July 19, 2025, will be remembered as one of the happiest days of our lives. We planned a trip to Chicago, and planned to stay in Evanston, near Northwestern's campus. Unbeknownst to Kaitlyn, Andrew had additional plans...

We flew in on a Friday night and woke up on Saturday morning, buzzing with excitement. Andrew ran to Starbucks to grab coffee for Kaitlyn, before we went out to brunch. Most of the places we'd remembered from college had closed in the pandemic, so we tried somewhere new in Evanston.

Afterwards, we were planning a leisurely stroll around campus... or so Kaitlyn thought. It was a cloudy morning, a little humid but not too bad for late July. Looking back at the selfies they took that morning, it's obvious Andrew was nervous! Walking by the rocks along the Lake Michigan shoreline, Andrew pulled out a beautiful, sparkling rock for Kaitlyn and got down on one knee. He said, "I'm sorry it took me so long, will you marry me?"

Kaitlyn said yes.

A photographer (Amy Boyle) had been hiding on a nearby picnic blanket. She popped out and followed us around campus for more pictures and reminiscing. We ended our walk down memory lane on the steps of Kaitlyn's freshman dorm building, where we shared our first kiss many years ago. Just as we finished taking pictures, rain began to pour.

The first person we told about our engagement was Kaitlyn's mom, Evelyn. We broke the news over FaceTime. Evie was just thrilled for her daughter. That conversation will be one Kaitlyn cherishes for the rest of her life.

After the rain passed, we headed into the city. Andrew and Kaitlyn had Chicago-style hot dogs for lunch. We then stopped by the Bean and the Chicago Riverwalk. Of course, Kaitlyn's new ring was the star of the show. We had dinner at Gilt Bar in the West Loop, which was delicious.

After dinner, we caught up with our old friend Matt at a piano bar and sang our hearts out to Pink Pony Club! We then ended our night with a show at the Chicago Magic Lounge -- a long-planned surprise from Kaitlyn to Andrew, even though she had no idea how this fateful day would begin.

Please enjoy our collection of photos from that day below, featuring some selfies alongside pictures from the amazing Amy Boyle, who you can find on Instagram at @amyboylephoto.