Blog

Chicago Proposal Ideas | Garfield Park Conservatory

Satya ran through several Chicago proposal ideas while planning his wedding proposal to Appixa. Satya wanted their engagement to be as perfect as their decade-long friendship. It had to be indoors, since it would take place during the chilly Chicago winter.  It had to be easy for both of their families and a few of their closest friends to join them to celebrate afterwards.  And, it had to be picturesque for beautiful surprise engagement photos.

After checking out several locations, he opted for the Garfield Park Conservatory as the place to propose!  

Browsing Chicago proposal ideas for your own Windy City engagement?  Pop the question in style in the warmer months or head indoors for a creative and scenic marriage proposal at the Shedd Aquarium during the winter. If you’ve already got a few Chicago proposal ideas in mind, and you’re just looking for your perfect Chicago proposal photographer, give us a call at 888-287-5120 or fill out the form below for a free consultation with one of our engagement experts! 

And if you love a great love story, read on for the sweet tale of how Satya and Appixa met and fell in love! Or you can check out more Chicago proposal ideas and start scheduling your upcoming proposal here. 

How They Met:

Satya and Appixa met as teenagers in 2004, on a social network dating site they both frequented.  Satya saw her photo and was immediately intrigued.  He sent her a message: “Hey beautiful, what’s your name, add me on AIM messenger,” and they began a decades- long friendship!

As fate would have it, after their online meeting, Satya and Appixa ended up attending the same Chicago high school.  He was instantly charmed by her intelligence and outgoing personality, she quickly fell for his wit and sense of humor. The friendship they had started online blossomed as they began to spend more time together.

Over the years, they always made time for each other regardless of how busy life got.   On Valentine’s Day in 2013, Appixa had no plans so Satya met her after work to take her out to dinner as friends.  There was something special there that night, a greater component to their friendship that needed to be explored. By March 21st, they were dating!

How They Knew

Their relationship grew stronger after they officially began dating. He knew they shared something special when Appixa supported him through his toughest times and inspired him to be the best version of himself he could be.  She knew she couldn’t live without him when the feeling of joy and excitement she got whenever she was around him never faded or went away. 

Before long, he knew that Appixa was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and started looking around for the perfect engagement ring.

Chicago Proposal Ideas

As Satya waited to put the finishing touches on a custom-made Star Gems engagement ring, he began sifting through some Chicago proposal ideas.

“Coming from an Indian culture, I wanted to involve my family and her family along with our utmost closest friends,” said Satya. “Another factor was that Chicago winters are very snowy and cold, therefore, I was looking into the best interest of everyone involved and wanted to choose a place that was indoors.”

After scouting several sites including the Botanical Gardens, the Lincoln Park Conservatory and the Lincoln Park Zoo, Satya chose the Garfield Park Conservatory as the perfect place to propose.  It was indoors and had various spacious, scenic rooms perfect for surprise engagement photography.

The Marriage Proposal

Once he had the proposal location picked out, he set out to arranging the rest of the surprises!  When Appixa wasn’t looking, he snuck into her phone and took down the contacts of three of her closest friends to help him plan the proposal.  Her best friend Nilofer helped Satya figure out some of the logistics and coordinate getting everyone there.

On a Sunday afternoon, Appixa thought she was heading to a job fair in Garfield Park, when suddenly, Satya stepped out from his hiding place in the Fern Room and completely surprised her by dropping to one knee!  As she realized what was going on, she wiped tears from her eyes as she said, “YES!”

As a finishing touch, he made sure the entire engagement was captured for years to come with Paparazzi proposals’ unique brand of discreet proposal photography!  After he completely surprised Satya with his thoughtful marriage proposal, he invited their friends and family to join them to celebrate and take a few pictures with them before embarking on a stunning engagement session for the remainder of the hour!

For more amazing Chicago proposal ideas, check out our post on the Top 5 Chicago proposal ideas!  Or, if you’re ready to pop the question, don’t forget to contact our team for help planning and capturing your dream engagement!