Summer and Champagne Nature Engagement Photos at Veterans Acres in Crystal Lake, IL

Emily & Brendan are engaged!

These two are so upbeat and fun to be around, but also are go-with-the-flow kind of people! Emily is a nurse, and with all the COVID changes, they have been constantly adapting their wedding plans to make the best decisions for them and their families. Emily and Brendan (and their whole family) are the kind of couples that I love to work with. They are warm, funny, in love, compassionate, generous, adventurous and a little bit of sarcastic (my personal favorite).

We last-minute changed the engagement photo location to Veterans Acres in Crystal Lake and I’m so glad they were willing to trust me at a venue they hadn’t seen yet! We had the perfect summer Chicagoland weather. We made sure to use as much of the nature and scenery as possible, and they even brought a bottle of champagne to pop at sunset and toast their engagement!

The entire O’Daniell family is the nicest family you’ll ever meet. I got to meet Lauren, Brendan’s sister while they are planning their wedding and Lauren and I clicked instantly. Lauren, Tyler and I had a blast for their fall orchard engagement session (I haven’t gotten to blog all of last year’s engagement sessions yet) and I’m so excited to shoot their wedding next summer! When Brendan and Emily reached out about their wedding, I could not have been more excited to shoot another member of their family!

Emily and Brendan’s wedding plans keep shifting but they are so gracious, always keeping me in the loop, and as hard as the changes must be they have such a positive attitude and are focusing on the importance of their relationship (Lauren & Tyler too)! I love these guys so much and I feel so close and connected to all of them! Whatever Emily and Brendan’s September wedding looks like: big, small, or in between, I’m thankful and excited to be there to celebrate these two and their love story <3

Cheers & Congratulations to the Future Mr & Mrs. O’Daniell!!