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ENGAGEMENT LOCATIONS

Grant Park

Updated onAugust 28, 2021

Home / Engagement Locations / Chicago / Grant Park

Grant Park, located in the heart of downtown Chicago, is known popularly as “Chicago’s Front Yard.” With many of the city's most popular attractions, there are almost endless opportunities for Grant Park engagement photos.

Totaling more than 300 acres Grant Park is actually a collection of many notable parks (Millennium Park, Maggie Daley Park) and iconic landmarks (Buckingham Fountain, Art Institute of Chicago). It also encompasses Museum Campus, home of the Field Museum and Adler Planetarium.

The iconic Buckingham Fountain at the center of Grant Park operates from April to October with water displays every 20 minutes and light displays after dark. Long allées of American Elm trees create leading lines and provide a strong feeling of nature in the urban park.

Much of Grant Park was originally part of Lake Michigan and has been expanded through land reclamation projects in the late 19th century and early 1900s. In the autumn, Grant Park is one of the best places in the city to view fall color - especially the Red Maples that can be seen from Lurie Garden.

The Chicago Lakefront trail carves through the eastern edge of the park along Lake Michigan. Grant Park is also the home to multiple marinas and harbors including Dusable Harbor and Monroe Harbor, the home of the Chicago Yacht Club and Columbia Yacht club.

Located along the park’s western edge, The Art Institute of Chicago South Garden creates an intimate escape next to bustling Michigan Avenue.

There are two official garages - Grant Park North and Grant Park South. You can also find deals on parking garages with SpotHero.

In most cases, I’ll suggest traveling by Uber/Lyft during our engagement session. It’s less complicated than figuring out parking at each destination and often less expensive.

Driving ourselves usually eats a lot of time with the added logistics of parking and getting to where we want to go. If you have a friend or family member who wants to drive us, that can be a convenient option as well.

Because Grant Park encompasses many different spaces, the short answer is no. For most common locations only service animals are allowed.

While there is a dog-friendly area at 951 S. Columbus Drive, it’s mostly ashphalt & pea-gravel and not super photogenic.

It’s usually better to start with dogs in a less crowded area that won’t be overwhelming for your pooch.

Here’s some more information on how to include your dog in engagement photos

LOCATION DETAILS

Address: 337 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL 60601
Neighborhood: The Loop
Permit: Required - $35 application fee + $45 per location, per hour.

As of 2019, the Chicago Park District is requiring permits for wedding and engagement photographers.

For Garfield & Lincoln Park Conservatories and Buckingham Fountain the permit can be purchased here . For other locations, getting a permit is a two step process.

STEP 1: Pay the Permit Application Fee
STEP 2: Submit a Media Permit Application.

WHY WE LOVE IT

There's no shortage of great places to view Chicago's skyline, but for me the view from North Ave. never gets old. It's a regular stop for me on bike rides on the Lakeshore Trail and I still find myself saying "I can't believe I live here."

I have a soft spot for North Ave. Beach as it's actually where I proposed to my wife and where we went for our own wedding portraits.

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REAL COUPLES

Grant Park engagement photos


Kara & Matt: Architectural Artifacts Wedding Photos

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Rachel & Nish: Millennium Park Engagement Photos

Buckingham Fountain Engagement Photos: Carna & Don

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Real weddings don’t fit neatly into six, eight or even 10-hour packages. Our collections don’t require you to know your timeline months before your wedding.
As a a documentary photographer, I love moments. And it turns out a lot of moments happen before most photographers arrive or after they leave. That’s why all of our collections include up to 12 hours!

We’ll work together to make sure I’m there for all the great moments you expect, and the ones you don’t. You’ll never have to worry about planning your day around the photographer’s schedule.

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For personal privacy, client galleries are password protected. To login, the password is “YYYYMMDDlastname,” where the date is the day of the shoot (wedding day or engagement session) and last name can be either last name. Passwords are case-sensitive, and names are always lowercase.

For example, the password for a July 3, 2018 wedding between John Smith and Sarah Kline would be either 20180703smith or 20180703kline.


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