Couple braves the Chicago snow and wind in romantic Winter engagement shoot

Real Engagements: Raven & Zacchaeus

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In Raven’s world, safety is paramount. Her approach to most things involves careful calculations, list making and pre-planning. Though, while she leans to the risk-adverse side, soon after moving to Chicago, Raven dived into the dating app Hinge headfirst. Very quickly she was matched up with Zacchaeus “Zacch,” a clinical research associate with a degree from Liberty University. Zacch surprised Raven with a clever introduction – a Houston Rockets basketball team icebreaker – as Raven had moved from Houston, TX, where she went to Rice University. This attention to detail was not lost on Raven, though her fear of navigating a city as large as Chicago, including taking the El trains, made her think twice about going on any dates. Hastily, within 72 hours into using it, she deleted the Hinge app without another message to Zacch. Believing she just wasn’t ready to date intentionally, she resigned herself to thinking she’d never hear from Zacch again, and that was that. Though after having an experience that made her rethink her conservative outlook on life, Raven, who is a dentist, boldly decided that life is too short not to take some calculated risks. She gave Hinge another chance, revisiting her profile on the app meticulously rebuilding her profile with the exact details of her first account. To her surprise and luck, Zacch matched with her again right away. He was still available. Their union was truly meant to be in that both time, space and nerves couldn’t stop them from eventually getting together. Raven knew not to miss a second chance like that. Since then, the pair have been inseparable.

During the pandemic, Zacch began making plans to propose to Raven after the couple had been together about one year. He was proudly planning to ask her on a trip to his home state of North Carolina in late summer 2020. Raven developed a list of “safe activities” the couple could do on the trip. She was excited for Zacch to show her around his old stomping grounds. He insisted on allowing for some flexibility in their itinerary. After touring the art museum in Raleigh, NC, they found themselves at Yates Mill Historic Park. Zacch began reading a handwritten note to Raven with words she would never forget. In that moment, Raven began to comprehend what Zacch was doing, and after flinging her mask and purse off, Raven was exclaiming “yes” to the love of her life as he asked for her hand in marriage.

Zacch and Raven took formal-themed engagement photos in February, in Chicago. On the day of the shoot it was 12 degrees and snowing, yet the couple and their photographer were good sports as they shivered their way through a magical, winter photoshoot. The couple wed on September 5, 2021.