Late fall downtown Indianapolis engagement photography

During the fall of 2014 I was living in Soho, in lower Manhattan, and Bobby was living across the Hudson River in Jersey City. I randomly had a sorority sister coming into town and was going to take her and a friend out for drinks in the Lower East Side. Bobby also had plans that evening to go out with friends to celebrate a friend’s birthday with dinner and drinks. Little did we know that both of us had decided to go to Beauty & Essex, a fun restaurant/bar in the LES. Coincidentally, both of our parties left at relatively the same time and had gathered on the sidewalk to discuss where we’d go next! Our groups of friends came together and began talking and decided to go to another bar together down the street. When we got inside, Bobby and I were talking and he offered to get me a drink. When I told him I’d take a whiskey drink I had his attention! We had exchanged numbers by the end of the night and he formally took me on our first official date the next week. And as they say, the rest is history!

With Bobby in his residency for Emergency Medicine and me being a teacher, we rarely have schedules that align with one another long enough to make trips out of town! However, I was on spring break and Bobby had a 3-day medical licensing exam in Memphis, TN that gave him a window of time off afterwards. We definitely wanted to take advantage of this and planned a little getaway in Gatlinburg, TN for the days following his exam. We enjoyed our time hiking, being outdoors, and away from work! I learned after the fact, that Bobby had wanted to propose in the Gatlinburg area at a place called Cades Cove, but couldn’t arrange for our parents to be there. Therefore, he decided before we left that we were going to stop in Nashville, TN on the way home to break up the trip. I had no idea he was even planning to propose and was side tracked after I heard we were going to stop by a vineyard on the way back (not too hard to convince me with that)! He said we were late and we missed the tasting he had made reservations for and he was on the phone trying to sort out different plans (or so he told me). When we got there, the staff told us they had a picnic for us which I thought was consolation for missing the tasting. We were sitting on the hill overlooking the vineyard with a basket full of appetizers and wines. Bobby was fumbling while looking for a wine opener. I told him it wasn’t a big deal, and I’d be happy to go grab one inside.  When he realized I was about to get up, he pulled out a note he had written. He then read me the heartfelt letter, which had us both laughing and in tears. Following the letter, he got down on one knee and popped the question! As soon as he did and I said yes, I was surprised to hear the amount people cheering, especially one particular cheer that I could recognize anywhere…my mom’s voice!! It turns out, we never had reservations for a tasting. He had planned the whole picnic from the get go, as well as, arranged for both of our parents to be there! My parents wanted to make sure it was well captured on film, so they solicited the help of random visitors to take pictures whom aided in cheering. It was so special to be surrounded by the people we love most, and I’m so grateful Bobby included them on that special day. We celebrated that evening as a group! I wouldn’t change anything about that day!!

To say I have an opinion on just about everything would be an understatement! I’d been dropping hints along the way to Bobby and actually convinced him to get on my Pinterest account to look at house items (aka my ring board)! It became quite clear to him that I wanted to have an input in the process, yet still be surprised. He decided there was no better way to go about it (to ensure my happiness) that we would custom design the ring together. After looking at several local jewelers, we decided to go to a family run business in Rosenberg, TX because it is the same location his parents got their wedding rings made years before. It was important for Bobby and I that there was still a sense of history to the ring considering we were getting it brand new. I told the jeweler what I liked and Bobby had some conversations with him after we met about specifics. Overall, this was the best decision for us as we were both a part of it. While I did give a lot of insight as to what I wanted, the outcome of the ring was still such a special surprise and I truly love the ring, but love the man behind it and what it stands for more!

On October 7, 2017 (is that really only ~10 months away?!) we will be married in my hometown of Columbus, Indiana! The ceremony will take place at First Presbyterian Church with the reception following at The Commons. We are still working on a lot of the details, so hopefully we get some good planning in over the upcoming holiday break!