This duo met and fell in love at the foot of the Blue Ridge mountains, sipping their favorite wine and walking hand-in-hand through the nearby forest. What do you get when they return to where it all began, and have it captured by Michael And Carina Photography? An adorable outdoor engagement session, featuring the cutest grad-school sweethearts, and (if possible!) one even cuter pooch. Click here for so much more!
From the Bride… My fiance, Nate, and I met in the shadow of the beautiful Blue Ridge mountains in 2009. The mountains were our backdrop as we both fell in love sipping wine at what was then a sleepy little winery in the middle of a big field, at the end of a long and windy dirt road. It was charming and simple, which is also exactly what we hoped for, and got, in our engagement session with the amazingly talented Michael and Carina. We live in Baltimore, and will be married there in May, but we knew that we wanted to return to this special place, where we met and which we remember so fondly, for our engagement shoot.
The day was beautiful for the middle of December, a shocking 55 degrees. We walked along the fields at the base of the mountain and drank our favorite wine, and then enjoyed mugs of hot cocoa and walked with our pup, Ladybird, at the arboretum just a few miles up the road. The winery was completely empty, and the light was just gorgeous. It felt like mother nature prepared this special day just for our little family.
We made sure to include some special touches, that will keep our love and our families in our memories every time we see these photos: The arboretum is a part of the campus for James Madison University, which is where we met, and attended grad school together. The Beatles lyrics are from a print that hung in our first apartment together. The mugs with our initials on them, were gifts from my brother and his girlfriend, who will both be in our wedding party. The wine we are drinking, is the same wine we shared with my family when Nate came home to see my home town, and meet my whole family for the first time. Even the table where we are sitting was where my family shared a special night right before our graduation from graduate school together. We also loved sharing this special place with Ladybird, who was a bit nervous with all the excitement of the day, but kept us laughing, and despite the nerves, clearly can’t take a bad photo!
Photography: Michael And Carina Photography | Make-up: Jamaya Moore | Arboretum: Edith J. Carrier Arboretum And Botanical Gardens | Film Developer: Richard Photo Lab | Film Development: Richard Photo Lab | Winery: Cross Keys Vineyard