How We Met
Josh and I met when I was 17 years old. Like every other high school relationship, we met through twitter (I hate admitting that!). I found his twitter profile and was intrigued by my profile picture. It was a picture of him kissing his camera, and I thought to myself “oh cool! Another young photographer in the area!” (being as I am a wedding photographer and started my business in high school), so I decided to follow him! The next thing I know I got a message from him introducing himself. We began to chat and I learned that he went to a local high school and wanted to be a film director!
After a few days of chatting via text, we decided to meet in person. Josh is a year older then me so he had early release from school. He asked if I wanted to meet up with him and get lunch. My heart started to flutter and I texted my father while I was in class and begged him to let me leave school early because I “wasn’t feeling well” (I’m sorry I lied dad!) We met at a barbecue place across the street from my high school. After we ordered, we sat down and began to talk. Next thing I know 4 and a half hours passed by! It had felt like we had been friends for years, the conversation was so effortless and I felt so comfortable around someone I had just met.
After that day we began to see each other each and every day, but little did I know at that time that we were starting our very own love story.
how they asked
After we moved in together we started talking about our future together, we talked about what our wedding would look like and even the names of our future children! I couldn’t wait to start my future with my best friend but I had no idea that it would soon become a reality! Being that I have a career as a wedding photographer, I am constantly swooning over other photographers wedding blogs, and one day I came across a vineyard in Charlottesville, VA (not to far from me) called Pippin Hill. I feel IN LOVE with everything about it. Anything that was related to Pippin Hill I was obsessed with. I was so obsessed that I made the number one thing on my bucket list to shoot a wedding at Pippin Hill!
At the end of April I had received a text message from my good friend (and wedding photographer) Hope. She texted me in all caps “PIPPIN HILL JUST CONTACTED ME AND ASKED ME TO DO A STYLED SHOOT, WILL YOU COME WITH ME?” My heart nearly exploded and I couldn’t type back the word “YES” fast enough! I was so excited to be able to shoot at my favorite venue!
The day of the proposal rolls around and as I’m sitting there getting ready I think to myself ….. “wait a minute” and I started connecting all the puzzle pieces. I thought to myself “oh my gosh, what if he is proposing to me today?” I couldn’t take my curiosity any longer so I just HAD to ask. Right before Josh was about to walk out the door to “go see one of his friends” I couldn’t help but blurt out “are you proposing to me today?” Luckily he played it cool and convinced me that it wasn’t happening today, so I got it out of my mind, kissed him goodbye and continued to get ready for the day.
Hope came and picked me up from my apartment and we drove all the way to Charlottesville. Now this girl should get a trophy for secret keeping because she was able to come up with an answer for ALL of my questions. She even went as far as having someone email her about the “styled shoot” and changed the contact in her phone so it actually looked like it came from someone at Pippin Hill!
Upon arriving at Pippin Hill I was so excited to finally get to see with my own eyes this gorgeous venue! We parked our car and were greeted by a women named Courtney, who was pretending to be the wedding planner at Pippin Hill who was conducting the shoot, (but really she was the florist who took part in the proposal!) I started to question things when I saw Hope pull out her camera and start changing settings, but I convinced myself that it was nothing.
As we were walking to the back of the venue I saw a car that looked quite familiar (it was my own car that Josh drove to Pippin Hill) but again, I convinced myself that it wasn’t mine. And then I turned the corner and it hit me! I saw Josh dressed in a suit, standing under an arch of flowers.
For the first few seconds I had no idea what was going on, but then as I looked around and saw the videographers and Hope taking pictures, I knew this was the moment I had been dreaming of. I started to walk towards the man of my dreams as I simultaneously balled my eyes out and I was handed a bouquet of white peonies (my favorite!).
He then pulled out a note from his pocket and began to read.
The whole time he was reading everything kind of went in one ear and out the other because I was in TOTAL SHOCK that this was actually happening!
After he finished reading his note he began to get down on one knee and that’s when I lost it.
When he asked me if I would marry him I was crying so hard I could barley get the word “yes” out of my mouth!!!!
I was in total awe of that moment and I was in total awe of the ring!!!!
I couldn’t have imagined it any more beautiful or perfect.
Now every time I see it on my finger I can’t help but to smile from ear to ear!
We look forward to getting married at Keswick Hall on May 19, 2018!
