I know. Its confusing. You click on this blog post expecting to see an engagement session, and instead, you see Kelly and Jon. You’re convinced that I paid them to stand in as one of my couples, but you’re wrong.

I really am just that lucky.

My portfolio is filled to the brim with clients. And each one of them strikes me blind, because they are all so dang good looking. Sometimes I can’t even resist saying something about it – like when I’m at a consultation and it would be deemed appropriate to just say, “hi nice to meet you!” instead I blurt out something like, “whoa… you are so pretty!” and then I think in the back of my head, “I hope she doesn’t think that was some cheesy attempt at gaining brownie points. Great, strike 1 for Cassandra.”  I don’t have much of a filter. It’s true. And any of my clients who have worked with me can attest to that statement.  If you look awesome, I’m going to scream it.  If you guys give me goosebumps, I will scream that too, and show you my arm as proof, and so on… 

Okay, back to Kelly and Jon. They’re real clients. They hired me. I’m lucky.  So here goes..

Kelly and Jon are both teachers. So while some of my clients tell me their love stories about how they met in the halls on their way to class, Kelly and Jon are no different. Except they are.  Kelly taught Spanish and Jon taught Language Arts, and in the in between, they taught each other all there was to know about real love.

Fast forward a year and 8 months later, and you see one of the most beautiful rings (which he just so happened to design) on one of the most beautiful girls (which he just so happened to love).  Knowing that not much can get her up in the morning other than breakfast, he designed a plan which would start the day off without a hitch.  Earlier, Jon had brought his dad over to the Botanical Gardens to scope out the perfect spot that would change both of their lives, and then he did something that will forever put him in my “Book of Favorites” – he had a photographer hide in the bushes to document the entire proposal.  (sidenote: this needs to happen more often). So, on the morning of a soon to be engagement, he wakes Kelly up from bed and convinces her that going out to breakfast isn’t just a good idea, it’s by far the best idea he’s ever had.  But first, the Garden’s. The ring. The proposal. He hands her the map hoping to distract her from the subtle movement of his knee hitting the ground, and as she turns to face him she quickly realizes, nothing is as it was. Everything, had changed.

So, ladies. The moral of the story is, never say no to breakfast.

Meet, Kelly and Jon.

        

Life works in mysterious ways; and the meeting of Merri and Andy is no exception.  It’s a chemistry thing, you know. Understood I talk about that a lot – chemistry. But its because I truly believe in it.  Two people who may have been intended as a good match may not make it past the first date, because his chemistry lies with someone else. Even if he doesn’t know it yet…

 But that’s okay… because she’s all over it.

Merri is one of those people that when you begin a conversation with her, you wish it not to stop.  The tone of her voice is so sweet and inviting, and her laugh is cutely contagious.  In all honesty, upon first glance you’d probably peg her as shy and introverted, that is, until you have the opportunity to hear all she has to say. Introvert? I think not. So it didn’t surprise me much when I asked her during our meeting how she met her soon to be husband, and she said with out-right confidence, “after he had hung around out group of friends for a while, I finally approached him knowing he was new to the city, and asked if he wanted to go out for a drink.”  Boom. Women taking control at it’s finest, and a relationship is formed.

So how did that ring slip on to her finger, you’re wondering?  Nothing short of simplicity and privacy. Just the two of them; him preparing for a preserved and unaltered moment, her not having a single clue. On Merri’s 30th birthday, expecting nothing but the company of her man and perhaps a birthday card, she walked into an apartment filled with candles and flowers. He poured a glass of wine for the two of them, and insisted that he read her card aloud.  Butterflies occupied Merri’s stomach as she literally watched her 30th Birthday turn into the most unforgettable moment of her life while he dropped down to one knee.  The day that she would become Mrs. Vigil.  After meeting Andy, this proposal made perfect sense.  It matched up with his calm and playful nature just right, and there is no denying that this man’s love for his fiancée ;) is anything short of unconditional.

Meet, Merri and Andy:

This was one of those moments in Ryan’s life that he knew couldn’t be deemed “mediocre”.  He had found her, his love, and much like in the world of professional sports, the motto Go Big or Go Home, rang true.  And well, he certainly went big.  (just wait til you see her ring… swoon)

Ryan and Claudia met at one of Chicago’s most beloved landmarks: what is now named US Cellular Field. He as a former professional player transferring over into the world of scouting, and she a DePaul graduate relishing in the fine perks of working for a team named World Series Champions. Time and time again, their paths crossed and their curiosity for one another grew.  And from the moment that her number made his way into his phone, they knew their lives would never be the same. 

Ryan went above and beyond to find the perfect ring. No, but I’m serious. He drove to Maryland (where he swore he had found the one… but much like us women when we’re trying on our dresses.. we don’t want to put all our eggs in one basket just yet) so he drove all over the map discovering different diamonds and sets and colors, until there was no denying it. Maryland had what he wanted. Maryland had the diamond that best represented his love for Claudia. 

Just when you thought Ryan’s sweet effort ended with world travel to find a diamond good enough for the one he loves most, you were wrong. (don’t you hate when that happens?) Except it just keeps getting better.  He called on her best friends and his family in Minnesota, and unleashed his best kept secret. He was going to ask Claudia to be his wife, and he wanted all of them to share in the monumental occasion. So being that everyone who knows her, loves her (and I totally get why, she’s the sweetest) they all made their way to Chicago and awaited ever so patiently for the two of them to walk in, at a river-side restaurant. 

Meanwhile….

A sail boat, a perfect summer night in Chicago, and a nervous man down on one knee, praying only for two things: That he could hold his balance, and that she, would say yes.

Meet, Ryan and Claudia

He whisked her away to Paris. A place she had never been, and a place that he wanted her to experience, with him. And when he asked her to be his wife, it was surely an experience she would never forget. 

They say that you learn a lot about someone when you travel with them, especially to a different country… or three our four.  But truth be told, being in the presence of Matt and Nikki you almost forget that they haven’t known each other for their entire lives. That she wasn’t, in fact, his girl next door, and he wasn’t the boy that would direct his spit balls at her during lunch time. 

Years passed throughout their lives, both traveling down a long path, unbeknown to them a path that would eventually collide, changing their lives forever.  

I can only imagine how Matt and Nikki must have felt the moment they first realized that they each had a sense of humor that does not fail.  I began thinking about what it must be like at home with them – what in the heck could they even fight about? Who’s got the better jokes?  Who can think of the quickest come-back? Does she get mad at him for his flawless wit? Does he get frustrated with her contagious laugh and undeniably cute dimples in his moments of trying to be angry?

This session was unlike any other. I was laughing 98% of the time, and the other 2% I was having to mentally tell myself to get it together so I could click the shutter in a still motion (laughter moves the body, you know)  But all fell apart when we got to the park and the infamous airplane took place. I was curled over in laughter, vocalizing to both of them that I needed a moment to collect myself. That my abdomen was tightening up more so than it does at the gym (guilty) and that I could… not… breathe. 

Matt and Nikki are the perfect dose of medicine during a month full of chaos. They reminded me that there’s never a wrong time to let loose and laugh at yourself…. or to do the airplane in public.