Kelsey & David are getting married next Fall on the coast of Maine. This past month, almost one year to the day of their wedding, I met them at their  home for an afternoon walk through the Maine woods. It was gorgeous. The area where they currently live is not too far from where I grew up, so it was nice to take a drive home and spend an afternoon enjoying nature and the end of the Fall season. They took me on a stroll through the woods to the site where they will be building their house this year. It was a lovely area; quiet, private, complete with their own spring fed pond that will be the view out their front door. Both are Unity College graduates and nature is in their blood, so it was so fitting of these two that their engagement photos would be taken on a cozy Fall day in the peacefulness of the Maine woods. Looking forward to their wedding next year!

Lindsey and Andy are getting married this June in Georgia and although they already had a photographer down south lined up for the wedding, they needed some engagement photos taken up here in Maine where they currently live. When we met each other this January they expressed to me that they wanted to do photos on the beach in Bar Harbor in February. It was a gorgeous day and if it wasn’t for the freezing cold temperatures you wouldn’t have known it was still winter. It was a real treat for me to get meet these two and their fun loving retriever and I am so happy with how these photos turned out. Congrats you two! Blessings for a wonderful wedding.

On this very chilly Tuesday I wanted to share with you all an equally chilling experience I had this past month. For the very first time I got to photograph a proposal as it happened!! It was such a neat experience; I may have squealed a little bit. Andrew reached out to me and told me his story of how he wanted to fly his girlfriend, Rachel, to Maine (yes, he’s a pilot of his own, little plane….how awesome!) and that he wanted to propose on the coast, and he asked me if there was a good place maybe with a lighthouse. Of course, I didn’t have to think twice when I told him, “Portland Headlight, of course!” He was already flying his plane into Portland, so a drive over to Cape Elizabeth seemed the most logical.

So, you may be thinking, “well, wouldn’t she be suspicious that her boyfriend just wants to randomly fly her to Maine for the day? Does’t that seem weird?” Nope! Not at all and that’s why Andrew and I knew that this would work. He explained to me that it wasn’t uncommon for them to just take day trips to fun places, so this was not going to be out of the ordinary for Rachel. She just thought she was going on a fun afternoon, scenic flight of coastal Maine. Little did she know…..

And course, because this was a surprise, she wasn’t exactly dressed for a portrait shoot. Neither of us were. It was freezing for petes’s sake!! But she was a trooper and I think was so excited by what had just transpired that nobody cared that they were in winter hats and had bad hair.

So, like I said, this was a carefully executed plan that Rachel had no idea about. I was to meet up with them at the lighthouse and just…..well…find them! Andrew and I told each other what we were wearing so that we could keep an eye out for each other. And when we finally spotted one another, it was go time!

While I waited for them to arrive, I milled about the area for a bit, snapping shots of the chilly, coastal day. There is something very mysterious about the coast in the winter that I just love.

And I’ve found them….and we’re off! Walking…….

…..and we’re walking…..

Ooops! Look away! Pretend you’re a tourist and take pictures of…..touristy things. ;-)

Oh my gosh, it’s happening! Quick, get ready! I think she said YES!

She said YES! This shot was probably a combo of sheer giddiness and Rachel freezing her bum off. I think she was pretty happy.

So happy.

Then it was off to the Old Port to warm up with a hot beverage!

Congratulations, Rachel and Andrew! It was such an honor to be able to capture this moment for you both.

This last one was so cute and I just wanted to share it. Andrew took it in the plane on their way back and then sent it to me when they got home. What was so funny about this was that he told me they were on such a time schedule to get off the ground and back to Massachusetts that Rachel didn’t have any time to start calling people and tell them what had just happened. Once they were in pre-flight mode, it was a no-go on cell phone use! So she had to sit tight and be patient the whole flight back, not being able to tell anyone. For what little time I got to know her, I’m sure this must have been torture. However, I can only imagine what an amazing and peaceful flight back that must have been for the two of them. It’s certainly not a flight I’m sure she’ll ever forget.

Elizabeth saw my ad in this summer’s print issue of Seacoast Bride and gave me a call to see if I would be able to photograph their July 2012 wedding in Kennebunkport, Maine. One lovely conversation later and they were booked! Liz and Matt are getting married at the South Congregational Church in Kennebunkport followed by a reception at Bandaloop.

The three of us met up in southern Maine the first weekend in November for their engagement session. First was a stop in South Portland at Willard Beach then it was off to the Old Port for some fun in the city. Liz and Matt are a very playful couple and certainly not shy in front of the camera. I loved that! I love it when couples can just pretend like I’m not even there. Thanks for being so fun (goofy at times) and incredibly easy going. Can’t wait for July!

Meet Jenny and David. I love these two. I love meeting newly engaged couples and sharing in a little bit of their life for an afternoon. And these two are a hoot! Jenny, a teacher and David a restaurant manager, live in Virginia. Jenny’s from Maine and we spent the afternoon at her parent’s lakefront cottage in Dedham. I got to hear many funny stories about these two (especially one’s about David and his childhood antics). He apologizes to his mother in advance for any funny faces he made in these photos. The two share in the love of many things; one of them baseball. And of course, one side of the family are Yankees fans and the other Red Sox fans. We couldn’t pass up the chance to showcase this rivalry with a few fun (and loving) photos.