I am SO excited to share today’s blog post!!! There’s cute, and then there’s Taylor and Sarah cute. I met these two through my sweet boyfriend, Alex, almost a year ago at the same Christmas party Taylor and Sarah met years back. I remember thinking, “Oh, these two are precious! And Sarah is gorgeous and so nice!!!” As the months continued, I got to hang out with them more at church, and then I started to wonder if Taylor had a plan up his sleeve to pop the question. At Alex’s surprise graduation party, I got to hang out with Sarah on the side, and she told me that they talked about rings! I was excited for her and thought to myself that I wanted to gather hints from Taylor about the master plan. 😉 I never got around to it, but I was so excited when I saw that Taylor proposed to Sarah months later with one incredible story to share (check it out below!)!

When Taylor and Sarah reached out to me regarding their engagement and wedding photography, I was extremely humbled for them to consider my services because we have many mutual photographer friends. 🙂 So leading up to their engagement session, I wanted them to rest assured that it was going to be a great time! Taylor isn’t shy in front of the camera because he owns a successful film company called Filmspire!!! Be sure to check it out HERE!!! Sarah was a little hesitant about having her photos taken only because she wasn’t quite sure what to expect. She completely fooled me because she was a complete NATURAL!!!! I already adore and love these two so much, but after taking their portraits, I cannot get enough of Taylor and Sarah! They are so fun, loving, personable, and they don’t take life too seriously. Sarah had me laughing so hard towards the end of the session when I asked her to jump into his arms and she said, “You mean, how I do every day after he gets off work?!” Then, she LEPT into his arms with a big “YEEEEE-HAAAA!” I’m laughing right now as I type this because it was so darn cute and “so Sarah!” The way Taylor and Sarah look at each other is beautiful, and it’s clear how much they adore, care, and love the person they get to marry. <3

When we were planning their engagement session, it was clear that Richmond needed to be the destination. They both grew up and started their relationship there with so many sentimental locations. We started the session on Monument Avenue, just around the corner from Sarah’s place, because they enjoyed many long walks along the road together. As we were photographing, they knew every person who passed by. Talk about a small town in a city! We made our way to Belle Isle for the last part of the session, and my photographer dreams came true there. 🙂 I had been dreaming of photographing on Belle Isle for years, and every time I tried, it was flooded and roped off. Not this time … But almost!!! Turned out that Belle Isle is another sentimental place for these two as it was one of their first dates/hangouts! In fact, Sarah said that was where they first held hands, although, it was a very loose handheld. So during their portraits, I told them that while we are on Belle Isle, they must hold hands TIGHTLY for a photo. 🙂 Haha! As we had to do our own little hike to Belle Isle, we had the opportunity to chat and hang out, which was so fun to also learn some things about them!! Like Taylor is also obsessed with Chapstick like me (HA!) and Sarah told me all about a southern party she was a part of when she turned 16 years old, called the Debutante! I was fascinated because we don’t have that event back at home! Haha! When we got to Belle Isle, we had the most incredible sunset and pretty views of the Richmond skyline! These portraits are some of my all time favorites!!!! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!!! <3

Thank you, Taylor and Sarah, for giving me the GREATEST honor to photograph your love for each other and the world around us. You two are so inspiring as individuals and as a couple. <3 I’m so grateful to have you as friends, and I cannot WAIT for your wedding in January!!!! It’s going to be one big celebration! <3 Enjoy this preview from our time together!!! XOXO!!!

Taylor and Sarah’s Love Story

How Taylor and Sarah Met

from Taylor’s point of view

Depending upon who is asking and what kind of mood I am in there are two responses I give people who ask how I met Sarah. I either tell them we met at a Christmas party or at a petting zoo.

I have a very good friend, named David, who throws an elaborate Christmas party every December. It is one of the parties that everyone looks forward to attending every year. There is loud singing, a bar, dancing. Nothing too crazy goes on, but it’s not the best environment for kids. So a couple of years ago my friend David decided that he would throw a cookout party in the afternoon before the evening party for his friends who have young kids. Many of us enjoy going to the cookout so that we can get a chance to socialize with our friends who now have families. The main attraction of the cookout is the petting zoo that David has organizes for the afternoon. Now what I haven’t mentioned is that David lives in the city of Richmond. That’s right, a petting zoo in the middle of the city. It is quite a scene to behold and it brings many onlookers. People give the strangest look as they pass by walking their dog when they see a llama, a sheep, and rabbits in a random alleyway. With all that being said, it is a lot of fun.

It was December 17th, 2016, the day of David’s Christmas party, and I decided I would go with some friends to the afternoon cookout featuring the notorious petting zoo. Little did I know that I would be meeting my future wife that day.

