Happy Monday!! Today is a GOOD day, friends! I’m out in Arizona at the annual Showit United conference and looking forward to spending four days immersing myself in all things photography education (and trying to Insta-story it all!!). Not only that, but I’m also kicking off a week of engagements here on the blog!! October was packed with engagement sessions and I ended up shooting nine of them this past month! Everyone loves a fall engagement! Phew! Now that the first round of sessions has been edited and our brides and grooms are sending in their questionnaires, I’m excited to share their love stories! First up: Devin and Bobby!

The Couple

I’ll never forget the first line in Devin and Bobby’s initial inquiry email: “’I’ve been an admirer of your work for quite a while now and just recently got engaged!” It was the type of inquiry that every photographer dreams of because having clients who love your work and know they want you to capture their wedding even before they’ve booked your venue is just about the best compliment we could ever receive. We are so thankful for couples like Devin and Bobby who remind us why we do what we do! I’m so excited to introduce these two to you today!! They got engaged this past June 30th on the day of Jay and my wedding anniversary! What a coincidence! While we were having a romantic dinner for two at one of our favorite restaurants in Asbury Park, Devin and Bobby were celebrating their engagement about 5,000 miles way in beautiful Santorini!! What a dream proposal!

The Engagement Session

When we were planning Devin and Bobby’s engagement session, Devin mentioned wanting to incorporate a boat ride in Central Park. Jay and I have shot in Central Park a lot before, but never from a boat, so we were pretty intrigued. We ended up being able to coordinate the session on a day when Jay could make it so that he could help with the logistics of shooting from a boat and it worked out perfectly! If you’ve never rented a boat at the Loeb Boathouse, it’s the perfect thing to do on a nice day. I love the images we were able to create – they are a perfect mix of sweet, fun, and romantic. After the boat ride, we headed to Bethesda Fountain and spent some time around the terrace. It was truly a picture perfect day and we loved getting to know Devin and Bobby. They are planning a beautiful wedding at Lake Mohawk Country Club in Sparta, NJ, so we’re looking forward to more scenic backdrops for these two. Enjoy this peek at Devin and Bobby’s engagement session and get excited for their September wedding next year!

Central Park Engagement Session at Loeb Boathouse

How they met

“Bobby and I met on Match.com. We were both on Match for about two weeks before we first connected. We chatted for a few days before the conversation went dead. Little did I know he thought I wasn’t interested in him. Had I never reached out to him days later, we would have never gone on our first date.”

Their first date

“Bobby asked me to meet him at The Village Pourhouse to watch a Syracuse Basketball game. After the game, we went to dinner. I was having such a good time, I didn’t want the date to end! I invited him along to a party I was attending that evening and he accompanied me. I always joke that my friends have known him the same amount of time as I have. All in all, I believe our date lasted around 14 hours. The rest is history.”

The proposal

“Devin and I planned our Greece trip in February of 2017. I was thinking that this would be the perfect place to propose. I purchased the ring a month prior to our trip and was really nervous about traveling with it. I knew that Santorini would be the most romantic location, and it was the second stop on our itinerary. I hid the ring in my backpack and hoped for the best. Making it through TSA was the first hurdle. Then making it to Athens where we climbed to the top of the Acropolis, all while the ring was inside my bag, was nerve wracking. Devin being the nosy person she is kept asking why I was carrying my backpack in the 105 degree heat and checking it nonstop, making sure the zipper was always closed. Little did she know there was a big surprise in store. A five hour ferry later, we arrived in Santorini. I was ready to find the perfect location. As we got dressed for dinner, I asked Devin to wear a dress I know she loved. As we walked from our hotel in Imerovigli we came upon the caldera overlooking the ocean. We walked for a bit while I searched for the perfect location as well as a person to capture our photo. Since it was hard to plan a photographer from abroad, I had to hope I’d find someone willing to help. After walking for what felt like forever, I found a beautiful hotel rooftop overlooking the caldera. As luck would have it, there was another American couple there taking photos. I asked the husband if he would mind taking a photo for us. He took a few and I asked if he would take one more. I then went into my bookbag to grab the ring. Devin was confused about what I was getting, and when she saw the ring box, all she managed to say was “shut up!” before she started crying. We really lucked out with that couple though – it turns out he took about 30 pictures for us. After she said “yes!” we enjoyed a nice glass of champagne before calling our families.”

All about the ring

“Bobby did such an amazing job with my ring! He knew I loved the princess cut, and he picked such a gorgeous setting. I couldn’t be happier with it!”

One thing they love about each other

“I love that Bobby manages to make me smile every single day. Even when we are in the middle of an argument, he’s always able to tell a joke and make me laugh.”

Besides getting married, one thing they’re looking forward to on their wedding day

“I am looking forward to celebrating our marriage with all of our family and friends.”

Thank you for viewing Devin and Bobby’s Central Park Engagement Session! To view more of our engagements click here.