Their Session: Princeton University Engagement Session
Tori and Ryan’s Princeton University engagement session was a DREAM come true! Between the gorgeous architecture around campus, to Tori’s gorgeous vintage dress, and the absolute JOY these two radiate when they’re together…it was such a fun session to shoot! This engagement session was extra special to me. Tori is a good friend of mine and an amazing wedding photographer! (Check out her website here!!) It’s such an honor when I get to capture such special milestones for friends of mine. I’m SO excited to share all these photos!! I have way too many favorites from this session! Before we dive into all the pictures, you have got to read a little bit of their love story!
Their Love Story
When I asked Tori and Ryan to share with me one thing they love about each other, Tori said, “Ryan is patient, kind, easy to talk to, and has the ability to strike up a conversation with anyone in the room (a talent I wish that I had!). He’s also incredibly smart and watching him research, write, and piece information together throughout the years both in law school and as a lawyer has been impressive!”
And Ryan said, “Tori is passionate, whether it’s friends, loved ones, or interests. She cares about people deeply and will do literally anything for the people she cares about. And if she finds a new interest, she becomes invested and learns all that she can about that topic. She can hear about something one day and the next have a stack of books on the subject. I’ve always admired that about her. She’s creative. I’m constantly impressed when I see things she’s drawn or painted (I can barely hold a pencil). She also makes me feel comfortable whenever I’m around her. No matter what we’re doing, it always feels normal.”
How They Met
I love the story of how Ryan and Tori first met! These two are so cute! Tori tells the story best, “I casually knew who Ryan was about a year before we met, haha! The whole story began at TCNJ where Ryan and my best friend Alex went to college together. Alex’s roommate, Jen, and Ryan’s friend, Adam, had a class together and they would all hang out from time to time. One night as I was scrolling through Facebook, I saw a picture of the four of them pop up on my newsfeed. I thought Ryan was adorable, clicked on his Facebook page, and proceeded to scroll through all of his profile photos (as one does).”
“Fast forward to a year later (September of our junior year of college) and Alex hosted a “welcome back” party at her townhouse on campus. A group of us went out to dinner in downtown Princeton before everyone came over that night. I overheard someone mention that Ryan was going to be there, and my ears perked up! Sure enough, later that night he walked in the door. I can’t remember what we talked about, but we spent the whole night sitting next to each other and laughing on the couch!”
“A few weeks later, Alex invited everyone over to the townhouse again to watch “How I Met Your Mother.” I had never watched this show before (and honestly haven’t watched it since!) but I was very excited to see Ryan again. After watching the show, he asked if I wanted to get breakfast with him at iHop the next morning after his class. I was so nervous that I barely touched anything on my plate, but it was the best first date ever!”
“Ryan came up to my house a couple of weeks later, took me out to dinner, and asked me to be his girlfriend 🙂 We’ve been together for 8 years!”
The Proposal
Ok and if you thought that was sweet just wait til you hear this proposal that Ryan planned! Tori gave me all the details! “A little backstory – I had an engagement session that I was photographing on Governors Island in late October. My dad is actually the best and volunteered to drop me off and pick me up. When I got to the Island, I noticed that Ryan had texted me twice asking if I had gotten there. I thought this was a little odd, seeing that the session was in the middle of the day, but I honestly didn’t think much of it!”
“Later that week, my mom had asked me to FaceTime one of her friends on her phone. When I opened up FaceTime, I saw that Ryan was in her call history. When I asked her about it, her eyes opened as wide as saucers. But at that very moment, someone called her and she took her phone into the other room. I texted Ryan asking why they had FaceTimed, and he said that he pocket dialed her. I totally bought it. I’d later learn that he texted me asking if I had gotten to Governor’s Island so that he could call my parents and ask for their blessing while I wasn’t around – so sweet!”
“The one thing about Ryan and I is that we don’t plan many things in advance. I’m the type of person who will wake up on a day off and suggest doing X, Y, or Z on a whim. Once in a blue moon we’ll make concrete weekend plans, but most of the time, we just wait and see what we feel like doing. The week before he proposed, Ryan suggested going to Hacklebarney State Park twice to see the waterfall. Again, I thought this was odd – but not enough to convince me that a proposal was about to happen!”
“We ended up going to Hacklebarney State Park, and he led me down onto a rock in the middle of the river. I was taking pictures of the sunset (facing away from Ryan) and all of a sudden got the STRANGEST feeling. My heart started racing for no reason at all and when I turned around Ryan was on one knee. I can’t remember anything he said, but my answer was most definitely YES!!!”
“We stopped at Hacklebarney Farm Cider Mill to pick up cider and donuts on the way back home 🙂 And then we got burritos for dinner! It was the perfect proposal!!!”
Tori & Ryan
Tori and Ryan, thank you so much for having me be a part of this exciting season, and capture the memories along the way. Your friendship means the world to me, and I’m so grateful for you both! I can’t WAIT for your wedding next year! I already know it’s going to be the most incredible day. Until then, soak up all the excitement of being fiances! I love you guys so much!! xoxo
[…] & Ryan are SO much fun to photograph. (Their Princeton engagement session will forever be one of my faves!) Their wedding day was absolutely incredible start to finish, and […]