One Friday afternoon last month, I met a very excited John in the Winter Garden at Harold Washington Library. Spring was officially making an appearance, and as a result: it was time to propose! John put so much thought into the way he was going to ask Alex to marry him – and the anticipation was REAL. He wanted it to be intimate, unique, and most importantly, personal to their relationship. He chose the Winter Garden due to their mutual awe for its beauty and architecture – not to mention, their love of books! I truly enjoyed being a part of this process and witnessing it all come together 🙂

Alex arrived to the Winter Garden as planned with a particular book John had placed on hold for her. Little did she know that when she picked it up, there would be instructions to follow and a puzzle to solve! John was certain that she’d know exactly what was going on when she saw the book – Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges. John’s words:

“The Borges collection is part of the freshman studies curriculum at Lawrence University, which was where we met and fell in love. Borges was an Argentinian author who had a really unique literary style sometimes known as magical realism. Very early on in our relationship we would read stories from the collection to each other.”

John’s instructions led Alex straight to the Winter Garden, where it all became real. He got down on one knee, pulled out the ring, and popped the question! She said YES!! So excited for these two!

After their engagement we took a few portraits around the library and outside with the city. Their night continued with dinner, more surprises, and sharing the news with friends and family. Surprise proposals are one of my favorite things to photograph, and this was no exception! CONGRATS again, Alex and John!!