Charlene and Jackson first met years ago on OKCupid (and when it comes to dating apps, I’m a bit partial to OKC because Michael and I happened to meet on this one, too!). They dated and fell in love while both living in Chicago, building a life together as Charlene lived independently in the Edgewater neighborhood, and as Jackson decided to make a career change and go to law school in pursuit of becoming a Public Defender. I think that though the college years feel especially formative when we’re in the midst of them, something about our twenties that follow feels a bit bigger to me – these often become the years when we are figuring out who we are professionally, what we care about, who we want to spend our time with, and consider what we really want our lives to look like. These two met in the midst of that, and they continue to figure it out together to this day.
They both have a strong sense of adventure – they’re often found camping and hiking and trying new cocktails and taking bike rides, planning their next trip and excitedly celebrating not only life’s big moments, but the smaller ones, too. We spent the morning of their engagement session hopping around Charlene’s old neighborhood – the lakefront and the Andersonville/Edgewater area, grabbing coffee and some flowers and doing what they do best, which is not only making the little things special, but savoring them alongside one another as well.
They also both are genuine and thoughtful and kind – Jackson in a quiet, kind-hearted way, and Charlene in a charismatic, excited way that makes them the kind of pair you want to spend your time with. In a true adventuresome duo fashion, they recently decided to move to Colorado Springs, CO together – Charlene to stay in her current remote position working with Hubspot, and Jackson to take on his first role as a PD with the Colrado State Public Defender Office. Getting to know the two of them and follow along as they figure out what they want their lives to look like together has been so much fun, and I can’t wait to see + photograph how beautifully they take on married life this August, either.
