Raya & Sam

I often think about the perfect set of circumstances that need to occur for two perfectly matched individuals to somehow meet and then eventually fall in love with each other. Sometimes love has a plan that takes root years ago – a half world away. Raya and Sam were both born in Syria. After they had both finished school, the winds of change brought them both to the U.S. to pursue their individual careers. These two first met each other on a chilly February night in Chicago while attending a party. Raya happened to catch Sam’s glances. Even though that first conversation was short and cordial, they both felt that their personalities clicked. They were best friends from that moment on. From that day forward Sam could not stop thinking about Raya. He even spent many weekends driving the three hours from Chicago, where he is completing his medical residency, to Dubuque where Raya lives.

Prior to planning the engagement session, Raya had sent me a few pictures for inspiration of what she was envisioning for their pictures. I agreed the poses and couples were beautiful in the images, but it was the locations of these shots that stuck out to me. Raya is an architect and I could see how much she appreciated the beautiful architecture as a backdrop. Knowing this is something she is passionate about, I suggested we start the engagement session at the architecturally iconic Union Station. The beautiful limestone columns and arches, as well as the marble accents are a stunning back drop for this sweet couple.

After a quick change of clothes, we walked from the train station to the Monroe Street bridge, which provided an equally beautiful backdrop to finish the photo session. From meeting on a cold February night, it seems only fitting that we share their love story and photos on a snowy and chilly February day. Enjoy some of my favorites.