They went to the same physical therapy school, but they didn’t meet until he came to Charleston and a mutual friend introduced them.  That weekend and the following weeks flew by for them both as Chris swept Ashley off her feet… before they knew it, they were walking through life together, but he was in Chicago and she was down south.

So, they made a decision for this southern girl to move to Chicago on New Year’s Eve to find her place up there and give this relationship a real chance in the coming year.

As her brother’s graduation from the Medical University of South Carolina rolled around in May, Ashley will be the first to admit that she was a tad lot frustrated that they were not officially engaged yet.  And to be honest, I’m pretty sure that this horribly cold winter they experienced had a lot to do with her emotions riding high!  But, as men do, Chris had a plan.  And it was a good one.

He’d been growing a beard during hockey season and intended to keep it through this play offs, but Ashley was not a fan and had made it known that she didn’t want him to propose while he had the extra facial hair.  That fateful weekend in May, he took her back to Cypress Gardens in Charleston where they’d had their first date.  But before going towards the row boats, he went to the restroom and emerged clean shaven.  They got into a boat and he took her to the place where they’d had their first kiss 9 months earlier; only this time, it was to become the spot where he asked her to be his wife.

I LOVED being able to spend the day with these two in Chicago, capturing their love and talking about everything under the sun.  We can’t wait for their wedding this coming May in North Carolina!  Thank you guys, so much, for such a fun afternoon in your town!

Amber Waves did an incredible job with Ashley’s hair!  And Lauren Guillen’s makeup talent was amazing!

I just can’t get over how the water of Lake Michigan matched the sky and Ashley’s dress!!

They’re both physical therapists and I loved how they tied that in with their photos by using the canes!

Ashley loves trains, so what better place to go in the city than Union Station??

So in love with this one!!

The bridges in Chicago stole my heart… as did these two!

Ashley found this PERFECT little train station in Joliet… I could have shot there all evening.

LOVE!

We ventured back out into the cold night for a few night shots and the skyline behind us… I’d say that, especially with the unexpected wave, it was worth it!