Happy September, friends! I hope you all had a lovely Labor Day Weekend! I can’t even believe the summer is over already and that I get to spend the day editing pretty pictures instead of going back to school! Soon I’ll share more on how the transition to full-time photography has been going but today I’m excited to share Lauren and Scott’s engagement session. We met Lauren and Scott thanks to Scott’s mother, whom I used to teach with, and we had the pleasure of working with them just a few short months ago when we photographed Scott’s brother’s wedding. It’s been so lovely to get to know their family and hear all their proposal and wedding planning stories! We’ll also be photographing Scott’s cousin’s wedding, too, next year, so we are really looking forward to spending more time with all these beautiful couples and their families! Lauren and Scott chose to have their engagement photos done at a couple of locations. We started out at Cross Estate Gardens, which has quickly become one of my favorite spots, and then we headed to Morristown, where the couple currently lives. There we went to the exact location of Lauren and Scott’s first date before ending the session at the Morristown Green. These two are head over heels for each other and they couldn’t be any happier to be tying the knot next May! Enjoy these favorites from their engagement session!

Lauren and Scott, congratulations on your engagement – we cannot wait to celebrate with your family and friends!

How they met:

“So, it seems that fate would have brought Lauren and Scott together one way or another. Let the stories begin..Meeting #1: Scott reached out to Lauren via online dating (J-Date) with a line that would catch any PSU alumni’s eyes…”So, Penn State, huh?” Lauren was eager to respond to someone who would reference her alma mater. It also didn’t hurt that the picture behind the e-mail was super cute. Thankfully, Scott sent that initial message because he was not searchable under Lauren’s height criterion. Most people set the minimum height criteria…but Lauren cut it off for a maximum height! Lauren and Scott e-mailed back and forth for several weeks until Scott built up the courage and asked Lauren to meet in Morristown, New Jersey for dinner and a mini-tour. Lauren was interested in moving there since this was closer to her job at the time. Their date was scheduled for Wednesday, February 20th, 2013. Lauren and Scott met at a sushi restaurant in the freezing cold. After several minutes, Lauren excused herself to go to the bathroom and sent her mother and best friends the following text message, “First impression…adorable.” And the rest is history.  Meeting #2: DISCLAIMER: The names may get a bit confusing. Scott’s brother, Chad, and his then girlfriend (and now wife!) were out with Lauren’s friends Rebecca and Matt. As a side story, Matt and Chad have been good friends since Chad’s hometown friend went to college with Matt. Anyways, Chad and Lauren were looking to set Chad’s brother up with a girl from New Jersey. Rebecca chimed in and started rattling off Lauren’s traits as an eligible bachelorette. Chad and his girlfriend were instantly hooked (obviously), and reached out to Scott to share the potential suitor. Rebecca did the same. And the rest, is history. Now be prepared to do some math….Option #1+ Option#2 = Option #3:  Scott reached out to Lauren via J-date. Lauren responded. A date was set up for Wednesday, February 20th 2013 for sushi and a “mini tour” of Morristown, NJ. Lauren received a text message from Rebecca on Saturday, February 16th 2013 to inform her of an eligible bachelor living in New Jersey. Rebecca shared the bachelor’s “resume”, which sounded oddly familiar to Lauren. Upon further questioning, it was discovered that this eligible bachelor was already scheduled for a date with Lauren in just four days. And the rest is really history!”

Their first date:

Lauren: “I remember Scott walking down the street to meet me near my car. All I remember thinking was, “Wow He’s tall” and “It’s freezing out here” We then walked to a Sushi restaurant in Morristown. Scott was supposed to be showing me the area since I was thinking of moving there. We talked for a loooong time over sushi. Scott didn’t skimp out on ordering,  which was a huge plus in my eyes. After dinner, he walked me back to his apartment and gave me a tour of the main floor. I remember being so impressed that he didn’t just walk me to his bedroom! It was then that I knew he was a true gentleman.”

“There wasn’t any single moment or event that signaled to me Scott was the one. Our relationship is unique and different than anything else I’ve experienced in the past (In a good way of course!).  This is how I knew he was the one.”

The proposal:

“It was April 3, 2016…we were supposed to go on a hot air balloon ride but it was exceptionally windy that day. Our hot air balloon ride was cancelled. I had a hunch he was going to propose on the hot air balloon so when it was cancelled I figured he would have to postpone his plans. I woke up early around 8am and Scott was already awake playing on his phone in bed. I questioned why he was up so early and he said, “I don’t know, I just can’t sleep.” I didn’t think twice about it. So when he said he was going to make some breakfast, I said okay and rolled over to go back to sleep. Scott loves to cook so making breakfast in the morning wasn’t that unusual. After a little while, Scott woke me up and said breakfast was ready. I stepped out of the bedroom in mismatched PJs and saw breakfast on the table, covered in tin foil. I sat down and opened the tinfoil to see pancakes in the shape of letters all scrambled up. He told me I had to unscramble them. When I figured out what was happening, I briefly froze. He wrote “Marry me?” and then got down on one knee and started playing music. Little did I know that he was taping the whole thing.”

One thing they love about each other:

Lauren: “I love Scott’s caring nature and ability to always think about others before himself.”

Scott: “I love Lauren’s ability to not take herself too seriously.  For example; Lauren has perfected the rare art form of combining multiple idioms and forming her own, such as, “He was talking out of both sides of his ass”.  When I point these out to her, she cracks up and her laughter makes me smile even more than I already was.”

Besides getting married, one thing they’re looking forward to on their wedding day:

“I’m looking forward to the party, and hope that everyone is on the dance floor the entire time…except for a quick 10 minute meal break! I also am looking forward to getting the pictures back to see how the day was captured.”