Starved Rock Engagement Session – Oglesby Il

An engaged couple snuggle over an outlook at starved rock park.

Caryn & Don met at a house warming party of mutual friends a little over a year and half ago. After a lot of Busch lights & whiskey shots, Caryn looked at Don, told him he was hot and made the first move by kissing this total stranger!

You go girl. Confident women who go after what they want without waiting on the man to make the first move are totally up my alley.

They saw each other a few times after & exchanged numbers, and went out on our first date for Tacos, beer & the Bears game & have been inseparable ever since!

Caryn & Don love adventures together and enjoy going to the movies, trying new sushi spots, going to Comic Book stores & shopping for exclusive nerd collectibles! They love to hike, working out together, and doing anything outdoors! Of course there is nothing like a Saturday night doing a Disney Power hour & killing a 30 rack of Busch Lights! They also enjoy our nights out with our friends & family but nothing tops calling off work together & snuggling all day in bed watching movies!

THEIR PROPOSAL STORY “Don & I had planned to finish our hiking adventure at Starved Rock State Park. My fiancé is a twin, and his brother wanted to join us. We had all went out Friday night so we were a tad bit hungover but we managed to get up and get going! We had slept over at my mother in laws house and she had cried that morning when we left, I thought she was sad we were going to be gone for the weekend, but she was crying because she knew Don was going to propose. So the 3 of us head out to Starved Rock literally chasing waterfalls. We went to St Louis Canyon first & took some really cool pictures & then Don wanted to go down to Wildcat Canyon because they had a huge waterfall the last time we went. We hiked another 3 miles to it & no waterfalls. I saw he had a concerned look on his face but I didn’t think anything of it! I took a seat on one of the fallen trees & Don & his brother kept going through the backpack. Next thing I know Don calls me over & gets down on his knee and has this CHEESY smile on his face. His brother is recording us and I was in complete shock! I started crying & laughing because it felt like such a dream! When he pulled out the ring he could barely get out “Will you marry me” because I jumped into his arms and said “Yes” So then, we are on cloud 9 hiking back & his brother keeps rushing us through the trails, I was legit out of breathe lol! We get lost, finally make it to the car, my phone died, but that didn’t matter because when I tried calling my family no one was answering. I tried texting & calling & no one would answer. I started to get upset but we got closer to my neighborhood and a few people started texting back. We turn the corner of my parents street, there are cars lined up everywhere and all of our immediate family and closest friends were holding signs in the front yard saying “She Said Yes” I was SO SURPRISED AND SHOCKED. Don had planned an intimidate engagement party right after. I cried so much tears of pure joy & happiness. It was the best day of our lives. Lots of toasts & lots of cheering & drinks! We had a blast!!”

IS THERE ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH ME ABOUT THE TWO OF YOU? “Don is an amazing nurse and an amazing brother & son. He takes pride in his work ethic & his accomplishments when it came to school and graduating. Family is his number one priority and he adores his friends! He has an amazing crew of best buds from grade school, Eastern Illinois University, and loves his brother in laws & friends! His groomsmen are so special to him! Don is a huge fan of Chicago Teams minus the Cubs. He loves the Soxs and Caryn loves the Cubs! Caryn takes pride in how big her heart is. She loves big and wears her heart on her sleeve. Her family is her number one priority & she loves her siblings with all her heart. She’s very blessed to have a huge family and is grateful to marry into a loving family. Caryn loves Harry Potter & all the Disney Classics! We have actually traveled a lot in the time we have been together. Mexico, Vegas, Disney World, Universal Studios, and a lot of surrounding states! We plan to continue traveling & living each day like it’s our last!

Of course it was only fitting to do their engagement photos at the same place Don proposed and even though we wont be hiking trails the day of their wedding, there will be an amazing fun filled day of love and laughter at the lodge next May that I can’t wait to be a part of!

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