Shelby and Tyler's Winter Engagement Session at the Cinderella Bridge and Lanterman's Mill in Mill Creek Park in Youngstown, Ohio
You guys, 2018 was great on so many levels. Although I ended the year completely exhausted, my heart was so full with gratitude! I shot my record high number of weddings, got to become friends with seriously the coolest, most fun couples and even had the opportunity to live out a dream - travel to a beautiful place to photograph a wedding, which I was so lucky to go to Bar Harbor, Maine in September.
I rang in the new year wondering where 2019 would take me and how I would even begin to top last year. And then I photographed Shelby and Tyler’s engagement session at the Cinderella Bridge and Lanterman’s Mill in Mill Creek Park in Youngstown, Ohio and thought to myself - well this is clearly how wonderful my year is going to be! They are such a dream to work with! They’re so laid back and just went along with anything I asked of them with smiles on their faces. It made for such an enjoyable, fun session. Plus, it was 50 degrees and sunny in January in Ohio, so we really had everything going our way that day!
If you follow my blog, then maybe you recognize this couple. Shelby was in Casey and Matt’s wedding in October, so I really got to know her and her family through that incredible wedding day. When she asked me to be HER wedding photographer, I felt so honored and super excited to spend more time with the Woodward’s!
I always ask my couples how they met, and I feel like so many of them have known each other since high school, reconnect later in life and sparks fly. This is kind of how it went with Shelby and Tyler, except after they reconnected, she played hard to get for a couple of months ;] They eventually shared their first date at the MVR in Youngstown (ummm, yes please!) and their relationship grew from there.
Their proposal story had me “awww”-ing like crazy! I think spontaneous proposals are so fun and Tyler definitely gets bonus points for being in the moment! Shelby was in Nashville with her friends for a girl’s trip. While they were all having a blast, Tyler randomly got the idea to crash her girl’s trip and get down to Nashville to propose, so he texted all of the girls on the trip to get their approval. They, of course, obliged and helped him make it special and fun. Tyler’s only real plan was to have the proposal involve live music somehow, since enjoying live bands is one of their favorite things to do as a couple. The girl squad super team found a great bar where they convinced the band to let Shelby up on stage. Maybe it was an adrenaline rush or the fact they were playing her and Tyler’s song (Tennessee Whiskey), but Shelby jumped right up on stage. The next thing she knew, Tyler was there in front of her, down on one knee. Boom. Mic drop. #proposalgoals.
If that proposal is any indication of how their wedding day is going to go, I feel like I’m in for a super fun time! They told me it’ll be a fun dance party (#yasss), but also very rustic and Fall vibes with burgundy, rose, gold and maybe some touches of navy. I don’t know about you, but all of that sounds great to me! I can’t wait! <3