I remember I was standing outside with a group of people when I noticed a small group of girls walking down the alley approaching the party. I quickly spotted a cute blonde girl and knew that I needed to talk to her. At one point I was able to stand in a group with her and I struck up a conversation. I told her that she looked really familiar to me and I tried to figure out if we had met before. She told me she had a twin which threw me off for weeks afterward only to discover after we had started dating that she doesn’t have a real twin but a Doppelganger that many people confuse her for.

But that was basically it. It was just small talk. The conversation itself was insignificant, but in reality, it was one of the most important conversations I have ever had. I spent most of the night during the evening party hoping that she would show up but she never did.

I spent the next several weeks trying to figure out who that girl was, who she might know, and how could I meet her again? I eventually had to reach out to a mutual friend on Facebook to find out if she was going out with anyone and to my utter dismay at the time she was. Then when I found out she was available I was told she was not interested in dating anyone. I was all out of ideas so I gave it one last shot and I communicated to her friend to tell Sarah that if she was ever interested in going out that there is someone who would like to ask her out on a date and would love to get to know her. A few days later that friend told me I had the green light. I got Sarah’s number, called her up, and told her that I would like to ask her out on a date. The rest is history.

How Taylor Proposed to Sarah

from Sarah’s point of view

This Moment Lacks Nothing.

Taylor and I both love the outdoors. Some of my favorite memories are simple walks up Monument Avenue to admire the beautiful homes and trees, or a hike by the river as we admire the kayaks in the rapids. It has always been a great way for us to get to know each other, explore our city, and stay active. The first time Taylor held my hand was walking on Belle Isle. Taylor told me he loved me for the first time at Texas Beach. Going on walks and hikes was an important part of how Taylor and I fell in love. And I have a feeling, it will continue to be an important part of our relationship as we get married, start a family, and grow old together. When I imagined how I would get engaged, I always hoped it would be outside on a walk or hike.

Taylor told me to block off June 24th for a surprise date. With a lot of curiosity, I asked him what we were doing (probably way too many times – sorry Taylor!). The days went by and June 24th came around. The night before, Taylor told me that we were going to be driving to the mountains and hiking Old Rag Mountain. What’s important to know is that Old Rag is my favorite hike I’ve ever been on. Both Taylor and I grew up hiking Old Rag with our families. We had talked about going to hike Old Rag together, but it just hadn’t worked to go.

June 24th came around. Not going to lie, I was a little suspicious. I thought we might be getting engaged, but then the minute I saw Taylor, that changed. Taylor was so calm, cool, and collected. He wasn’t awkward or weird at all. I’d heard a lot of girls talk about how their fiancés were acting weird the day they got engaged – not Taylor. We were even sharing a backpack that day (the ring was in there) and he wasn’t protective of the bag or weird about me holding it.

We had the most beautiful day. Perfect weather. Not too crowded. Great conversation. We hiked to the top and it was already a perfect day. When we arrived at the top, we found a beautiful lookout, with very few people around. I went to enjoy the view and take in the fresh air. Taylor put his stuff down and set up his camera for some self-timer photos (or at least I thought). He told me that he was going to take some pictures of us, and I obliged.

When I thought the camera was done taking photos, I asked him if we could eat lunch (your girl loves to eat!). He said no, and that he had written me a letter and he wanted to read it to me. Taylor and I love to write letters to each other – one of my favorite things about Taylor is his writing. He pulled a letter out of the bag and began reading it aloud to me, as I looked over his shoulder. Very quickly into him reading this letter, I thought “oh my gosh maybe he is going to propose,” so I skimmed to the bottom to see if it said, “will you marry me.” It did not, but my mind was still racing, so by the time he finished the letter, I had no idea what the letter even said.

When he finished the letter, he turned to me and said: “Sarah, this moment lacks one thing.” Backstory: When I was in college, my friends and I would always say “this moment lacks nothing” if there was a moment of bliss or joy that we truly wanted to take in. Taylor had learned this and we would say “this moment lacks nothing” in those perfect moments of our relationships. Well, when he said “this moment lacks one thing,” I asked him what it was. And of course, Taylor reached down into his bag and grabbed a box. Before I knew it, he was on his knee and he asked me to marry him. I immediately put my face in my hands and sobbed, nodding yes over and over. It was exciting, surreal, incredible, and perfect. The few people on the top of the mountain cheered for us as I said yes and we cried tears of joy together.

Once I got myself together, Taylor told me all about his planning, asking for my dad’s permission, buying the ring, etc. He even told me that my family and his family would be meeting in Richmond for dinner at my parent’s house that evening. We enjoyed the view, admired the beautiful (!) ring, and we both said “oh my gosh” probably 1,000 times as we hiked back down the mountain. When we arrived back in Richmond, our families gathered for a celebration. It was a day I will never forget and a day that lacked nothing. Thank goodness he filmed the whole proposal!

What I never told Taylor is that when I daydreamed about getting proposed to (starting way back in my teenage years), I daydreamed that the proposal would be at Old Rag. He just knew:)

Congratulations!!!