Marianne and Chris were engaged last November and are getting married in less than a month! I’m always so impressed when couples plan their wedding in less than a year’s time! I can’t wait to see this wedding come together. It’s going to take place at Shadowbrook, one of our very favorite venues, and it’s going to be a “Great Gatsby” themed wedding with pinks and golds as far as the eye can see. How amazing does that sound? I’m so excited for it and luckily I don’t have to wait too long to see it because it’s happening next month!

For their engagement session, I met Marianne and Chris in Spring Lake NJ. The weather has been so crazy this year that of course it unexpectedly started to pour at the start of our session. We snuck into Chris’s car to wait for it to hopefully pass but coming up with an alternative plan in case the rain didn’t stop. Luckily, the rain stopped just a few minutes later and we had dry skies for the rest of the session so we got right to it and created a lovely set of images for these two to remember this special time in their lives. I’ll never tire of photographing couples like this one – they’re kind and elegant and make each other laugh all the time.

Enjoy this peek into my time with this beautiful couple and check back in late September for a peek at their Great Gatsby wedding!

How they met

We met on Tinder. #win we both swiped Right! Funny enough we set up a night for a first date, but then Chris never responded to me and the date did not happen. A week later he reached out and told me that the Tinder application would not allow him to connect to it, and since he didn’t have my number he was unable to give me an update. I didn’t believe it, but then he sent me a screenshot of his conversations with Tinder IT department LOL – so I gave him another shot.

Their first date

The most memorable part of the first date was that Chris surprised me with Magnolia cupcakes. It didn’t matter that we were out to dinner at a reputable Irish bar near 42nd street in Manhattan or that we had burgers and beers. When those cupcakes made their way into my life, he was the most attractive, amazing man I had ever seen.  

How they knew they had found the one

She knew I was the one when I proposed.

I knew she was the one a few years before, when she was the only person I could be myself around.

The Proposal

Chris woke me up on a cold November day to go see Thor Ragnarok. He insisted we see it early afternoon so we could get matinee tickets, but he wanted to walk from Hoboken to the Newport Mall. I was not feeling well and hate the cold – obviously I was cranky and complaining the entire trip. We got to Hoboken and parked in the parking garage. Still complaining, we walk to the waterfront and he takes me around Pier A. Almost to the end of the Pier, he pauses, grabs both of my shoulders with his hands and spins me around – saying “you know I love you right” (genius) – then he dropped down to one knee and proposed. I was in utter shock and surprise. My first words were “what, serious, shut up, no way.” Eventually I said yes – then a photographer popped up out of nowhere snapping pictures of us. Chris had set it up so the entire moment was captured. Some rando yelled “wooooooo” which added to the atmosphere. After some small talk the photographer parted and we sat for a bit. Chris suggested we go to our favorite restaurant for lunch so that I could message my family and friends – all I asked was “wait are we still seeing the movie?” Clearly his response was “no.” We walked over to the restaurant and he barged into the front door and yelled “here we are,” which was odd because no one cared. But as we walked into the restaurant, his mother & father came out from another room followed by my mother, brother and sister in law who flew in from Florida for the surprise. I was shocked yet again and in tears that he got my family to be there for the day. I could not have asked for a better day!

One thing they love about each other

I love that he makes me laugh and that we are playful together. Nothing is an obstacle for us because we tackle it all together. Chris loves that I’m down-to-earth and not dramatic, we have fun together and can be serious at the same time.  

All about the ring

Love the ring! Chris wound up designing it with a jewelry designer (shout out to Maleika Cole!). It’s beautiful and totally me. It’s a round diamond with diamond pave on the band. The band is woven, and on the inside has a cute inscription for us, and both of our birthstones.