Jess and Casey had their engagement session last fall at Longwood Gardens and it was special for multiple reasons. I’ve known Jess since I was 9. She was my idol. I wanted to sing and dance and do everything Jess did. Jess played Pepper and I played Molly in “Annie” twice at the Fulton Theater (one summer show and one main stage show.) Same two roles and same two people. We just loved each other

Fast forward to now, I would still like to be just like Jess. Now we have slightly different roles- Jess is the bride and I’m her photographer. The world works in such crazy ways. I’ll always love you Jess! I’m so happy you found your forever love. I can’t wait for their big day this fall!

Read their love story here:

Our love story is quite interesting. Casey and I have been together a little over 6 years. I was 19. He was 23. I was home from college for Christmas break, and was NOT looking to get involved with anyone at the moment. As you know with a winter or holiday break you are home for a few weeks. Well, Casey happened to work at the gym I was currently going to. Thought he was cute, but nothing more than that at the time. During these few weeks Casey had stayed late from work to talk with me almost every day for a full straight week. At that point another woman at the gym approached me and said she thought he was really cute and that I should give him a shot if he asks me out. I was like “Okay lol, Maybe.” So 1 week before I go back to school, he finally walks up to me while I am on the treadmill, And gets on the one next to me to WORKOUT HIMSELF- while he is working?! Exactly. So in that moment I knew something was gonna happen now, so I’d better prepare my answer before he spoke. He talked to me for a few minutes and then asked me out to coffee. I said yes. Well it went well obviously. Because within that 1 week before I had to go back to school we squeezed in about 4 or 5 dates. The next thing I knew he was visiting me at school, and I was coming home on weekends. We would try to see each other at least once a month if not more. We were long distance our entire relationship up until halfway through year 4 when he proposed and I moved home. 🙂

The proposal was funny. As a woman- especially one like me who is a control freak I knew it was coming. Looking back, I wish I would have tried to allow it to happen organically. But I think this story perfectly sums it up, who we are as a couple. We were planning a trip to the bahamas. I knew right away something was off when he began to have an input in the planning for the excursions. Casey is the kind of person who is laid back and goes with the flow. He has never been a planner or an opinionated person. So when he was taking charge and saying he really wanted to do this one beach excursion, I knew. And I was right. We were taken to multiple private beaches. No one in sight. He said let’s take a walk. Because I knew what was about to happen this walk felt like forever. It was probably about a 10 minute walk before we spoke. I kept turning away pretending to look at seashells, hoping that when I’d turn around he would be on one knee. However, after what felt like forever, he said he had something special to give me. Before he could even get down on one knee, I grabbed the ring out of the box and put it on my own finger. It happened so fast that I don’t even remember doing it. Casey let me know of the embarrassment later. He never asked will you marry me. I just said yes all on my own. This here, sums up our relationship perfectly. And it is the most perfectly imperfect story of ours.

Favorite Date nights: Both of us love to do date DAYS! Every few months on a weekend, we get in the car and just drive. We drive in a random direction for 2-3+ hours and see where we end up. It is so fun! We then look for things to do in that area, places to eat or sight see and just enjoy exploring. It is by far the most fun and spontaneous thing we do, and has been some of the most enjoyable dates we have had.

Our first date was really nice. We went out for frozen yogurt, which is funny because Casey hates frozen yogurt which I did not know, but he went anyway lol. WHAT A GUY LOL. We were there for like 2+ hours talking. Just a hug at the end. That same night he contacted me and asked me out on a second date.

Our favorite activities to do together usually revolve around trying restaurants or going to new places, and spending time with friends and family.
My vision for the photos would probably be “timeless.” I want it to feel angelic and elegant, which Lauren has already achieved with our engagement photos! I very much look forward to the photography on our wedding day.