Waymond’s proposal to Phuong outside the Adler Planetarium had SO much thought and love that went into the day.  I was so happy to have been a part of their special day!  A colleague of Waymond, Crissel, reached out to me initially to help him find a photographer to document his proposal to Phuong.  Crissel and I actually know each other from college!  We were both a part of the Filipino Alliance at UIC, so when she reached out to ask if I could document this sweet proposal for her colleague, I was SO excited!  

When Crissel inquired with me she originally asked if I was available for back to back sessions, documenting their proposal on one day, and their engagement day on the following day.  Though I did have a wedding, we were able to make something work later in the week so that we could document some engagement photos for them as well!  

A Bit About this Chicago Love Story

There is A LOT of planning that goes into a proposal with people involved outside of just the two of you. After the initial details were taken care of, Crissel connected me with Waymond to start going over the rest of the details that would go into the proposal.  Waymond was so thrilled that I was available for the 10th and was flexible to schedule the engagement session later than the 11th. We communicated back and forth with planning his Adler Planetarium proposal and creating a contingency plan incase of bad weather. 

Waymond and Phuong are pharmacists that live in Philly at the moment. They eventually have plans to come back to Chicago after a few years and maybe settle here to be closer to family.  Phuong is from Minnesota and Waymond (from Chicago) added an extra surprise to his proposal by flying out her mother and sister to Chicago to witness their engagement.  Waymond knew how happy it would make Phuong to have her family there for the proposal, so as we planned, we kept having her family there in mind!  

Planning their Adler Planetarium Proposal

Waymond arrived in Chicago a week prior due to a work conference, then Phuong followed since he convinced her to “visit” his family. He wanted the proposal to take place by the Adler Planetarium since it was one of the first few places they went to when they started dating. Waymond told Phuong that they were going to a Hawaiian restaurant in Chinatown and they were making a pit stop at the planetarium to see the views. Phuong had no idea what was to come. She was oblivious to the whole plan and missed all the “slip ups” that Waymond made, like asking her on the phone if she packed nice clothes, and paying for lot parking (which he never does) instead of street parking when they reached the Planetarium.

Their friends and family, including Crissel, arrived at the location 30 mins earlier and hid downhill to witness the proposal. They Zoomed other family and friends who were not able to come including Waymond’s parents who later joined them for dinner.  Leading up to the day, I sent Waymond multiple diagrams with stick figures telling him options on where he could propose and where to “hide” people.  That way after he popped the question, they could come out and celebrate with them!

Their Engagement Session in Lincoln Park

Their engagement session happened on June 13 which is the day before they flew back to Philly. We went to the Honeycomb, North Ave beach, and Ping Tom Memorial Park. By the time we got to our cars after North Ave Beach, the tornado warning sirens started playing, but we pushed through to go to Ping Tom. We were able to take a few photos there before the weather decided that it was time for us to end the session. Overall though it was an incredibly successful surprise proposal at the Adler Planetarium and a wonderful engagement session a few days later!

I’m SO happy that Crissel reached out to me about photographing Waymond’s proposal to Phuong and their engagement session. Being there both for the surprise proposal at the Adler Planetarium as well as the engagement session so soon after was an amazing experience and I’m so glad we were able to make it all work! And if you’re planning a surprise proposal of your own and are in need of a photographer be sure to head to my contact page so we can start planning your day!