I first met Alyssa and Colin while shooting Colin's sister and brother-in-law's (Cassie Mullikin and Will Barnickel's) wedding in Peoria last September. Colin officiated that wedding, and Alyssa did a reading. They loved Cassie and Will's wedding photos so much that they reached out to me through Cassie shortly after they got engaged.
It's a love that has been 5 years in the making. Alyssa and Colin, who live in Chicago, met at their mutual friends’ wedding at Rockford’s Prairie Street Brewing Co. in July of 2016. Alyssa recalls that her first impression of Colin was that he had a nice butt, good hair, and was charming. You know…the total package. Colin was instantly drawn to Alyssa's sense of humor and very bright personality. For their first date, Colin made the trip from Cincinnati to Chicago to see Alyssa. She took him to the Laugh Factory, and they had dinner at Cheesie's Pub. That September Colin decided things were serious enough to take their relationship to the next level by 'officially' calling Alyssa his girlfriend…though according to Alyssa, Colin never 'officially' asked her about this. At this point, we think it's fairly safe to assume that she didn't mind.
Over the past 5 years, they have really enjoyed life together. They love eating great food, specifically at their favorite restaurant, Fish Bar, in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. In their downtime, they like watching Wheel of Fortune, cooking, hiking, playing video games together (Colin is teaching Alyssa to play), and, most of all, traveling. One of their favorite getaway spots is at Michigan's Upper Peninsula where Alyssa's parents have a cabin. I hear it is beautiful up there! They also recall a particularly special trip to Hawaii. Colin enjoys relaxing, and Alyssa likes to explore, so their respective vacationing styles seem to really compliment each other nicely. They get to see a lot of new things, but they also make time to relax. Their ability to compromise will undoubtedly serve them well throughout their marriage.
On December 1, 2020, they were out for one of their evening walks when Colin popped the question in the Prairie Garden at Winnemac Park in Chicago's Ravenswood neighborhood. I had the opportunity to help capture their love story at their engagement session on a gorgeous day in April. The story will continue with their wedding in September, so stay tuned!
