Sigh. My twelve-day retreat to the Sunshine State has sadly come to an end. As you read this, I will be on a flight destined for home. But as sad as I am to say goodbye to the sun, sand, and surf, I’m happy to get home and to things like my bed, my puppy, and lots of EXCITING things for the website that are quickly coming together. That’s all I can say for now, but I promise you, it’s going to be fantastic! Stay tuned…

For now, I’d like to introduce you to an adorable couple that makes my heart smile. For one thing, they decided to share their love over a picnic for the crazy talented KimJMartin Photography to capture for their engagement photos. If it wasn’t already evident enough from Wednesday’s inspiration board, I love picnics. It’d probably make my year to have someone ask me to go on a picnic. It really would. Because who doesn’t love a picnic? Throw a game of Scrabble for two in the mix and you’ve got me at hello! But this isn’t about me, this is about Sarah and Justin and their love story…

Sarah and Justin met through mutual friends, but didn’t really like each other at first. (I’m sensing a trend… That’s exactly the way Monday’s engagement shoot couple started off too!) They tolerated each other though as they hung out in groups quite often. But when Justin moved in with one of Sarah’s close friends, they were forced to spend even more time together. After a while, they realized how much they really did like each other. (Aww! I love when first impressions turn out wrong in the best possible way. It’s happened to me before too.)

As we fast forward a bit into their relationship, I’m going to let Justin take over and tell you the details of how he proposed! :) You may not quite know where he’s going at first, but I promise he’ll get to the sweet part, so stick with him.

{From Justin} There is a show called Forever Plaid, which is fantastic by the way. The gist of the “plot” is that the “Plaids”  were a four-man harmony group that met in high school and played a couple of small shows at bowling alleys and the like, nothing big. Unfortunately, while driving one night, they got hit by a bus full of catholic school kids and died in 1984.

In the show, they somehow “come back” to life. It’s 45 years later (now), and they have the chance to perform the show they never had the chance to the first time around. They’re all really nervous but gradually get into the swing of things and rock the show. (Are you still with me? The best part is yet to come…)

Anyhow, about 2/3 of the way through the show, their pianist leaves for his “union” break, so one of the group members sits down at the piano and starts playing Heart and Soul. A little bit into the song, they stop singing and start talking to the audience. They ask if anyone knows how to play the top part of the song and eventually pull someone from the audience to play it. The night we went, Sarah was “strangely” chosen to come up on stage and play the part. (Funny that.) They led her on stage, and the moment her back was turned, I snuck off to a side door where a stage manager let me backstage.

After the song, they give the guest piano assistant from the audience gifts as a way of saying thanks: plaid-coated dental floss, a certificate declaring them an honorary Plaid, and they get to sign the “Plaid Book of Life,” which documents who has come up to assist in the show. We had seen the show before, so Sarah knew all of this and went along with it, but was surprised when they indicated they had something else for her. That’s where I came in…

I introduced myself to the audience and explained that the Plaids were kind enough to share a few minutes of their big moment with me, so that I too could share my big moment with the crowd (and the one I love). I told them that Sarah and I had been dating for three years and that she was my “heart and soul.” I turned to Sarah then and said, “I know my outfits may not always match, I may sing badly along to songs on the radio, and that I may have just embarrassed you in front of a theatre full of strangers, but I promise I’ll love you for the rest of my life. Will you marry me?”

How CUTE is that?? In all the love stories I’ve retold on the blog in the last year, not one of them had a proposal like this. Would I want it done to me? Probably not – because I’d be the color of a tomato. But it seems so completely perfect for them, it really does. They’re just the cutest thing and clearly have a lot of fun together. Justin definitely gets bonus points for getting über creative and having fun with his proposal. Way to go! And what a pretty ring too! :)

{Behind the Lens with KimJMartin Photography} These two met through mutual friends. I love their story because they told me that when they first met, they didn’t even like each other. Funny how these things work out…

For me, engagement shoots are all about getting to know the couple. I ask them questions and talk to them as we go along to get a better idea of who they are as people and as a couple. It’s also a great chance for them to get comfortable with me as well as in front of the camera. That way they know what to expect on their wedding day. I think a lot of people, especially guys, aren’t exactly excited about getting their picture taken. But I find that most of the time, they walk away saying “hey, that was fun!” It’s all about goofing off and having fun, and me capturing whatever happens. I walk away with a better understanding of their personalities, what they are like as a couple, and what they are like to photograph, what works best for them, and so on. It was so easy with Sarah and Justin because they laugh together all the time, which is exactly what I love to photograph. It’s pretty easy to make them look adorable. ;)

I have to agree with that! I’m sure they were just as adorable here as they were on their wedding day! That’s right Sarah and Justin are now a Mr. and Mrs.! Big congratulations to them! We hope you never stop laughing and enjoying each other! Best of luck and lots of love to you both! Thank you, Justin, for sharing your proposal story with us!

And a super big thank you to Kim of KimJMartin Photography! We love seeing you and your work on the blog! You’ve become a fast favorite around these parts! Thank you for sharing this couple’s love and engagement shoot with us today!

Happy Friday!

xoxo