These two sweeties? Who, by the way, have turned me to mush with their cuteness. Well, they’ve got the right idea if you ask me. They planned their engagement sesh right at their wedding venue, Clifton Inn, giving them a little preview and a whole lot of excitement for their Big Day. Rachel May Photography followed their every adorable move and the resulting gallery is for lovers.
From the beautiful Bride…Luke and I first met in the spring of 2009 through a mutual friend one night in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I had lived in Manhattan for two years attending college and had never ventured into Brooklyn before that night. Looking back on it, I am so thankful for my decision to try something new. Upon being introduced to one another, we briefly spoke a few times as the night went on. As the weeks passed I couldn’t stop thinking about him. Our connection manifested in modern day fashion… after I found him on Facebook and we arranged to meet up again.
Our first date was under an oak tree shading the perfect spot in Central Park’s Sheep’s Meadow. Luke and I sat in the park for hours talking and completely lost track of time as we got to know each other. It was this date that started our love story.
Although we dated for over five years, Luke tells everyone he knew all along I was the one. By December 2013, Luke selected an engagement ring and asked his brother to hold onto it for safe keeping until the timing was perfect. The time was six months later when we took a last minute vacation to the Dominican Republic. Luke was so nervous that he wasted no time in popping the question as we relaxed on the beach looking over the ocean. I was so excited and surprised, so much so that I completely forgot to say yes at first. Luke slipped the ring on my finger and we finished our vacation celebrating the beginning to this new chapter in our lives.
Luke, our adorable Chiweenie puppy and I, currently reside together in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, just two blocks from where we first met. Luke recently joined New York University in their athletics department as a Facility and Events Manager and I am the Communications and Events Manager at Dylan’s Candy Bar. While Luke and I love living and working in New York City, we are always eager to go on weekend trips to explore and create memories together. Most of these trips include hiking, skiing and visiting family and friends. We discovered our wedding location, Charlottesville, Virginia, on one of these trips together. I fell in love with the absolute beauty of the area and knew this was the location I would pick when I got married. Charlottesville also happens to be the perfect mid-point between both of our families, mine mostly residing in North Carolina and his in Pennsylvania.
This engagement session was photographed by Rachel May Photography, at the Clifton Inn in Charlottesville, Virginia, on the same grounds that we will be getting married this August. Rachel was able to make Luke and I feel so comfortable being ourselves behind the camera and I believe that the images truly show both of our personalities and the love that we have within our relationship. The time that we spent during this shoot at the Clifton Inn, made us even more excited to bring together our family and friends to such a stunning destination for our wedding later this year.
Photography: Rachel May Photography | Wedding Venue: The Clifton Inn