Daria and Matt’s West Point engagement session was one for the books! Daria and Matt met the summer Matt had graduated from West Point. Only about a month after they met, Matt was headed to Missouri for 6 months of training, and then he would be stationed back in NY for duty. They tried to spend as much time as possible together before he left. On the last full day they were going to see each other before Matt left for Missouri, they hiked up Minnewaska State Park in NY, where Matt asked Daria to officially date him.
After dating for about a year and a half, getting through Matt’s training in Missouri, 5 hour drives to see each other every weekend while Matt was stationed in NY, and a deployment, Daria and Matt decided they didn’t want to be away from each other. Daria said she would move up to the Fort Drum area with Matt only if she found a job up there. All the stars aligned, and after only two weeks of looking for jobs in a tough market, Daria had two job offers with a start date the week Matt would be returning home from Afghanistan. About six months later, Matt proposed to Daria on her birthday weekend, in Minnewaska State Park overlooking where he first asked her to date him over two years ago.
Daria and Matt have such a beautiful story that feels a lot like fate brought them together. I am so excited to be there and photograph the day these two tie the knot! I was so excited when Daria told me they wanted to take their engagement photos at West Point! I had been there once before many years ago, but when I re-visited this landmark with Daria and Matt, it was even more beautiful than I remembered. Matt took us to so many iconic spots like the ‘million dollar view’ spot in the image above, the old train station, and the dock by the water. I loved hearing Matt talk all about the history of West Point and little snippets of memories from when he attended the school. And to top it all off, Daria and Matt brought their sweet golden retriever pup, Daisy, to make an appearance as well. She is super loving, and just too cute for words! The forecasted rain storms held out for most of our session, up until the end, when this adventurous pair was totally up for a few photos in the rain – and let me tell you, it was worth it!
Thank you Daria & Matt for such a wonderful evening! I can’t wait to be back at West Point for your wedding day in February!! <3
