Lauren & Steve's Summer Engagement Session at The Rose Gardens and Lanterman's Mill in Mill Creek Park in Youngstown, Ohio
It all started with one bride and one groom. I have to shout it out to Ashley and Kevin, because photographing their wedding opened the door for so many opportunities for me to get to know Kevin's family. They were the link that connected me to his brother, Steve, and Heidi for their wedding last year (check it out here) and his sister, Lauren, and Steve for their wedding next year. It is SUCH an honor to be able to leave a photographic legacy for so many people in their family. Truly, it is special and I am so grateful!
When Lauren contacted me to let me know she was engaged, I was so wildly excited for her and Steve and equally excited to get to know them better! As we sat down at a local Starbucks to talk about wedding details, my excitement grew more and more as Lauren described her bohemian chic wedding decor with tons of fresh greenery. Did I mention that she's getting married at The Grand Barn at The Mohicans?! Ummm, dreamy!!! She spoke to my soul when she said that they wanted to have all of the natural and earthy vibes very much present while they incorporated some personal touches, with soft pinks, champagnes and like I mentioned before, fresh greenery. The only thing that I'm sad about is that I have to wait a year for the wedding! It's a place I've been wanting to go to, and what a blessing it is that I get to go there for my job.
As they told me on our first meeting, they've been together for nearly nine years and met when Lauren was a freshman at Kent State. They were attending a birthday party and Lauren barely made it up the porch stairs when Steve approached her and introduced himself. Steve described it as making it his "personal mission" to find out who she was that night. Needless to say, they set their first date after the party and the rest is history! Though, it's kind of funny because they planned a lunch date at Panera and Steve had an entourage with him, his five siblings and two cousins... sitting at the table next to them :P
I always ask my couples what attracted them to one another, and when I asked Lauren, she gave me a whole big list of things - Steve's sense of humor, his "dreamy" eyes, his thoughtfulness, his sincerity and his handsome looks. Steve ALSO sent me a long list of sweet things - Lauren's smile, sense of humor and how he realized that she was pretty much perfect. If that's not sweet enough, he added that after nine years, he still hasn't found anything "unattractive" about her. Awwwww! Could they be any sweeter or any more perfect for each other?!
Of course we had to have some silly moments, like jumping around, dancing and secret handshakes :P I love that these two didn't hold anything back and weren't afraid to have some fun! You can definitely tell that they have a great sense of humor - my kinda people!
Lauren and Steve had recently moved to Lakewood when they decided to go explore a park nearby. Little did Lauren know, Steve had planned the proposal for that moment, at a little bench that overlooked the water. Little did Steve know, the sweet spot that he was told about, with the bench overlooking the water, wasn't there anymore. The proposal was still romantic and sweet and completely caught Lauren off guard. And next September they will be celebrating their beautiful marriage with their friends and family! Lauren is most looking forward to the moment when her and Steve see each other for the first time on their wedding day (oh yeah, all the feels) and Steve can't wait for the moment when she walks out in her dress because he knows she'll be "heart-stopping, jaw-dropping, eyes-popping."
Almost every time I leave an evening session, I see the deer feeding in the park. But I've never seen four babies and both parents eating apples near the road. Of course I pulled over to try and get a shot of these guys since I had my camera on me. The others wanted to leave but this little brave guy just kept eating while I snapped away. Look at those ears!
