On what seemed like a normal walk along the Chicago River, Josh had other plans. At just the right moment, he dropped to one knee to ask Ariana to marry him, and our hidden proposal photographer was there the whole time.

Ariana had no idea our Chicago proposal photographer was right there the whole time, so when Josh pointed him out, she was shocked to say the least.

The newly engaged couple continued along with our proposal photographer for an engagement portrait session with some iconic Chicago backdrops.

See more from our Chicago proposal photographer and other’s around the nation on our blog.

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Joshua and Christina met in medical school at University of South Florida.

Christina loved how genuine he was. Joshua never pretended to be someone he’s not, and she loved exactly who he was.

They went through a lot of amazing days and a lot of the toughest days of their lives. But regardless what type of day, they spent it together.

Since Christina loves the outdoors, Joshua couldn’t imagine a more perfect proposal than 70-degree weather, beautiful Lake Michigan and the Chicago skyline.

Craving more Chicago proposal ideas? Head on over to our blog!

The post Ways to Propose in Chicago: Joshua and Christina appeared first on Paparazzi Proposals.

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!

The post Chicago Proposal Ideas | Garfield Park Conservatory appeared first on Paparazzi Proposals.

Get inspired for your own Chicago engagement by checking out other Chicago engagements we have helped plan and discreetly capture. Fill out the form or give us a call at 888-287-5120 to run your ideas past one of our proposal experts!

Nick and Alicia shared the romantic story behind their marriage proposal with us!

How They Met

We met in sixth grade in middle school in 2005. We quickly realized we had something special in common and became friends. As time went by we became best friends in middle school which continued on to high school. Through our friendship we grew closer and we always held a special place for each other. We were friends but more than friends, our friendship was put at the highest regard, a friendship we had never known before. Through high school our friendship developed into an interest in each other and before we knew it, we were dating the summer before our junior year.

Alicia: I was first attracted to Nick because of his caring nature. As a best friend, Nick was always going the extra mile for me. Whether that was being a shoulder to cry on, making a special sweet sixteen present for me, buying me a calgdah ring for a “fake” marriage ceremony for charity or coming to my choir concerts, dance practices and dance shows/competitions. Nick was always there to support, comfort and just be there for me.

Nick: Alicia first caught my attention with her infectious smile. Her smile lights up the entire room with a matching personality. Alicia is one of the most caring and thoughtful persons who always thinks of others before herself. She always goes the extra mile and can find the good in everyone. Our relationship started out as friends but through the years that friendship sparked in to high school sweethearts and then into our engagement!

How They Knew:

Alicia: I knew Nick was the one when I realized that being with Nick meant having a partner, an equal to journey through life with. The longer our relationship progressed and the more we grew together I realized that I had and was going to have everything I could have asked for in a husband. All of this realization came hand-in-hand with various emotions that overwhelmed my being because up until that point I had never experienced any relationship that exposed me to such raw and truly amazing feelings.

Nick: I knew Alicia was the one when I realized she completed me. She made me better. When I first met Alicia, I was a reserved and kept to myself. However, Alicia brought me out of my shell and I owe so much to her. I look up to her in so many ways and I can’t imagine my life without her. She is always there for me and just be seeing her face my day instantly becomes a 1000 times better. She knows every aspect of me, accepts me for how I am and loves me for being me. I am truly myself when she is around. She truly is my other half and soul mate. My life without her wouldn’t be complete and I would be the true me without her.

The Chicago Marriage Proposal Idea:

Nick: Alicia and I have always loved the city and have always felt at home there. We both go to school in the city and it is where our love deepened. Alicia is a true romantic and loves the little touches or just a simple surprise or date. Alicia has always loved the culture of Chicago and the different aspects that unfold during the different seasons/holidays. The Christkindlmarket is a staple of Christmas in Chicago, and Alicia had never attended it, so I knew I wanted to start our day there. After that we went ice skating at the new Maggie Daley Park because Alicia has always wanted to go ice skating in the city and that experience brought us back to when we would go ice skating in high school for recreational gym class. After ice skating we headed over to the Historic Chicago Water Tower (where I proposed). The water tower is the only building that survived the great Chicago fire. That being said, I thought that this would be the perfect spot to propose because if one building could survive that fire it would be a symbol of our relationship and how we would be able to with stand anything that comes our way.

When we started discussing plans to get engaged we both decided that we wanted to get customized rings. Alicia, one day after classes, decided to go to Jeweler’s Row (in the city) and just take a look to get some ideas about the various aspects of engagement rings. Ethan Lord really stuck out for Alicia and after she met Erika Stein, a sales executive, she had literally every aspect of the ring picked out (at the first appointment)!

And after our photographer secretly snapped their beautiful marriage proposal, he joined them for the remainder of the hour for a wintry wonderland holiday engagement session! Watch the moments before, during and after Nick’s proposal in their full engagement slideshow.

