Lincoln Park & North Avenue Beach Anniversary Session

Chicago, Illinois

Five years of marriage feels like something worth celebrating! I was so excited when Paige and Nick asked me to photograph their fifth anniversary session in Chicago. These two have been in front of my camera for quite a few chapters now, and getting to document this season of their lives felt like the sweetest full-circle moment.

I first met Paige and Nick in January of 2020 for their engagement session. We spent the afternoon in Roscoe Village and at North Avenue Beach, and to say the weather was less than ideal would be putting it nicely. It was cold, drizzly, and at times we were dealing with sleet and snow… But these two trusted me enough to keep going! We bundled up, laughed through the weather, and somehow ended up with some of my favorite engagement photos. It was one of those sessions that reminded me that the best photos do not always require perfect weather. Sometimes you just need two people who are willing to have fun together!

The following year, Paige and Nick got married at Independence Grove, and it was such a beautiful celebration. Their wedding day also carried some unexpected heartache with the sudden loss of Paige’s grandmother that very morning, making the day a mix of joy and grief. You can see more of their beautiful wedding day here.

Not long after their wedding, Paige and Nick moved to Colorado. Thankfully, that did not mean the end of my time photographing them! In April 2022, I had the chance to meet up with them again at Garden of the Gods for another beautiful session. (And yes, I am still asking myself WHY I never blogged that session… Clearly, I had some catching up to do!)

Fast forward to 2026, and these two are celebrating five years of marriage. They always planned to do something special for their fifth anniversary. Their celebration included a trip to Maine and a return to Chicago for this anniversary session. I absolutely love that they chose to document this milestone with photos. Five years is about so much more than a date on the calendar. It’s five years of growing together, making memories, navigating hard seasons, and continuing to choose each other.

For their session, we started at the Lincoln Park Nature Boardwalk. We wandered through the greenery and enjoyed a little nature in the middle of the city. We also made our way onto the bridge over South Pond for some Chicago skyline views before heading over to one of their old favorites, North Avenue Beach.

And because apparently North Avenue Beach and Paige and Nick are destined to have weather stories together, we had plenty of Chicago character once again! This time, though, there was no sleet or snow to contend with. We had the lake, the city skyline, and even a group of people flying kites nearby. Of course, we had to incorporate the kites into a few photos. I love the playful, unexpected images we ended up with.

One of the sweetest details of the session was a necklace Paige wore featuring her grandmother’s diamond. After everything their family experienced on their wedding day, having that little piece of her grandmother with her five years later felt incredibly meaningful. It was a way to honor her legacy and carry a little bit of her into this celebration of their marriage.

From Roscoe Village and North Avenue Beach in 2020 to Independence Grove in 2021, Garden of the Gods in 2022, and now back to Chicago for five years of marriage, I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to photograph so many chapters of Paige and Nick’s story. There is something really special about being invited back into people’s lives again and again… Watching them grow and change while still seeing the same connection that was there from the very beginning.

Paige and Nick, happy five years! Thank you for trusting me with your story from your engagement session all those years ago to this beautiful anniversary session. I hope we get to add many more chapters, locations, and weather adventures along the way.

Here’s to five years and so many more!

To see more sessions like these Chicago anniversary photos, click here.

If you are engaged and looking for a timeless, classic and joyful wedding photographer in the Chicagoland area or around the world, contact me here or email me at karen@karenshoufler.com.