Lincoln Park Engagement Photos

Jackie and Matt spent two years long-distance before he made the big move to Chicago and (of course) it was the best decision of their lives! They joined Uriel Photography in Lincoln Park (where Matt popped the question) for their fantastic engagement photos. These two are counting the days until their Labor Day wedding at the Rookery Building!

How We Met

We met through a mutual friend in February 2016. Matt reached out to me but was living in Minnesota at the time. It wasn’t until June 2016 that we finally were able to meet when I took a trip to visit friends in Minneapolis (I went to college in Minnesota). The day after we met Matt asked I would be his girlfriend! Not sure if he was serious and this “relationship” was an actual thing, I continued to talk to him everyday after we met. Matt booked a flight to Chicago for the following month and we continued to date long distance for over 2 years! We attempted to see each other once a month but that was not always the case. Sometimes we went weeks or months without seeing each other, and sometimes it was only days before our next trip. We learned how to really communicate because for each struggle we faced we had to deal with it over face time or a phone call. Matt would always remind me how badly he wanted to spend those Sunday nights together instead of saying goodbye. Finally, Matt moved to Chicago September 1st, 2018 and proposed on May 18th, 2019.

The Proposal

On the first trip Matt took to Chicago we decided to walk around Lincoln Park Zoo. It was only fitting that Matt brought us right back there! My birthday is May 15th but he had told me he made dinner reservations for the 18th. That day we laid low until it was time to get ready for “dinner”. I noticed Matt took a VERY long shower and later found out it was because he was thinking so much about what he was about to do! HA! We jumped in the car and I asked where we were going because I started to get an idea of what might be happening. He told me my parents which really threw me for a loop. As we headed towards my parents he took Bryn Mawr up past Sheridan (where we would have turned) and got onto Lake Shore Drive. Now I’m onto his plan. We didn’t speak whatsoever on the ride because 1. he was SO nervous and 2. I was SO nervous on where the heck we were going. He got off at Fullerton and it began to really rain. We walked into the Lincoln Park Conservatory (where apparently rain can still get inside the building HA) and he walked me around the conservatory about 5 times before he remembered where he had planned the perfect spot to propose. Matt got down on one knee and out popped a good friend with a camera. I looked down and he looked at the ring and noticed it was upside down hahah! We laughed and it took away all the nerves of the moment. I said yes and cried happy tears for the next solid hour. It was the perfect proposal for us.