As some of you may have heard, Jay’s little sister Jill got engaged this past spring! Jay and I had a feeling it would happen, and when it did, we were beyond excited. Jill and Steve have been in a long distance relationship for a while now so we’re excited to see them get married and begin their lives together! With Jill living in New Jersey and Steve residing in California, we were lucky to be able to all meet for an engagement session at Skylands Manor. I’d say it was actually a miracle that the stars aligned and we were able to squeeze this engagement session in during one of Steve’s trips to visit his fiancée. The grounds at Skylands Manor were beautiful that day so the trip up there was well worth it! This has quickly become one of our favorite places to shoot! Enjoy this summer engagement session and get pumped for Jill and Steve’s 2016 wedding! We can’t wait to photograph them as a bride and groom!!
How they met:
Jill: Steve and I first met in 2001 at William Paterson University where I was attending college. He was visiting his friend Nick whom I had recently become friends with as well. For a year or two we hung out as a group at school or just the three of us in Steve and Nick’s hometown during breaks and the summer months. When Steve took a job in Los Angeles we lost contact, but remained friends on Facebook. In February of 2014, I went to visit my cousins Joe and Andrea in Los Angeles. I had posted on Facebook that I was on the West Coast, and Steve saw it and sent me a message! I was surprised to hear from him but excited because I always thought he was nice, cool but a quiet person. And he listened to good music as I remembered! He spontaneously drove from Pasadena to my hotel on Super Bowl Sunday night even though he still had guests at his house, which I thought was curious, for a drink, and we made plans to go to dinner a few nights later. After I left to go back to New Jersey, we continued talking and visiting back and forth and have talked every day since.
Stephen: Jill and I met at William Paterson University about 14 years ago. I was visiting my best friend, Nick. Nick had befriended a group of great people at the time, and Jill was one of them! We got to hang out a few times, and I remember thinking what a sweet girl she was. We had become “Facebook” friends at the time and that was that… Now fast forward to February 1, 2014. I was working on a weekend when I decided to pull up my Facebook page to give my mind a rest. Just by chance, I came across a post Jill had put up saying she was in the LA area for a movie premiere. I Facebook texted her, we planned to meet up… and that, as they say, was that!
The first date:
Jill: We didn’t have an obvious first date. The dinner in Beverly Hills when I was visiting California at the time felt like two old acquaintances getting together after a very long time. But, don’t get me wrong, there was an underlying special feeling. After a few months of long distance dating, we were talking about what our first date anniversary would be. We wound up mutually deciding to make it the dinner in California, which is February 4th 2014.
Stephen: Nic’s Beverly Hills restaurant! While at the time, it wasn’t a planned “date,” but we see it as our first one. We did a lot of catching up that night! I remember thinking how sweet and funny she was. Her humor kept me on my toes and made me laugh. She was genuine and had a big heart. I wore a large smile on my face as I was driving home that night!
When they knew:
Jill: For me there wasn’t a specific defining moment that I knew Steve was the one. It was a gradual progression of certainty of who we are as a couple, a feeling that is still to this day hard to explain. It’s a confidence I have in him and our relationship that I’ve never experienced before. We want the same things out of life, in the same time. We have a mutual respect and kindness for each other and have similar backgrounds. Steve lets me know on a daily basis how much I mean to him and I do my best to make sure he is certain of my feelings for him.
Stephen: Was there something he/she did? etc. Well, during our first date, I felt this feeling creeping over me. Her sweetness, her positivism, her smile, her quirkiness… it was just the whole package. And I knew she was genuine! You don’t see that often these days! :) Her humor also kept me grinning all night long.
The proposal:
Jill: This past May, Steve and I went on our very first vacation together. It was to the island of Maui. It was during brunch (we love brunch!) on May 27th, 2015 at the Plantation House Restaurant overlooking the Kapalua Golf Course that Steve asked me to marry him.
Stephen: We were in Hawaii enjoying a much needed vacation. During our stay, we decided to get brunch at the Plantation House Restaurant in Maui. We had the perfect seats overlooking a perfectly landscaped view. The windows were wide open, letting the local birds fly in and out as they wished. You could even see Lanai and Moloka’i in the distance. The timing just felt right! I asked, and she said yes! We later got a pearl ring as a placeholder engagement ring until I could get her the diamond ring that I had custom ordered. So about a month later, I had gotten the diamond ring delivered to me and had planned a trip back to New Jersey to give it to Jill. However, she had no idea exactly when and where during my trip back I was going to place it on her finger. I had a plan. I got reservations for two at Il Capriccio (amazing Italian food by the way…) in Whippany, NJ. But unbeknownst to her, I was in touch with Natale Grande, one of the head chefs at the restaurant. Natale worked with me to plan something a little special for Jill. When Jill and I arrived, Natale and I were secretly texting back and forth. At one point, I excused myself from the table and conducted a hand-off of the ring to Natale. As dessert time approached, the staff of Il Capriccio began to spring into action. The piano began to play love songs as members of the staff swept up behind Jill with camera in hand. The waiter brought out her dessert in a covered plate. The waiter removed the cover and sitting next to her dessert was her engagement ring! I got down on one knee and again asked for her hand in marriage. She said yes! (Two out of two!) Everyone in the restaurant applauded! It was a fantastic evening. And I can’t thank the staff at Il Capriccio enough for pulling it off so perfectly!
One thing they love about each other:
Jill: There are so many things that I love about Stephen. He is kind, gentle and so very patient with me. Outside of my family he is the most loving and caring person I’ve met, not only with me, but with people in general. That being said his family has seamlessly accepted me and have been nothing less than wonderful. Steve’s kindness to strangers is very telling of his general character. He is a very good man. He is spontaneous, funny and active. He is very fun to go on adventures with, that being a convenient thing since after our wedding we are moving to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with his job for 3 years!
Stephen: She has a knack for making me feel great, no matter how down and out I am. Her laugh warms my heart in an instant.
Besides getting married, what’s the one thing you are looking forward to on your wedding day?
Jill: Besides getting married, on our wedding day I am looking forward to a celebration of our relationship and commitment to one another with our family and friends. Taking pictures, eating and having one last big party before Steve and I start our lives together in Western Canada, far away from home! Our wedding day to me will symbolize the start of something that I have been wanting for a very long time, starting a true partnership together with someone whom I don’t want to live my life without. My soulmate Stephen!
Stephen: Family! Not just mine, but spending time with my new family! (I’m looking at you Alex and Jay…) Being in California, it’s rare I get to see my family as it is. But to have everyone in one place at the same time to celebrate such a great occasion is going to be great!
A Skylands Manor Ringwood NJ Engagement Session by Idalia Photography, a husband and wife photography team based in Central New Jersey. CONTACT US for more information.
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