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How They Met

Carole had recently moved to Chicago from New York City, and her longtime best friend and Chicago resident, Liz, had eagerly arranged a get together to introduce her to her group of friends.

Earlier in the week, Liz had created a group message intended to coordinate everyone’s schedules.  Liz’s friend Danny had seen an unfamiliar name, and instantly took to Facebook to see who the new girl was.  As soon as her page loaded, he was impressed by her beauty and charmed by how fun she seemed to be, even just online.

That night when he met her in person, he realized his initial impression was right.  He was entranced by how much personality beamed out of such a cute, petite person.  She was in turn drawn in by his smile and personality.

The connection was mutual as they struck up a great conversation, and at the end of the evening made plans to hang out again soon.

How They Knew

Sparks flew when the pair met up.  Everything seemed so easy, so natural, and they couldn’t wait to see each other again.  But they remained ‘just friends’ until they attended the summertime Chicago music festival Lollapalooza together, and everything changed.

“That was when the friendship began blossoming into something more,” Danny said.  They started officially dating shortly after.

Danny said he was never the type to commit to one girl, but he knew instantly that Carole was different.  His work at the time required him to travel frequently, which made dating challenging, but he said he made it clear that he wanted to be exclusive with her. Carole was an incredible woman, and he worried in the beginning stages of their relationship that she would meet someone else in the time that he was away.  But they had something truly special, and their relationship only grew stronger over time.

“Eventually, my schedule slowed down and we began hanging out with each other every night,” he said. “It was very clear that she was the one I wanted to be with for the rest of my life!”

The Proposal

Danny wanted Carole to be completely surprised when he popped the question.  So he chose the Chicago Riverwalk, where the pair loved to go on long walks together, because he knew she wouldn’t expect anything out of the ordinary.

And judging by her adorable reaction when he dropped to one knee, she was completely surprised!  But he had a few more surprises in store.  He had reached out to Paparazzi Proposals to capture her genuine reaction with discreet proposal photography.

And afterwards, the couple joined family and friends for an impromptu engagement shoot!  View their full proposal slideshow, here.

Interested in planning and capturing your own proposal?  We’ve got you covered.  Check out more of our Chicago proposal photography for inspiration! With countless proposals captured nationwide, there’s no idea we haven’t heard of or dream marriage proposal we haven’t photographed!  Reach out for a free consultation with one of our proposal planning experts.

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How They Met:

Ryan and Katherine first met at a University of Kentucky football tailgate on a warm September afternoon back in 2012.  Their mutual friend had invited each of them for a weekend away.  Katherine was in from Chicago, and Ryan from his small hometown Odessa, Texas.

As they watched the game, Ryan couldn’t take his eyes off of her.  He was mesmerized by her long, blonde, curly hair, and charmed by her warm personality.  The feeling was mutual.  Ryan says he believes that she was drawn in by the way he wore his cowboy hat and Wrangler jeans.  Conversation was easy at the game, and the pair hit it off over the course of the weekend.

When it was time for them to part ways, they had forged an unbreakable connection.  They started dating soon after.

How They Knew:

The couple fell deeper in love over the course of the next year as they dated long-distance. By the early spring of 2013, they both knew that they had something special. Ryan left his small town to move to the big city, heading up to Chicago to join Katherine and see what would unfold.

The Proposal:

Ryan wanted their proposal to commemorate their love story.  So, he chose the Cut, a bar and restaurant on the Chicago River, as the location for their engagement.  The restaurant had been the first place Katherine had shown him when he moved there and was a sentimental location for both of them.

He invited all of Katherine’s friends and family to wait nearby and join in after the big moment to celebrate, and pose for portrait shots.  He consulted Katherine’s best friend Laura for help planning Katherine’s dream engagement night.

And on a warm summer night, nearly three years after they first met, he dropped to one knee in front of the scenic La Salle Street Bridge, and presented her with a stunning ring from Rivard Jewelers.

She was completely surprised, and she could barely contain her joy as she said, “Yes!”

After the pair paused for some incredible portrait shots, she was surprised again when all of her friends and family joined to admire her ring, congratulate the couple, and join in some of the photos.  View their full photo slideshow, here.

Interested in planning and capturing your own dream proposal, in Chicago and beyond?  Contact us for a free consultation with one of our proposal experts!  We specialize in proposal planning and surprise engagement photography, helping you capture that once-in-a-lifetime moment for years to come.

The post Chicago Engagement Photography appeared first on Paparazzi Proposals.

Which is why he chose Millenium Park as the place for his romantic engagement, and had Paparazzi Proposals help him capture each magical moment!

After work last week, the couple strolled to the park, which is nearby Daniel’s office.  They admired the reflected view of the Chicago skyline in the “Bean” statue, before Daniel dropped down to one knee and presented her with a gorgeous ring.  Once she had said yes, he surprised her once more by letting her know that one of our sneaky snappers had captured every gorgeous moment!

