Steve + Tesh || The Surprise Proposal in Chicago, IL
Hi Everyone! This is Jon writing up a very special post for a very special couple.
the background: Steve is one of my closest and oldest friends. So when he called me a few weeks ago, I thought it was another random phone call to check up on me. Instead, he called to tell me he was planning on proposing to his girlfriend and I had to book a ticket to Chicago the next free weekend I had. Within a few days, Steve had purchased the ring and I had confirmed my ticket.
the cover: Just in case, we concocted a whole story as to why I was flying into Chicago. I was scheduled to meet clients there for an engagement session on Saturday, thus leaving the rest of my weekend free to hang out with Steve and his then-girlfriend Tesh.
the location: After much research, Steve decided he would propose to her at the Garfield Park Conservatory, right off of the Green Line. This conservatory exhibits an amazing array of plant life from all over the world– palm trees, ferns, cacti, banana trees, etc.. Steve had secretly scouted the conservatory the weekend before I arrived, all the while Tesh thought he was at a teaching workshop. He then chose the perfect location to propose (the ‘Fern Room’) and sent me the details via email.
the friday before: I arrived at O’Hare around 1pm on Friday and immediately headed to the conservatory. I scouted the place out and quickly found the spot Steve wanted me to stand. As you will see in the photos below, the magnificent view of the Fern Room hits you even before you step into the room itself. Then I met up with Steve and Tesh after they had gotten off work, and we all grabbed dinner at Joy Yee’s and spent the night hanging out.
looking sharp the morning of…
Steve seeing the Fern Room for the ‘first time’
“Wow, look at this! Wouldn’t this be a cool place to propose?“
Steve gets down on his knees and begins with another one of his many fake proposals:”Teshie, will you mar…athon train with me?“
For a split second, she turns away to laugh off another one of his corny jokes. He quickly pulls out the ring box and opens it up.
(sincere tone) He asks, “No seriously, will you marry me?“, completely catching Tesh off guard.
(and she says YES!)
Steve and Tesh escape to spend a few minutes alone, absorbing their first few moments as a newly-engaged couple.
left-Fern Room info board || right- View of the Fern Room from where I was standing
Steve excitedly calling his parents to tell them their son is now engaged.
Finally, here are a few of my favorite shots from Steve & Tesh’s impromptu engagement session…
(Finally by popular demand, an after-session photo || Steve and Tesh phoning away to share the good news)
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