Hello, lovelies! I know this post is way overdue – I’ve been wanting to share all my engagement photos with y’all since forever, but let me tell you – planning a wedding during a pandemic is unlike anything else. Unfortunately, it just puts an emotional toll on you that’s just so hard to explain to anyone who isn’t a #coronabride. However, what keeps me really excited during the planning process is having my fiancé by my side – I feel so lucky to have his neverending support, positive encouragement and love throughout these unprecedented times. He’s really my rock! And at the end of the day, I always remind myself that that’s what getting married is all about 🙂
So this is part 1 of our engagement photoshoot, but I will be sharing more wedding updates in a part 2 engagement photoshoot blog post (with my other outfit!). CJ & I did this photoshoot back in May I believe, when there was a lockdown in the city of Chicago. We were supposed to do a photoshoot back in March (and actually planned to fly out to NYC to do it there), but kept pushing it out because of the pandemic. After months of waiting, we finally decided to drive out to Bourbonnais, IL (an hour drive from where we live) since there weren’t any restrictions in the area. This location was actually at a college, Olivet Nazarene University, and it was so BEAUTIFUL! We got super lucky that the flowers were in full Spring bloom, and I couldn’t be happier with how the photos turned out! Our photographer, Elle from Elle Taylor Photography was SO sweet and amazing. I’m used to photoshoots but CJ isn’t, and she made him feel so comfortable! She literally posed us perfectly for every shot – which was super nice for me, since I’m not used to that for my blog photoshoots 😛 Also, can we talk about her gorgeous editing and high quality shots? I didn’t edit any of these! Highly recommend her if you live in Chicago // surrounding areas of Illinois – she’s the best!
Lastly, wanted to share outfit deets – my jewelry is all from and my dress is from Peaches Boutique. Peaches Boutique has a ton of gorg, super fancy evening gowns, and this brand is La Femme. I know most couples typically do 1 formal and 1 casual look for their engagement shoots, but I knew I definitely wanted both my outfits to be on the formal side. I always take casual photos for my blog, so this was an excuse for me to dress up even more 😛 I was going for a glam look with the all over sequin style – loved that this dress was white (felt super bridal-like) + unique with the two pieces, but still really classy. CJ was obsessed with his new shoes we got for the photoshoot – they’re from To Boot New York and super high quality. Highly recommend for your man!
Stay tuned for a Part 2 blog post of the engagement photoshoot coming soon, with a big wedding update!
| Dress: c/o Peaches Boutique (La Femme) | Earrings: c/o | CJ’s Tie Clip: c/o | CJ’s Shoes: c/o To Boot New York | Photos by Elle Taylor Photography
A huge thanks to Peaches Boutique + To Boot New York for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own.
