Christina and Daniel met at a Seton Hall college basketball game. They knew of each other through mutual friends but had never met in person. Their paths crossed again thanks to their circle of friends and they finally hit it off when they had some one-on-one time. I’m so excited to share their love story and engagement session on my blog today! These two were engaged back in February and have been planning their 2020 wedding ever since. They’ll be tying the knot at Bay Head Yacht Club this coming May and I can hardly wait; it’s going to be beautiful!

For their engagement session, Christina and Dan wanted to incorporate a location down the shore. It’s their favorite place to be to get away from work and their busy schedules, and they wanted to include a waterfront location to remind them of the place they love to escape to. They chose one of my favorite locations in Lavallette for their session and it made for the most perfect summer session at the shore – it even reminded them of boating and fishing, which are two of Dan’s favorite things to do.

Christina and Dan are planning a wedding celebration with their loved ones in the place they love the most – the beach. They’re excited for their friends and family to enjoy the shore as a backdrop for their celebration and I already know it’s going to be beautiful. They make such a gorgeous couple and they are so in love! Here is a peek at my time with them during their July engagement session.

Lavallette NJ Engagement Session

Dan – “I remember not being sure whether it was a date or not. The intention of the evening was to go out to dinner with a group of friends. Hours before dinner, our friends cancelled, leading just Christina and I to go to dinner. Candidly, I wasn’t sure what to do but asked if she wanted to go regardless.”

Christina – “During dinner that night, we realized we had a lot in common and had a great time together. I considered it our first date.”

When they knew they had found the one

Dan – “I knew Christina was the one shortly after we started dating. It was clear that we had a lot in common. I really valued her sense and importance of family. We both love cooking, hosting parties, being at the beach and traveling.”

Christina – “As I saw him interact more with my family and friends, it became apparent that he was the one. He was very outgoing and always seemed to be the life of the party.”

The proposal

“The plan (or at least Dan’s plan) was to take Christina to an early dinner at the Highlawn Pavilion, a nice restaurant in West Orange, NJ. The restaurant has great views of Manhattan/NYC. The idea was to allow the sun to set and take a walk along the skyline and propose and afterwards, family would join back at the restaurant to celebrate.

What ended up happening was that Dan was anxious and Christina suspicious of his plan. Christina was wondering why they were eating dinner at 5pm that required formal attire.  Shortly  before leaving for the dinner, Christina was concerned whether she had the right outfit on for dinner, at which point Dan went in the other room, retrieved the ring and emphasized that he had something to ‘tie the outfit together’. We ended up still going to dinner and enjoying a toast with family afterwards and then went out dancing.”

All about the ring

“The ring has a pave-diamond, white-gold band with round cut diamond. The ring itself is quite understated, focusing attention on the diamond itself. Underneath the diamond, there is diamond hidden halo which helps light radiate upward through the diamond and shine brightly.”

One thing they love about each other

Christina- “I really love Dan’s ability to go out of his way for others. He is full of energy and loves to entertain. He is great host to our family and friends, and always willing to go above and beyond to please others.”

Dan- “I really love Christina’s easy-going, positive attitude and ability to keep a busy calendar for us. She always tries to look on the bright side of things and makes life that much more fun for the both of us! Nothing ever seems to get her down or keep her from smiling.”

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