Chicago Wedding PhotoGRAPHERS & VIDEOGRAPHERS

Art Institute of Chicago Editorial Engagement

Engagements

Here in Chicago, they say love is like a deep-dish pizza—cheesy and irresistible. For Kristina and John’s Art Institute of Chicago Editorial Engagement, we made sure to bring out all of the delectable parts of their love story in a smoldering and editorial way. While we’re all about the drama and spillin’ the tea, sometimes when it comes to your engagement sesh you want to do something a bit different. Exploring the city and getting to capture their love story uniquely was just the icing on top of a memorable, fashionable, and epic engagement session here in our beautiful city of Chicago.

Kristina & John’s Love Story

Kristina and John met over a decade ago. After her neighbor/childhood friend raved about how perfect they would be for each other, their minds began racing. With Kristina’s friend trying to play cupid, she had arranged a dinner with friends to hopefully get Kristina and John to cross paths. It was at that dinner that Kristina and John sat next to each other and the rest was history.

For those of you who don’t know, Kristina is a wedding planner. So trying to surprise her is damn near impossible… or so she thought. John knew that he wanted to marry Kristina but knew he had to do it in the most grandiose way possible. Only the best for the LOHL. While Kristina was at a work event one night, John had something brewing. It was at this work event that John surprised her with a room full of candles and flowers. He popped the question and out came all of their friends and family to surround the happy couple. Safe to say that John was able to pull off the most epic proposal (and even her boss at work was in on it)!

The Art Institute of Chicago

The Art Institute of Chicago is known as Downtown Chicago’s #1 museum. Sitting right across from Millennium Park and just steps away from Lake Michigan, the Art Institute of Chicago boasts plenty of beautiful architecture and history. Inside its four walls, you will find art from around the world and exhibits that bring you back through history and into the future. While the Art Institute of Chicago is a destination location for art when visitors come to the windy city, this was not our mission here. For Kristina and John’s editorial Chicago engagement, we wanted to keep things to the classics. We were sure that for their engagement photos, we were going to use the beauty of the space itself to really tie in the overall vibe for their shoot.

Fees, Admission, & Photography Rules

Keep in mind that when visiting The Art Institute of Chicago, you will be required to purchase tickets to enter. You can do that here! On Thursday evenings, 5–8 p.m. between May 18–August 31, 2023, Illinois residents will be able to enter the Art Institute for free which is a major bonus.

Photos and video are allowed at The Art Institute of Chicago, however, they do have some restrictions. Read more about them here.

Kristina & John’s Art Institute of Chicago Editorial Engagement

For Kristina and John’s engagement photos, we wanted to get those sultry editorial vibes. Before heading to the Art Institute, we actually made a pit stop at one of our hidden gem spots here in Chicago. This hotel lobby offers so many great photo opportunities. As well as a unique decorative style that was perfect for their engagement photos. We were able to incorporate that perfect mix of flash which only enhanced those editorial feels that we were going for.

It wasn’t long until we made our way to The Art Institute of Chicago to continue our adventure. Inside this gorgeous institute, you’ll find grand archways and staircases which further inspired our creativity for this engagement session. It was here that spiraling staircases greeted us and beaming natural light from every angle. Of course, having two fabulously in-love people didn’t hurt either. We finished off this Chicago editorial engagement outside, where we admired people walking by as we sat on the steps of the Art Institute. Naturally, our first reaction was to race home to edit these photos and it’s safe to say they did not disappoint.

Hear What They Have To Say

“Our experience with Aspen Avenue was 10 out of 10 and hands down one of the most fun we have ever had while taking photos! Nicole and Michael make it really easy to feel comfortable and have fun with it. They give you all the direction you need while simultaneously hyping you up and giving all you all the confidence that you need as well. You can really see the chemistry in their partnership shine through as well as the passion they have for photography. Not to mention, they will do anything to get that perfect shot!”