Engagement Session with City Views
There’s no denying that the fall and winter months tend to bring a lot of proposals. Which means a new season of engagement photo sessions will be upon us before we know it! To kick start some inspiration, we’re throwing it back to sunnier (and warmer) days with Maritza and Roy’s engagement session at Olive Park! With skyline views and smiles for miles we can’t get enough of these sweet moments captured by Emma Belen Photography!
How did you two first meet?
Maritza: In 2015, Roy saw me at the Walnut Speakeasy I was there with friends and he was there with friends, He asked a bartender who I was and got my name. He then requested me on facebook (creeper). I thought who is this guy, I don't know him, but I noticed on his pics he was always at Walnut and thought well he seems harmless, I will accept his friend request. He then noticed we had a mutual friend (Brandann) and he asked Brandann to reach out to me, and set us up, but at that time I was sort of seeing someone, so I told him we could be friends. So we would see each other here or there or have drinks or dinner and were just friends. It wasn't until a year later in 2016 when I was officially single and Roy was single as well that we started to hang out more often and go on dates and he really helped me during a difficult time cause my dad had just passed away. The rest was history after that.
What makes your relationship special? Tell us some things that you both value in your time together. (example: pushing each other to new limits, love to travel, huge comic book fans, foodies, etc.) What makes your relationship unique?
Maritza: I think what makes our relationship so special is our love of family and children. Both coming from close families and having our own children, we both knew we needed a partner that loved to be around family and that understood our children come first. Now, when we do not have our children we do LOVE to travel or make plans for date nights. We love our alone time together and going out to different restaurants and breweries and trying new things. I would like to consider us to be very spontaneous and fun. Not to mention, we consider each other best friends. Even sitting at home and making dinner together is so much fun!
How did you know your partner was the one? When did you first know this in your relationship?
Maritza: He says when he first saw me he knew I was going to be his and we would get married. It took me a little longer to feel that way, but I knew after a few months of dating, we were at dinner and I was sitting right next to him, He's talking and I'm just mesmerized. I'm thinking OMG what's wrong with me? Later that night I rested my head on his shoulder and it was at that moment, I felt so safe and content and happy, I felt complete and I knew he was the one for me. He never gave up and he always was there for me. I had never felt that way in my life for anyone.
Give us all the details about the proposal. How and where did it happen? Was it a surprise? What was the planning process?
Maritza: We were getting ready to celebrate our 2 year anniversary. So we decided, let's go somewhere beautiful for dinner and somewhere we hadn't been to. I picked the Signature Room in Chicago and he loved the idea. So me being me (I like to be in charge) I started planning everything, but he quickly took over and said he wanted to plan it. We decided to stay the night in Chicago so we picked the Godfrey Hotel, because of the rooftop lounge. So Roy knew I would get my nails done and probably buy a new dress for the occasion. I always said to him, when you propose I want it to be only you and I and please just make sure I look nice and have my nails done. I also told him I did not want to know or have a clue. But of course as a woman in a happy relationship and I knew we were serious and marriage was in our near future, I had a feeling it would happen sooner than later. Did I think this could be the night? Of course, but I didn't want that to take over my thoughts. I wanted to be surprised when it happened and if it didn't I didn't want to be upset or disappointed either. I decided to not think about it and enjoy the night. So January 5th, 2019 comes along and we head to Chicago. We are ready to start our anniversary celebration. I made reservations for the signature room and they could not guarantee us a window view unless we arrived early and asked for it. Little did I know Roy had called and spoke to the manager (go figure his sister is friends with one of the managers) So Roy already had a beautiful table waiting for us with a stunning view. We also had personalized menus for our anniversary. Everything was perfect and dinner was amazing. We were having some cocktails and I literally forgot that tonight could maybe be the night. I am assuming soon we will be leaving? But Roy suggests we have another drink. Me being the more conservative one with money and The Signature Room being so expensive, I say "how about we just go back to the hotel, we have drinks in our room and then we are going to the rooftop Godfrey". So he says to me well I am going to the bathroom and when I come back we can head to the hotel. He comes back to the table and he looked a little nervous, little did I know what was about to happen. He asks me if I know how much he loves me? I said yes I know you love me, and he says I know I love you more than you love me, because I cannot live without you. I said, I don't agree because I feel the same way, I said to him you are my life and I couldn't live without your either. He looks at me and said good that's what I needed to hear, he gets up walks over to me and gets down on one knee and asks me if I would be his wife and gave me the most beautiful and perfect ring. It was beautiful I cried I was so happy it was everything I wanted and it was just us two. After, I had no clue he had A VIP table waiting for us at the Godfrey with bottle service and to top it off had my 2 brothers and their wives, and his 2 sisters and their husbands there waiting for us to get there to celebrate with us. It was beautiful, we celebrated, took pictures, danced and had such a great night. The next day he had a mimosa brunch planned for all of us so the celebration continued. It was literally the best weekend of my life. He planned everything and made sure everyone was there and I then knew why he was so stressed and nervous those few days prior.
Describe your perfect date.
Maritza: My perfect date with Roy is simple, good food and some cocktails and him! It doesn't matter where.
What’s you vision for Wedding day?
Maritza: I want it to be elegant and classy, but fun and entertaining for our guests. I will also be doing a little tribute to my father that passed away in 2016. But we do have a beautiful venue. Ceremony and Reception will all be at Venuti's in Addison and our Hotel is beautiful. We will be staying and getting ready at the Eaglewood Resort in Itasca. I have also hired a decorator to drape the ceilings in the banquet room and the ceilings light up in color. It is going to be beautiful!
Wedding Pros:
Photography: Emma Belen Photography