{ENGAGEMENT} Abbie & Dalen

Abbie and Dalen have know each other for years - they met through mutual friends at concerts and music festivals. Abbie writes "We share similar tastes in music and like to think that music brought us together in many ways. Our love for the outdoors made us realize that we had more in common than just music." After being acquainted for a number of years, and when the timing was right for them both they began dating, and marriage was on their minds from the very beginning. Abbie writes "We both knew that we were the ones for each other and have never looked back. We share the same goals for the future and ca't wait to get started on the next chapter of our lives together!"

When I asked what they both loved most about each other Dalen wrote of Abbie: "Her ability to make me laugh to the point of tears and her kindness and gentleness (especially with kids), as well as the happiness I feel whenever I am with her and knowing that she feels the same way." Abbie wrote of Dalen: "His ability to make me laugh, especially when laughing is the last thing that I feel like doing. He makes me feel loved, respected and secure." Laughter really does make the heart from fonder, and these was no short of it during their engagement session... 

I feel pretty lucky. Blessed. Stupefied by how amazing the couples are that I have the privilege of working with. I've been reflecting on the engagement sessions I have completed recently and find myself extremely overwhelmed by how personal they are. Meaning, the locations my couples have chosen and the creativity and personality that they have brought with them are truly reflective of who they are and how they spend their time together. Abbie and Dalen's engagement shoot is no exception.

We began in a field where Abbie has been "playing" since she was a little girl and where she and Dalen now spend time together walking their dog. We made sure to get some photos near the apple tree - a personal favourite of Abbie's and a precursor to their wedding day (their July wedding ceremony will take place in an apple orchard). We then spent some time at the fish house and wharf where Abbie's father has his lobster boat, before moving onto Deer Island Point where Abbie and Dalen will go for walks together on the beach surrounded by woods where the light pours in as it descends into the horizon. And of course their engagement photos would not be complete with their puupy Lai (yes he is a just a puppy and he's already huge!!).

So looking forward to their wedding day!! Abbie has been dreaming up some super personal and lovely DIY elements to decorate their outdoor location and I just know the whole day will be super cool and stylish, just like Abbie and Dalen!

The light out at Deer Island Point was soooooo dreamy!!

Love & Sunshine,

Shannon-May

{ENGAGEMENT} Laragh and Greg

Even though I make a point of meeting with all my couples when they initially choose me as their wedding photographer, and I have them talk about their love story, I still like to send out a little "Getting To Know You" questionnaire  a few weeks before engagement photos so that my brides and grooms can, in their own words, write out some of the defining moments of their relationship, such as how it began and when they knew "this was it", and  of course I always want to know about the proposal. Laragh and Greg embraced this chance to reminisce and told their story so well that I am not even going to try to  summarize for you, so, truly their very own words...

This little love story began in March 2008 as Laragh was unloading groceries from her car. Romantic? Not really. Fate? Absolutely. Laragh's second floor apartment demanded multiple trips up and down the stairs in order to lug all her groceries from her car to her cupboards. On her final trip down the stairs to grab the last few bags, there was Greg (although at the time she didn't have a sweet clue who this good-looking man was), with her final load of groceries in his arms. How sweet! He explained that he was heading upstairs to a buddy's apartment, and that she looked like she needed some help with the heavy bags. They introduced themselves, and chatted for a few minutes in the hallway. He thought she was a babe, and she thought he was a tall glass of water. He casually invited her to come upstairs where his buddy lived for a party later that night. Well, needless to say, after recruiting her girlfriend Erin to come along, Laragh stopped by the little get together at the apartment upstairs. Pretty quickly, the random meeting in the stairwell turned into a full-blown love fest.

And then one day he proposed.  Laragh and Greg were riding bikes in Central Park and stopped to take a break and a picture... at least that is what Laragh thought! After presenting her with tickets to see Stevie Nicks in Boston, Greg slowly got down on one knew and gave Laragh the gift he really wanted her to have... and if you watch the video that Greg sneakly took of the whole event you will see that there was no hesitation when Laragh accepted and then began hugging and kissing Greg!!

Greg had been wanting to ask for quite a few months. In fact, he had planned to ask about 6 months earlier than he actually did on a snowshoeing adventure, but things didn't quite go as planned. Fast forward six months later and we had just landed in NYC and we were both looking forward to a weekend getaway full of big city sights, ridiculous adventures, and a fabulous music festival, but Greg had something a little more special planned for our first day in the big apple.

We drove by the apartment building where they first met, and the old architecture of Saint John, the lushness of the landscape in King's Square and the cobblestone streets and sidewalks that remain untouched  is reminiscent of New York City, so in some ways I feel like their personal history was all around us on Saturday.  I had a lot of fun with Laragh on Greg, getting to know them more as we walked and drove around Uptown. Laragh as great style - seriously love both outfits she choose for this shoot - and their choice of the urban setting of Saint John led to some creative opportunities that I haven't had yet as a photographer:  Laragh and Greg LOVE music so when they suggested Backstreet Records as a potential place to do some shots I was all over that!! (THank you Gordie and team for letting us use your space :)

I can't wait for their September wedding!!!

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Love & Sunshine,

Shannon-May