Michael and Emily met in the summer of 2012.  They both lived in Champaign and a close friend of Emily’s introduced the two of them.  They dated for 3 years before Michael surprised Emily with the sweetest proposal on their anniversary. Michael told Emily he had made her appointments to get a massage and her nails done… when she returned from her relaxing day, Michael had filled their apartment with candles and had prepared a meal for the two of them.  When Emily sat down for dinner, Michael got down on one knee and proposed!

Although Michael met Emily in 2012, I have known Emily since before then.  My freshman year at the University of Illinois, I was introduced to Emily through my roommate Caitlin.  We often times went over to Emily and her roommate Jill’s apartment and hung out.  Emily and Jill really helped us freshman get acclimated to the campus and showed us how to have a great time! I was so excited when Emily contacted me that she was engaged and even more excited when she decided she wanted me to be her wedding photographer.

For Michael and Emily’s engagement session, I met them Downtown Champaign on a beautiful Sunday evening.  We went around town finding doorways and spots to take photos in and even stopped at one of their favorite places, The Blind Pig.  We all sat down and had a drink and I was even able to get some adorable photos out of our adventure.  I am so excited for Michael and Emily and love these images from their engagement session!