DREAMY LONGWOOD GARDENS ENGAGEMENT SESSION | SAM & JOSH | MARYLAND WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

What a dream come true this session was! We spent the entire session exploring this wonderful place! Gardens, Fountains, even the conservatory! I was so excited this day gave me all the different facets of light to play with too! Making this session a very special one! And I couldn’t have asked for a better couple to do this with! Their sheer joy to be with each other is enough in and of itself, but once you add in their favorite place, it just starts to become like a dream. Plus I couldn’t get over how adorable Josh is when he is with Sam. It’s really quite sweet 🙂

Timing is Everything

Once life gets started and we get into the swing of things, it can be very easy to miss those things that don’t quite fit in our plans. Thank God for…well God! Sam was studying to become a special educator and Josh was advancing in his career and flipping a house! After a Sam’s best friend, Chrissy, encouraged her to pursue a serious relationship, it didn’t take long for Sam to come across Josh’s profile. “He was so cute, and definitely seemed to have similar interests and things in common. I reached out to him as soon as I could, and was over the moon when he responded!” They met up for their first date at a sweet little coffee shop in Havre De Grace and after hours of getting to know each other whilst walking around the cute town, they were both extremely eager to meet again! “Around Christmas, we went on a romantic date to Longwood Gardens and it was magic! I had never been there before and I seriously was amazed, not just by the beauty of the gardens but also by the way I was feeling about him. Just before we left he asked me to be official and that’s where our story really began!”

The Sweetest Proposal Story

Setting up the Proposal ended up being quite the ordeal for Josh, but he wanted everything to be Perfect! “Remembering how much fun and how spontaneous it was, I kind of knew I wanted my engagement to be more planned. My main goal of it was well… obviously for her to say yes, but for it to be a special moment to capture and cherish for our entire lives.” From doing countless months of research with her best friend to find the perfect ring, to getting the blessing from her family, to getting permissions from the light show, those 2-3 months were chock full of preparations and plans. But it would all be worth it!

Popping the Question!

It was time! And everything was ready! Josh even took off work that day to make sure everything went off perfectly (and to cool his nerves)! While Sam, Josh and Chrissy all went to dinner, Josh had Sam’s brother, Danny setup the sign in the light show they were scheduled to go to afterwards. “As we pulled up to the gate, Chrissy from the back offered to be our “DJ” for the ride through the park. As we drove through, She was recording in the back and letting Danny know when to turn on the sign as well as where we were. Sam was checking off the light figurines on the scavenger hunt page they gave us at the gate we drew closer and closer. The sign was uncovered, and she started to read it saying, “Sam…”, and instantly became speechless! Chrissy from the back played one of our favorite love songs, Speechless by Dan+ Shay, and I calmly smiled as if to say, “hold on” as I pulled over. I went around the car and properly coached her out, and after giving her a hug I got down on one knee. I asked, “Will you marry me?”, but that’s literally all I could muster up at that point. So happy, she blurted out, “YEAH!”.

A Little Distance to Make the Heart Grow Fonder

Since these two live about a hour away from each other, every time they can find a weekend or a few hours to spend together is everything to them. They do say absence makes the heart grow fonder after all. “We love doing absolutely nothing, or going out and making sweet memories! We share a love for ice cream, so going out for some always makes us smile.”

“One of the best things about our relationship is that there doesn’t have to be anything planned for us to want to do, we just genuinely love being around each other .”

The One

Sometimes there is a defining moment, other times its a slow build, but eventually every couple can say how they knew the other was “the one.” That one person they can envision a forever future with.

Josh: I wouldn’t say there ever a distinct moment I was like “she is the one!” more than likely because I was straight falling for her and couldn’t imagine my life without her almost immediately the more and more I learned about her. I would say that the first time I told her I loved her was the greatest feeling inside, and definitely a defining moment in our relationship. We were riding to my parents house and she was wondering why I felt the need to fast for the day, it was a rush of so many feelings but at that moment most of all of them was feeling so thankful to God have someone who not only understands me deeply but enjoys me as much as I do them… “Because I’m falling for you”, I blurted out. I was thrown back at how she reacted in a cute almost shy way, and this adorable noise came from her as we both looked at each other. Probably one of my top ten moments in our relationship. She’s always has a way about her that is so peaceful and caring, and I couldn’t imagine my life without her.

Sam: I remember when I was first getting to know Josh that I was unsure how I felt for a while. I was very intrigued by him and thought he was cute and funny, but I did not know where it was going to go. I put my guard up for sure because I was afraid of falling too fast for him. After dating for a few weeks, there was a time when he actually came over and my best friend was there too. After he went up to bed, my best friend and I stayed up and talked about how things were going and how I was feeling about him. I remember talking about him so much and getting so excited just thinking about him (even though he was literally in my house) that I just finally had to say that I was falling in love with him! It was such a rush of emotions; I felt butterflies and all giddy just finally telling someone definitively that I loved him. After that moment, I was sure that he was the person I wanted to be with and the journey ahead was so exciting! Through us continuing to open up to each other and become more of ourselves around each other made me more and more sure that he was the one! I love him with all of my heart and we talk about our wedding every single day. There is no one I would rather spend my entire life with and give my whole heart to than Josh!

A May Wedding at Gramercy!

Next May these two make it official at the Gorgeous Gramercy Mansion! I am so excited for them and I cannot wait for this wedding!

SPECIAL THANKS!

Venue: Longwood Gardens

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