I get asked about locations for engagement sessions so often that I figured I should just share a comprehensive list of awesome Chicago engagement locations on the blog!! 🙂 If you missed it – I blogged the first part of this post last week, which included my favorite Urban / Downtown / Cityscape locations for sessions!! Now today I’m going to share locations on the other end of the spectrum… ones that have more of a nature / park / lake vibe!!
Here are my favorite PARK / NATURE / LAKE locations if you’d prefer something more green (or blue) for your engagement session backdrop!
Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Grounds
I love this area around the Nature Museum for photos! The light is always beautiful, and the flowers in the meadow area make for such a perfect backdrop! Along with that – you also have the bridge behind the museum, the water near that, and it is a quick walk to the next 2 locations below so you can pair any of these locations easily!
Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool
This is such a romantic and stunning hidden gem in the city!! I never get tired of shooting here and love that it is beautiful in all seasons! From flowering trees in the springtime to the most beautiful yellow leaves in the fall – you really can’t go wrong at the Lily Pool! Just make sure to note close times because it sometimes closest before sundown depending on the time of year!
Lakefront at FullertonÂ
From either of the locations listed above – it is super easy to just continue walking east on Fullerton until you hit the lakefront for some skyline and lake photos if you want to tag on another location but not worry about driving anywhere! Here is an example of the view from there!
North Avenue Beach
This definitely wins as my favorite spot for skyline photos in the city. I love how close the skyline is, and how beautiful the light is from this location! Also, usually the closer to sunset you get the quieter the beach and walkway get – so you can usually manage to get these without a million people in your photos (especially on non-peak nights and seasons). If you like sandy beach photos too – it is the perfect spot to get both beach and skyline!
South Pond and Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo
This is such a beautifully manicured nature area for photos! This location also pairs well with North Avenue Beach if you want to get some park images to start and end with the skyline at sunset!
Montrose Harbor / Beach / Bird Sanctuary
This is another gorgeous beach option further north in the city if you prefer something a little more remote and off the beaten path. (Though don’t be surprised if parking is hard to find if it is a beautiful summer night!) The bird sanctuary area is the perfect area to get some sprawling meadow photos with a few lone trees, and you can also hit up the beach, boat house, or skyline to throw some variety in there!
Gompers Park
If you want to hit up a city park but don’t want to head all the way into the city – then hit up this gorgeous park on the northwest side of the city! The center of the park is full of beautiful trees, there are two bridges that go over the duck pond, rock formations around the waterways and lovely weeping willow trees down along the pond! It lends itself for a variety of looks and is my favorite in the fall when the park is full of color!!
LaBagh Woods
This is another great option for those suburb couples who may not want to come all the way into the city – but want to avoid the travel fee of suburb locations! This forest preserve runs along an old train track route which is converted into hiking trails. There is a river that runs through part of the forest and a beautiful bed of yellow flowers that decorate the forest floor in the spring time!
Humboldt ParkÂ
A lesser known park in the city – but great for those couples who prefer to stay on the west side while still getting some beautiful nature photos! This park is especially gorgeous in the springtime, as the parking lot around the boat house is surrounding by flowering crab trees!! This is a nice low-key location for a session and the boat house lends itself well to a back-up rain location option!
