I’ll never turn down pretty pics (and believe me, our VAULT has the goods) but I’m always eager for more. I want the details; how did they meet, who approached who, was it love at first sight? And in this case, knowing that back story makes Michael & Carina’s pics that much better. She was his waitress, tossing aside napkins scribbled with his number over and over again until one day, she gave him a chance, and well, the rest is a love-filled history – see all that magic and more right this way!
From Michael And Carina Photography… Virginia is for lovers and this is exactly what this engagement session is all about. The sun was setting over the historic Chatham Manor gardens as we photographed Laken and Michael’s engagement session. There were flowers and greenery blooming there, creating the most dreamy tunnels and pathways. The rose colors paired perfectly with Laken’s delicate jewelry and romantic dresses. Virginia is for lovers – and romance in sun-drenched gardens is our favorite for sure!
From the Bride-to-be… I met Michael at the start of my senior year of college. I was his waitress and he was the cute freshman who kept leaving me his phone number. After several orders of wings and thrown away napkins with numbers scribbled on them I finally gave in and called him. For the rest of that year we were inseparable. And while neither of us referred to the other as our boyfriend or girlfriend, instead I constantly called him my best friend, that’s exactly what we were. After graduation I moved several hours away and while we were no longer together, we never really grew apart. He was usually the first person I talked to every morning and the last one at night. After a couple years of trips to visit, other relationships that never felt right, and a million ‘I miss yous’ we finally made it official again and never looked back.
Michael completely surprised me with his proposal. We spent Michael’s birthday stuck in hours of traffic driving up to spend Thanksgiving with his family. When we finally parked the car and were carrying in our bags I told Michael I was sorry his birthday hadn’t been very fun. He responded that it was fine, but there was actually one thing that would make it perfect and he dropped to one knee on the front porch of his childhood home with his whole family waiting inside to celebrate. We knew we wanted a long engagement so we could enjoy being engaged without all the stress. And when we realized September 24th, 2016 was a Saturday we knew we had found our date. We will be able to celebrate our marriage with our family and friends exactly eight years from our first date back on September 24th, 2008.
Photography: Michael And Carina Photography | Jewelry: Kendra Scott Jewelry | Hair And Makeup: DIY | Venue: Swannanoa Palace | Dress I: Rent The Runway | Dress II: Anthropologie | Film Processing: Richard Photo Lab