I’m so excited to wrap up a busy week of editing with Caity and Dan’s Skylands Manor Engagement Session! Going into the session, Jay and I already knew these two were going to be wonderful to work with because they just love, love to laugh! They were so easy-going and relaxed that they made our job of photographing them so much fun. I love that they chose Skylands Manor for their session because I’ve been wanting to shoot there for a long, long time. The location did not disappoint! Located in the New Jersey State Botanical Garden, it is a gorgeous estate complete with a Tudor Revival Mansion. It was gorgeous! It felt like we had gone on a mini-road trip to New England. We started our session by the mansion and then explored the gardens and ended our time together at a pretty lake surrounded by fall colors. Caity and Dan, thank you for going on this little adventure with us! We’re so glad we could do it exactly one year from your Lake Mohawk Country Club Wedding! We can’t wait for your wedding!

 

How they met:
Caity:  We met in the first year of college. Dan and I had some mutual  friends that we met through and we were best friends for a while before  we started dating.
Dan: ironically, we shared a ton of mutual friends all throughout high school, and Caity’s best friend and I grew up together, but we never crossed paths (we did go to different schools, though).

The first date:
Caity: I remember that Dan came and surprised me to take me for  ice  cream, which was really sweet. Then he couldn’t find his wallet and my  dad ended up paying for us because we were visiting his job. Epic fail!
Dan: no comment. :)

When they knew:
Caity: I think I kind of always knew from the minute we started dating.  Everything just seemed like it fit from day one.
Dan: yeah, there wasn’t really one single moment when it clicked. We made it through a lot of tough things together pretty early on in our relationship, so it was pretty evident that we made a good team.

The proposal:
Caity: It was in the middle of a really bad snowstorm. We were relaxing for  the day and all of a sudden he asked me to come outside with him for a  minute, and then when I went to go back inside to look for my glove that I  couldn’t find, he called my name and I turned around and he was down  on one knee in the snow.
Dan: I found a way to interrupt Breaking Bad and still have Caity talk to me afterwards. Success!
Caity: Also, my answer was “REALLY?” It took me a while to realize that it was actually real. I was very surprised.

One thing they love about each other:
Caity: His sense of humor and how caring he is.
Dan: she never puts herself in front of everybody else. She’s truly a selfless person.

Besides getting married, what they’re most looking forward to on their wedding day:
Caity: Being surrounded by our family and friends all in one place at one time. I think it’s going to be so much fun.
Dan: Is wedding food a good answer? I don’t care, because that’s what I’m picking.

A Skylands Manor Engagement Session by NJ Wedding Photographer Idalia Photography, a husband and wife photography team based in Central New Jersey. Contact us for more information.