Every relationship is a journey but this Indiana-born and bred couple, who met in high school, fell in love in college and traveled great distances to be together, have truly had one great, romantic adventure. It only seems appropriate that their engagement session with J. Nelson Photography would take them on a journey around the great city of Chicago not only documenting their sweet, easy love for one another but also a city near and dear to their hearts. See it all in the full gallery!
Click here for the FULL engagement session!
From the Bride-to-Be… We both attended the same high school in Indiana — Chesterton High School — but didn’t meet until sophomore year, when I would frequent my friend Bethany Babich’s locker, Babich being right next to Babcock. At first, I thought he seemed like a funny, goofy guy but didn’t know his name or ever really meet him. The first time I actually talked to him was because he was bent over at his locker retrieving books and his boxers were out with the word “naughty” printed across his butt. I thought it was hilarious and made a joke of some sort but still didn’t really know his name. It wasn’t until the second year German class went on a field trip to South Bend when we actually met. Erik sat behind me on the bus and let me listen to his headphones. I was pretty stoked/intrigued when I put them on and Sheryl Crow’s “Strong Enough to Be My Man” was on. We didn’t sit together during the German performance (Erik’s current girlfriend was also there), but when we had lunch afterwards at Perkins, we somehow sat at a table together and actually have a picture from that first dining experience to document it. From that point on, I had a huge crush on Erik.
Junior year at CHS, we had German class together and our friendship continued to grow. During a brief single stint, we even went on a date or two, before Erik returned to his ex, leaving me heartbroken. Understanding I lost the battle but still wanting to win the war, I made and gave Erik a “Guaranteed Unlimited Date Pass” on January 25, 2002 — never to be expired. When we went away to college, I went to Indiana University and Erik went to Rose Hulman, and we became even closer. Rose Hulman’s population was over 80% men, and the women who were there weren’t really his type. So frequently, in search of a good party, Erik and all his roommates/friends/soccer team would come to IU and stay with me. This continued for two years. It wasn’t until the end of sophomore year, when some acquaintances and I went to Rose Hulman for Erik’s frat party that our relationship really started. A girl was flirting with Erik shamelessly, and I was annoyed (despite having my own boyfriend), and I went outside to call a friend. Erik noticed I was gone and apparently left the girl to see why I was upset. In a drunken stupor, he confessed his love to me … that he’d been in love with for the last two years but never wanted to ruin my other relationships, that for the last 2 years he had been waiting for the chance to be with me. He then pulled out the unlimited date pass I had given him 3½ years earlier — he had hung on to it the entire time.
From there, I left my current boyfriend, and Erik and I started to date over the summer, but just for fun as I was transferring to Penn State University. But by August, I realized I wanted to stay at IU and be closer to Erik (in addition to the fact I’d have to take a fifth year at PSU due to non-transferable credits). And we’ve been together ever since. Despite when I interned in NYC and he interned in Chicago, and despite that then I went to London to study abroad for the semester, and despite when he got a job in San Diego and I moved with him and then his job sent him to New Jersey for 3-4 months and Dallas for another 4 months. We somehow made it through and couldn’t be happier or better for it.
Photography: J. Nelson Photography / Location: Chicago, Illinois