Ashley is a Chicago girl. She is outgoing, fun and up for anything, so when she moved to the city after college, she said yes to lots of happy hours, dinners at new restaurants and brunches around Chicago with her coworkers. She already had a great group of friends, but as she spent more time with her coworkers-turned-friends, she met more great friends, one of whom was Thomas. Thomas is kind, thoughtful and genuine, and he is the type of person who puts you at ease when you are around him.

For a few years, Ashley and Thomas were simply friends. However, when Thomas was relocated to Colorado for work, him and Ashley kept in touch … a lot. Months went by, and Thomas needed a date for a family wedding, so he called someone he knew he would have a blast with: Ashley.

It was their first “date”. A family wedding. But Ashley fit right in to Thomas’ family and into his life. Soon they were coordinating weekend schedules, flying back and forth between Colorado and Chicago, and growing a relationship hundreds of miles apart. It was long distance love for a few years until they decided to move to Indiana so they could finally be back in the same city again … together.

I spent an unseasonably warm February afternoon around Chicago with Ashley and Thomas, and we had such a wonderful time wandering the city.

Because Ashley and Thomas met in Chicago, they wanted their engagement photos to reflect their love of the city and the beautiful architecture so we opted for some of my favorite Chicago locations – the Chicago Board of Trade, Lasalle Bridge and the Loop …. right by the Chicago theater sign.

Despite it being in the upper 30’s, it was still winter. Ashley and Thomas were complete troopers about the cold and took full advantage of cuddling up together for extra warmth … creating beautiful moments for my camera.

Thomas felt like an old friend instantly despite just meeting him. He is beyond sweet and radiates with happiness. He is the type you of person you instantly like.

I met Ashley over a decade ago when we were in our high school yearbook class. I was the staff photographer and she would tell me what I needed to go and shoot. It was so fun to have her in front of my camera for her engagement photos so many years later.

We spent the last few minutes of sunlight walking to State street, and it made for some really iconic Chicago backdrops that I just adore.