After matching on Hinge, T&A met up at The Literary in Champaign, IL for their first date. They ended up having lunch AND dinner there. Because when you know, you know! And you keep hanging out for hours. So it made sense to start their engagement photos there. Check out their date night engagement session […]

I’ve been to a lot of places around central Illinois for engagement sessions, but never a flower farm!! Ginny & Elisha and I hung out at Delight Flower Farm outside of Urbana, IL for their summer engagement photos. and wow it was perfect. When to take flower farm engagement photos Florals are one of my […]

Imagine this: one day you’re scrolling on Bumble, the next you’re planning a romantic engagement at Union Station in St. Louis to the love of your life. That’s how Gabriella and Evan’s story starts… well… kinda…Gabriella became too suspicious and Evan had to quickly pivot. He instead proposed in their kitchen (which is so intimate […]

Y’all when Lexi booked me, this was not the originally plan. And thank goodness we’re flexible because WOW we ended up with this truly amazing editorial inspired session for Lexi and Taylor’s LGBTQ+ engagement photos in Downtown Springfield! Originally Taylor had wanted me to photograph her proposing to Lexi. However, Lexi beat her to it […]

Springfield, IL is an absolutely amazing city to live in. There are endless things to do here and I love being able to share what this city has to offer with my clients, especially when that means a surprise proposal! I was able to photograph Cal (they/them & she/her) and Sophie’s (she/her) beautiful and unique […]

I cannot believe I get to do this for a living. Getting to watch and photograph as two amazing people get engaged is really the best thing ever. And I’m so lucky that Carson just happened to find me on Pinterest while searching for photographers for his sunset proposal to Sarah at the University of […]

Willow tree? Check. Sunset? Check. A whole lot of love and laughter? Double check. Skyler and Sarah’s engagement session, where do I even begin?! These two beautiful souls booked me to document their engagement session in Springfield’s own Centennial Park, a go to favorite spot of mine for angelic sunset photos like these. The blanket […]

If the feeling of brushing shoulders with forest fairies could be photographed, this would be it. ✨🧚🏻 I am so so SO excited to share Sasha and Meg’s ethereal engagement session here on the blog today! These two have such a sweet, kind, joyous love for one another. I legit cannot wait for their wedding […]

For Megan and Jordan’s engagement photos, we knew we wanted to maximize the moody and classy vibes throughout, and there’s one place that immediately came to mind when deciding on locations, the Illinois State Capitol Building in Springfield! The Capitol Building has been a favorite of mine for a while, and thanks to the impressive […]

Recently I had the pleasure of working with Bwayiask and Kenny to plan their courthouse wedding and engagement shoot. Unbeknownst to Bwayiask though, Kenny actually reached out to me individually in order to help plan his proposal to her! Together we came up with the plan for his surprise proposal to Bwayiask at the lovely […]

You all know how I love my moody and untraditional engagement sessions, and thankfully Elaina did as well as it’s what inclined her to book me for her and Clayton’s wedding and engagement session! On her inquiry Elaina noted: “I’m interested in some non-traditional images. I’m not super into the posed like getting ready photos […]

While we may have had to completely scratch the entirety of our original plans, Val, Travis and I still made the most of their engagement photos thanks in part to their amazing Airbnb in Lincoln, Illinois! This session was SO much fun. Not only were we able to enjoy a variety of settings throughout the […]

Sometimes mother nature just throws in the most magical conditions possible for a dreamy, romantic engagement session! Abby and Al’s engagement photos at Allerton Park are the epitome of this phenomenon. Their engagement session took place mid May, so we knew there was a chance for some wacky Midwest weather to be thrown our way. […]

Boy do I have a FUN engagement session for you guys today! We’re taking a look at Cora and Andrew’s engagement photos which we took at Cora’s family farm in Central Illinois! This session was an absolute blast to document, a beautiful showcase of Cora and Andrew’s lives at the moment, and a perfect lead […]

If you know me then you know that I LOVE the non-traditional when it comes to my sessions, which is why I’m SO excited to share Cayti and Chris’ couples session in downtown Springfield! This session is special for a couple of reasons, one being the creative energy that both Cayti and Chris brought to […]

Rachael Marie Photography values inclusivity and will never discriminate against your gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religion, body type, or abilities. You are wonderful, beautiful, and loved here.