Gosh, I LOVE Cross Estate Gardens for engagement sessions – there is SO much variety and it is so different but equally as beautiful from season to season. Rachel and Brian’s snowy winter engagement session was seriously a blast from their adorable pups, Nanuq and Luna licking the snow and soaking in the wintry air to the incredible foggy snow storm that was just so magical to photograph! It was a biiit chilly, but Rachel and Brian were so full of joy and laughter that it made the weather so much more bearable and we got the cutest photos out of it! (So worth it!!!) Their love for each other is just the sweetest and their laughter is so contagious. I was so impressed that they were up for any and everything from running through the snow to being super playful and wild. I love sessions where couples just let loose and go with the flow, because, as you’ll see with these two lovebirds, I am able to capture all the excitement, energy and playfulness in their relationship. They’re just the freaking cutest!!!
Rachel and Brian met in their apartment building. They would see each other while they were both outside when Rachel would walk her dog. They always said hi to one another but never mustered up the effort to ask for each other’s numbers. It took two years. One day, Rachel decided to dress her dog up in a hoodie and a jean jacket and took a video of him to Gangster’s Paradise. Brian came outside during it and was talking to her about her day, but they still didn’t ask for each other’s numbers. Rachel said she kept thinking to herself that she should grab life by the horns and give him her number, but she never did. Finally, she joined Bumble and then one day, guess who she matched with? Brian’s photo was him and three other people, so good thing she knew his name! She immediately sent him a message. They traded messages for a minute and then she FINALLY gave him her number. On that Thursday, Rachel made him get out of bed and watch a show with her where they sat on opposite sides of the couch and didn’t touch. When she left his apartment, he gave her the ‘bro hug.’ When she got upstairs to her apartment, she immediately shamed him for not kissing her. So, he rushed upstairs to give her a kiss goodnight!! They went on their first date two days later. She made a reservation at a restaurant nearby and started to get ready. He was playing golf with his friends during the day and ran into traffic coming back home, so he ended up being two hours late. They still went out to dinner and loved every second of it, and they hung out every night after that!
Here’s Rachel’s side of the proposal: “Brian was being super suspicious for about two weeks. I used to have my thumbprint in his phone but for some reason, he took it out. In addition, my mom wouldn’t let me on her phone or iPad either. Then we went on a family vacation with my parents and sister. In the airport, he wouldn’t check his carry on when asked by the airport. I was confused all we had in that bag were shoes. I had traveled for work a lot so I suggested he said he had a high-value item in the bag. When he did that my mom was very confused giving him looks. So, we were able to get on the plane with the bag. Fast forward a few days and we had been going to grab a drink before dinner. He suggested we go somewhere else to grab a cocktail beforehand but told me to get ready three hours beforehand. I started getting ready but was dancing around my room singing and doing my hair (obviously moving too slowly). Little did I know we were going to get engaged. I finally finished getting ready. We made it to the water and then Brian dropped to his knee and quickly asked me to marry him. He stumbled over his words but it was the cutest thing. He had arranged for my sister to loiter nearby to take a photo for us.”
Rachel says that she loves how much Brian makes her laugh, and Brian says that he adores her kind and caring nature. They love to cook together, hike, explore new places, have good cocktails, explore new restaurants, and do some fun activities like rock climbing and working out together! They, of course, love their pups, so they love staying home, ordering take out, and watching movies with their furbabies!
Rachel and Brian, you two are so freaking adorable and I am so thankful you were up for a wild session in this weather!! I think the photos make a little frostbite worth it ;)! Thank you for being so fun and willing to run and jump around in the snow! I am so so grateful for you two!! Love you both xoxo congratulations on your engagement!
