went back chatting with her friends.

It wasn’t that Neil didn’t want to talk to Megan, but rather, he didn’t know what to say to her. As the evening continued on, Neil’s friends stepped up for him and tried to be matchmakers. They kept talking to Megan until Megan and Neil were soon talking together on their own.

Days after meeting at Rockit, Megan and Neil were hanging out non-stop – neighborhood fests, happy hours and group outings. It was summer in Chicago and as the long, warm summer days turned into cool, fall evenings, a beautiful relationship developed between these two … one that will last through all the seasons.

I met Megan and Neil at the Chicago Board of Trade last week to document their love. Neil’s old office was at the Board of Trade, so it was a perfect location for their engagement photos.

The third time was a charm for their engagement session. The June weather was so unpredictable, that we scheduled their engagement session three times before the rain held out for us.

I had so much fun wandering around the Chicago loop with Megan and Neil. I instantly felt like we were old friends.

We spent a lot of time talking about ITALY! Megan and Neil are getting married in October in Rome surrounded by their close friends and family. They have never been, so I was happy to fill them in on all my favorites (and try to persuade them to pack me in a suitcase).

Chicago will always be a special place to them because it is where they first met and where they bought their first home together.

Individually Megan and Neil are amazing people, but together they are fun, loving and beyond sweet. I felt so lucky to share and document this their exciting time in their lives.

We ended our engagement session at the Chicago Theater. Neil said that it is was the most important spot of all the locations because it is so iconic of Chicago. We joked that it is Chicago because it says Chicago. Either way, it was the lovely way to end a fun photo shoot.