We met Kelly and Mike this past April at Kelly’s brother and sister-in-law’s wedding at HollyHedge Estate this past April. Kelly played the harp during the wedding ceremony and I remember thinking that was such a special touch to have her be a part of the ceremony in such a unique way. Fast forward just a couple of months after that and I got a message in my inbox from Kelly announcing her engagement to Mike and inquiring about her wedding date! She and Mike are planning a wedding for THIS December but luckily, we had the date open and we are thrilled to be capturing another wedding in their family. Two weddings in one year in the same family – what a year for Kelly and Kevin’s family!!
I love when couples choose a spot that is meaningful to them for their engagement photos so I was glad when Kelly and Mike chose Asbury Park. It’s where they spend a lot of their summers, plus it’s where Mike proposed. Since Kelly and Mike chose a location that is so crowded during the summers, we met up at sunrise to avoid all the beach goers. I’m so glad we did because we had the place all to ourselves!! We started out the session with the softest light and shot through the bright sunrise that day and created the collection of images below. I loved getting to know these two – they are SO crazy about each other!! Enjoy taking a peek at our time together and get excited for their wedding in a few short months! Congrats, Kelly and Mike!!
Asbury Park Engagement Photography
How they met
“Mike and I went to high school today but for the most part were in different crowds, we graduated with many people. But we did have calculus together our senior year – I always remember him as the dreamy football player who sat in the back. We went our separate ways for college and after we graduated both of us were out at a bar called Willie McBrides the night before Thanksgiving. I spotted Mike and we talked for a while. He was living in Pittsburgh at that time and would be going back that weekend. Mike’s favorite part of the story is that I was the one who asked him to go on a date that Friday!”
Their first date
“We went to Houlihan’s the Friday after Thanksgiving 2013. We were both coming from dinner somewhere so we just did dessert (I have a big sweet tooth anyway so that was wonderful). We ordered a big sundae and split it, Mike let me eat the cherry (update- Mike says there were 2 cherries and I ate both! Haha). We pretty much talked everyday since then!”
When they knew they had found the one
“Kelly: it does seem kind of fairy tale like to me which is weird cause I don’t really believe in that stuff but I feel like I always knew Mike was the one. In high school he seemed so down to earth (I really just thought he was out of my league). Thanks to our online world I followed him on Facebook and he continued to seem like someone I would get along with so well. We both are very sporty and both played rugby (what are the odds of that?!?), we both are math-y people, he was an engineer and me a math major. But if anything I feel like I really knew the first Christmas we were together; I had to have surgery and was stuck on the couch for a few weeks. Even though we were only talking for a month or so Mike came over and met my parents (and a lot of family) that Christmas with me on the couch. That’s bravery lol”
Mike: “Kelly is one hell of a woman. I remember after her surgery, she drove out to Pittsburgh through a bad snowstorm to see me since I was living out there at the time. (Ask her about it and she thinks she went through an arctic apocalypse). We were only dating for a couple months, but I was really excited to spend a weekend with her. Throw in the fact that she’s smart, beautiful, and fun to be around – I knew I had a catch.”
The proposal
Kelly: “Well it was a long time coming lol but I was actually very surprised for the day that Mike choose. Mike’s brother, Rob, and future sister-in-law Felicia were visiting for the weekend and that Saturday we were really celebrating their engagement with Mike’s family. That Sunday we were down to Asbury, we spend a lot of summer weekends there since my parents have a condo. We got breakfast with my parents and then met up one more time with Mike’s brother and Felicia before they were heading back home to Massachusetts. We were walking on the board walk and unexpectedly ran into my parents again- that’s when Mike decided to pop the question and it was perfect!! A beautiful day on the boardwalk! We celebrated after with some champagne at Robinson’s Ale house nearby.”
Mike: “Kel gives a good description of it, but I can’t overstate how damn nervous I was, haha. Having my brother there helped for sure. What Kel didn’t say above, was that she said yes even though I hadn’t asked the question yet, haha.”
The ring
“The ring is perfect. I didn’t tell Mike very much just that I wanted rose gold. Mike knew I had a Pinterest board of rings and I’m positive my matron of honor, Andrea, helped him out quite a bit. But it was really his creation after that and he got it spot on!!”
One thing they love about each other
Kelly: “I love how silly Mike can be. This pleasantly surprised me when I was getting to know him! He seemed like a fairly serious guy but once he is comfortable he breaks out of that shell. He makes me laugh all the time and we really do have such a great time in each other’s company.”
Mike: “It’s simple, Kelly and I can be ourselves around each other. We laugh, we dance in the kitchen without music, we have a bowl of ice cream together watching a movie…we just make each other’s life better. She’s a hottie too, did I say that already?”
Besides getting married, what they’re looking forward to on the wedding day
“Dancing with all my family and friends!!! And the food!!! I’m so excited to see all the details come together!”
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