Where to Take Engagement Photos in Chicago

When taking photographs to announce an engagement to your friends and family, the setting needs to rise to the occasion. Fortunately, Chicago has everything that a to-be wed couple could want for the special moment, from urban grandeur to natural splendor, old glamor to modern style.

By Dave Lifton (@daveeatschicago)

Landmarks

Even when not lit, the colorful marquee of the Chicago Theatre makes a bold visual statement, and there are a few framing options. You can stand in the median lane for the full effect or walk on the east side of State St. for a vertical shot.

Completed in 1897 as the main branch of the Chicago Public Library, the Chicago Cultural Center is home to some of the most beautiful rooms in the city. From the Randolph St. side, enter the G.A.R. Rotunda and Hall, originally a meeting place for Civil War veterans, where you’re welcomed by a 40-foot diameter, 62,000-piece art glass dome. Inside the hall, you’ll find green marble walls and massive windows that flood the room with light, even on cloudy days.

On the Washington St. side of the Cultural Center, Preston Bradley Hall simply dazzles. A two-story marble staircase leads up to a Tiffany-built room centered by a 38-foot diameter, 30,000-piece glass dome—the largest created by Tiffany—plus gorgeous mosaics and lamps. Both rooms can also be used to host the wedding.

Like Preston Bradley Hall, the two major staircases in the Art Institute of Chicago provide resplendent photo opportunities. The three-level Women’s Board Grand Staircase is found steps inside the main entrance, with another Tiffany creation, the Hartwell Memorial Window, at the top. Over the back staircase on the second floor is Georgia O’Keeffe’s Sky Above Clouds. During the summer months, the Art Institutes North and South Gardens are open on Thursdays-Mondays.

For Art Deco majesty, it’s hard to beat Union Station—and the Great Hall, in particular. Then, head to the Chicago Board of Trade, rising 600 feet above LaSalle St. While there, pop into the Rookery, one of the city’s oldest existing skyscrapers, where a light court designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and a spiral staircase await.

And, of course, Millennium Park has Cloud Gate (“The Bean”), Pritzker Pavilion, Lurie Garden, and, for a bit of whimsy, the Crown Fountain. For romance, it’s hard to beat Grant Park’s formal gardens and Buckingham Fountain, particularly during the summer.

Skyline Views

The combination of Chicago’s skyline and its two main bodies of water—Lake Michigan and the Chicago River—offer no shortage of possibilities. In the heart of downtown, stand on the east sides of the bridges at LaSalle St. or Clark St., or the west side of the DuSable Bridge. The long staircase from Michigan Ave. down to the Riverwalk is another picturesque spot, as is the steep staircase at State St. It’s hard to take a bad shot along the Riverwalk, but the platform immediately east of the Clark St. bridge might be the best. 

At the Museum Campus, the grounds of the Shedd Aquarium is one of the prettiest spots in Chicago, with the skyline rising above Grant Park and the lake. A similar view is found between Ohio Street Beach and Navy Pier. Milton Lee Olive Park is a hidden-in-plain-sight gem – about halfway down is an overlook of the skyline, centered by the John Hancock Center, with Lake Michigan in between.

You can find more spots that combine nature with skyscrapers in Lincoln Park at North Avenue Beach, North Pond, the Rowing Lagoon (via the bridge at Fullerton Ave.) and the Nature Boardwalk at South Pond, with the Peoples Gas Pavilion (“The Honeycomb”) beautifully framing the John Hancock Center. On the South Side, near the Griffin Museum of Science & Industry, Promontory Point and Wooded Island in Jackson Park are particularly scenic, as is Chinatown’s Ping Tom Park.

For lush greenery without the cityscape, visit Chicago’s two conservatories, in Lincoln and Garfield Parks. Or venture outside the city to the Morton Arboretum in Lisle or the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe.

But if it’s urban grit you want for your engagement photos, the city has no shortage of murals Head to Pilsen, Logan Square, Uptown, or the South Loop’s Wabash Arts Corridor for colorful and vibrant street art (check out eATLAS’ ‘Murals of the WAC’ Adventure).

Lastly, engagement photo shoots can also be tailored around shared interests. For example, sports fans may consider the marquee in front of Wrigley Field or the Michael Jordan statue at the United Center, and lovers of amusement parks could use the Centennial Wheel at Navy Pier as a backdrop.

Before going on a shoot, check with all locations for their policy on professional photography. Some places, even public parks, may require a permit and a fee. Jason Kaczorowski Photography has details for many of the spaces listed above, but not all.