Sometimes our couples have the easiest time choosing their engagement session location but sometimes it’s a little harder! After all, NJ is so diverse when it comes to backdrops. From rural to urban and beach to mountains, we have it all. Meredith and Michael were torn between a classic fall backdrop and urban cityscapes. Luckily, they found the perfect place in Liberty State Park. It was an ideal solution since the park had the prettiest fall foliage just steps from the gorgeous views of NYC. Their session was on an unseasonably warm day in November and we had the most perfect golden glow between the trees. To say we got lucky would be an understatement, especially because these two had flown in from San Francisco for their session!
Meredith and Michael found us thanks to Facebook and we’re so happy they did. In a funny coincidence, they had booked Indian Trail Club for their wedding on a date that we had previously been reserving for another California couple who had booked the same venue. When the other couple had to change their wedding plans to accommodate a California wedding, Meredith and Michael scooped up the available date at ITC and then found that we, too, were now free on that same date. I couldn’t believe the coincidence when we opened up Meredith’s email! Needless to say, I think we were meant to shoot a wedding at ITC on that date, no matter what! These two will be tying the knot in May so you’ll be seeing them again on the blog real soon. For now, enjoy this recap of my time with them as I slowly catch up on sharing engagement sessions from last year before our baby’s arrival. I just hit the 38 week mark so the race is on to get as many sessions blogged as I can, ha! Enjoy this one!
Liberty State Park Engagement Session
How they met
“Mike and I met at work. We are both Emergency Department nurses out in San Francisco at UCSF. Mike was living with my two friends at the time, and was commuting back and forth from Souther California. We were initially friends, but it wasn’t till one of those girls weddings where the two of us really hit it off. The rest was pretty much history from there.”
Their first date
“After our friend’s wedding which was in NJ, Mike stayed back east to visit some of his family while I flew back to California to work. I remember that our schedules were literally completely opposite. We were able to squeeze in a quick lunch date before he flew back down to Southern California. I think I remember it being initially awkward in a sense, we were both hesitant about starting a relationship especially since we work together. It was especially awkward at the end of the date, when we went for the awkward hug good bye, instead of a kiss (we are such turds).” 
When they knew they had found the one
“I don’t think there was a specific time when i knew that Mike was THE ONE. I remember thinking during that time when we first started dating how easy everything was with him. Mike is literally the most patient, laid back, kind person I have ever met, and the fact that he can tolerate me and my crazy antics, I knew he was a keeper!”
The proposal
“Mike and I had requested the month of May off to not only island hop around the Philippine islands, but to travel and visit some of our friends and family. The weekend before we set off on our 3 week expedition, we drove down to Newport Beach to celebrate Sean (Mike’s buddy) officially becoming a fireboy! Mike was very quiet on our 8 hour drive down, but casually mentioned that his friends, the Ilich’s (Katie and Sean), wanted to take the ferry out to Catalina island the following day. Mike had bought tickets for the first ferry out and the Ilich’s were going to meet us there shortly after. Mike was super quiet that morning and I am fairly certain almost peed his pants while waiting to get our açaí bowls. Mike had told me that he wanted to rent a dingy boat before the Ilich’s arrived so we could surprise them with the boat and of course some beers to celebrate the fireboy! Mike and I took off on the dingy and docked right outside the harbor. Mike who basically had his backpack duct taped to his back this entire time, pulled out the itinerary that he had been working on for our trip to the Philippines (God bless his heart for being so organized). Naturally I was very confused as he wanted me to re-read the itinerary that he “had made changes to” in the middle of the Pacific Ocean as our small dingy boat was rocking back and forth. My eyes pretty much zoomed right into the addition on the itinerary that read “get down on one knee” and “I hope she says yes!” As I sat there in complete shock, Mike got down on one knee to propose. I think we really both blacked out what was said. To top it off, he was sweet enough to bring along my favorite bottle of wine for us to celebrate with! The Ilich’s joined us to celebrate as we hopped around Catalina island! Mike had it all planned out to a tee and I couldn’t have imagined it any other way. Our families were all on standby to celebrate with us via FaceTime, and he even planned a surprise party with my girlfriends when we returned from the Philippines! It was all a perfect month and a memory we will truly never forget!”
All about the ring
“HAHAHHAHAH!! Let’s just say I didn’t beat around the bush when it came to what I was looking for in an engagement ring. I am pretty sure that Mike knew from early on, I just wanted one big stone and thats it! It is exactly what I wanted, and I couldn’t have picked out a better ring if I tried to. Mike had me really fooled though. I thought he was going to ask my mom to help him shop for a ring back in NJ with the ring guy my brother used. It turns out that he had his own ring guy referred to him by his friends, who was located in Tennessee, so the two of them would strictly call or text. Looking back on everything now, Mike was definitely weird with his phone for the few months leading up to the proposal.”
“There are so many things that I admire about Mike. I think that the biggest trait I love about him is how big his heart is. Mike is the most considerate and kind person I know. He knows exactly what I need to keep me happy and laughing.”
Their wedding vision and style
“My vision and style for my wedding is a romantically undone while maintaining elegance. My color scheme are whites, beiges, blush, and dusted muted colors.”
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