Mindowaskin Park in Westfield, New Jersey was such a gorgeous location for Jessica and Mark’s summer engagement session! This beautiful park had a lake, pretty stone bridges, and an amazing willow tree – my fave!! Jessica and Mark were so much fun, and as you know, my favorite types of couples are the ones who are up for ANYTHING! These two absolutely were! They had a blast together, which is completely contagious and makes my job feel a lot less like a job and more like hanging out with new, fun friends! Jessica may or may not have given mark a piggyback ride, as well (so impressive)! MOST IMPORTANTLY, their amazing pup, Peter, joined in and showed off his modeling skills for us. He was so excited to be there, and the pictures are adorable… how could they not be?! Love love love when my couples include their furbabies. This session was perfect in so many ways, but mostly because these two have an amazing connection and love story. Let me tell you a little about them!
Mark is a firefighter and Jessica works for the State Firefighter’s Union. She always said she would never date a firefighter… I’m sure you can guess that that didn’t last! 🙂 Mark’s Battalion Chief mentioned that he should talk to Jessica, and a little over a month later, Mark came into her office with another firefighter to talk to her boss. Long story short, Jessica’s boss had him bring Jessica a salad, and then he asked for her number after talking for a little bit (GO MARK)! Two weeks later, he asked her to lunch, and soon after, they started dating!
How he asked (from Jessica’s point of view!): “He proposed to me at Nubble Lighthouse in York, Maine. We went on a short trip there for my birthday. My family goes to Maine/NH every year. After a long day of driving, a lunch stop that took over an hour, and a trip to the largest candy store in America where he seemed to be rushing out of there (I was so confused why he was rushing when he LOVES candy), we got to my favorite lighthouse where he had a photographer capture the whole thing. There are so many parts to the engagement, but let’s just say I had no clue it was coming and everything worked out perfectly. I was in shock and I am pretty sure I kept asking him if this was real.” Ah, a lighthouse engagement?! What a dream!!
These two laid back, sushi-lovers enjoy being home and spending time on the couch watching Netflix (saaame!) They also love heading down to the shore a few nights a month to have dinner on the water. I love that these two can go from super casual to romantic and sweet in an instant! I am SO excited for their Park Chateau wedding in March – it’s going to be so gorgeous!
Jessica and Mark, you two are SO much fun and such a joy to hang out with. Thank you for telling me all about your love story and letting me play with Peter!! These pictures make my heart so happy, and I hope you look back on them throughout this wedding planning process and remember where it all began! Congratulations, you two! Can’t wait to party in March! Xoxo