The happily engaged couple then wandered into a nearby park for an engagement shoot.  Trellises and fields of lavender, contrasted against Chicago‘s modern skyline, provided a romantic backdrop.  The two kissed and embraced, celebrating their engagement while our photographer took photos to document the magic.

See all the photos from their gorgeous engagement, here.

Looking for creative Chicago proposal ideas?  Check out other amazing engagements we have captured through surprise engagement photography in the Windy City.  Or, if you’re looking for more general inspiration, browse our extensive portfolio of surprise engagement photography that we have shot nationwide.

If you’re ready to commit, contact us— our team is ready to help you plan and carry out the proposal of your dreams.

And if you just love love, we post incredible engagement photos and stories everyday.  Be sure to check us out on social media by liking us on Facebook, and following us on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest!

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The two stopped for an inconspicuous stroll through Chicago’s Washington Square Park to take in the gorgeous, late spring scenery and the last rays of sun as it set over the skyline.  The pair stopped at a fountain, and before Charley knew it, Adam had dropped to one knee.

Bringing her hands to her face in joy and surprise, Charley watched as Adam reached into his pocket and presented her with an engagement ring. She said, “Yes!”

Smiling, the two kissed and embraced– and that’s when Adam revealed that he had worked with our team at Paparazzi Proposals to make sure that a hidden photographer captured each stunning moment!  After both of them were in on the secret, they continued on a stunning shoot around the park to commemorate the incredible occasion.

Backlit by the setting sun and their newly engaged glow, the couple left hand-in-hand to continue on to restaurant that Adam had made reservations at– their dinner date now a celebration of their engagement!

See all of the photos from their stunning proposal, here.

Paparazzi Proposals has shot many  proposals in Chicago, proving that the city isn’t just windy, it’s also romantic!

For a landmark proposal, try a Millemium Park engagement.  The glossy surface of the “Bean” statue reflects the skyline, whimsically bending tall buildings and putting the two of you front and center in a reflected view of downtown Chicago.   If this sounds like the right way for the two of you to make a memorable moment, check out Ben and Danielle’s stunning proposal at this location.

Or take note from Corey and Erin’s Kinzie Street Bridge proposal.  These two lovebirds got engaged at a stunning outlook point that happened to be not only a local landmark, but a landmark for their relationship as well.

Views make for memorable romantic moments, which is why the Sears Tower is always an incredible place for a Chicago proposal.  Check out Ben and Jess’s stunning sky deck proposal for inspiration.

And if you’re not in Chicago, it’s no problem.  With locations everywhere, we can capture your engagement no matter where you are! Now you can stop just talking about your proposal, and document it with gorgeous photographs.  Ready to commit?  Contact us and our team can help you brainstorm proposal ideas, so that all you need to do is arrive photo-ready and pop the question!  We can’t wait to help you plan your dream proposal.

The post Chicago Proposal Ideas – Adam and Charley’s Washington Square Park Proposal appeared first on Paparazzi Proposals.

However, knowing Danielle was a big April Fool’s prankster, he still wanted to have a little fun with her before the big moment. So when picking her up for the romantic date he planned, he did so in none other than her favorite car, a Tesla. Although he only rented it for the afternoon, he stuck a big red bow on it and was able to convince her that he leased it for the year!

That wasn’t the only “surprise” he had up his sleeve. Chicagoans take note, as this is one fantastic proposal idea! He drove her to Millenium Park, where he set up a romantic picnic right near the iconic Cloud Gate sculpture, as known as “The Bean.” As they were just settling in on the picnic blanket, Ben made his move. Slowly getting onto one knee he pulled out an absolutely stunning engagement ring from Hakimian Imports and Rose Estates Jewelers, and asked if she would spend the rest of her life with him. Curious as to what her answer was? The picture below says it all!

To hear the two of them share their love story is sublime. After being introduced by a mutual friend, their first date was at Bub City on Clark Street. Over a plate of Jalapeno Poppers and Cowboy Fries, the two laughed non-stop and quickly bonded. Danielle said she was instantly attracted to how genuine he was. “He was an old soul,” as she puts it, and she was enamored with how passionately he spoke of his friends and family. She was blown away by how much love he expressed for those close to him. Ben on the other hand, was immediately infatuated with her kindness and contagious energy. He was smitten with her smile and her ability to light up a room.  When asked the moment they knew the other was “the one,” both answered the exact same way. Family being so very important to them, they were both hooked when they met each-other’s family and saw the relationship they shared with them and how kind they all were. Talk about a perfect match! Enough about their amazing love story, it’s time you saw the photographs from their magical afternoon. Click here to see how our paparazzi-style photographer secretly captured the joy and excitement of this beautiful moment in their relationship. Congrats again, Ben and Danielle! Are you looking to propose in the Windy City? Contact us for more romantic Chicago proposal ideas! You can also see some of the other awesome Chicago proposal ideas we have helped pull-off.

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