Having some trouble getting back into the swing of things after our little, mid-week holiday break? Not to worry. I’ve got a super sweet (and not just because they made strawberry shortcake – from scratch!!!) summer engagement session from Live View Studios! The love story is as sweet as the homemade sangria they shared and the scavenger hunt (to all the monogamous animals) proposal at the zoo – catch me…I’m swooning!

Allison and Aaron’s love story starts way back in March of 2003. Allison and her mom had traveled out to Michigan to check out Kettering University and while checking in with the receptionist overheard Aaron and his mom asking if there was anyone else there from Rhode Island. They immediately piped up, got to chatting, and exchanged contact information to stay in touch. They emailed a couple of times and were excited to find out that they would both be attending Kettering in the fall. They became fast friends once school started, bonding over the fact that they were the only two people in their class from “Little Rhody” :)

At the end of their first semester, Aaron finally got the nerve to kiss her! It was right before they headed home for Christmas break, so their first official date was dinner at a little French restaurant back home. They say that it’s funny to look back on because they were so young but it was so easy to be together. Sharing a lot of mutual friends and classes during their first year of school, they became very close. But, just before the beginning of their sophomore year, Allison had a bit of a commitment panic attack and broke things off. They now refer to those 9 months as ‘Round 1’.

They remained friends all throughout college – trudging through engineering school together, celebrating achievements, and driving to and from home together. After graduating in 2008, they both accepted jobs in New England. Allison was designing NASA hardware and Aaron was an engineer for magnetic brakes. Even though they’d remained friends for all those years, it wasn’t until a mutual friend’s birthday party that Allison realized what she was missing…Aaron.

Late one night, watching a Red Sox game, Allison called her mom to see what she thought about her dating Aaron again. She was quite frank when she told her not to break his heart again because he was a great guy. And Allison’s sister joked that she knew Aaron was the guy for her long before she did!

A couple of weeks later in November of 2008, Allison casually asked Aaron to dinner and a car show. They went to a tiny Thai food restaurant for dinner and then checked out the car show. It was easy, and fun, and just felt so right to be back where they left off four years earlier. She’d always liked Aaron – he was nice to all of her friends and family, easy to get along with and so caring, made her laugh and she could just be herself around him. It was only 2 weeks after their second first date that she knew, without a doubt, that she wanted to marry him.

Not long after, Allison and Aaron moved in together and shared an apartment just outside of Hartford, Connecticut. They spent the next couple of years working hard, and spending their weekends on great New England adventures. It was, in fact, their great sense of adventure and Aaron’s drive to take care of Allison that sparked their greatest adventure in the spring of 2011.

Aaron had been searching for a new job for over a year to no avail. His previous job had him making a very modest living and he struggled to put money away to buy an engagement ring. It had been obvious to him since ‘Round 1’ that he and Allison shared something unique. She was the only person who he was able to laugh and tease with and have no reservations. He adored her youthful candor, love for everything cute and furry, compassion that drove her to great volunteer work, and modesty…except when it came to kicking his butt in Banana-grams. It was easy to be best friends, and when your best friend is really cute, why not marry her?!

In February of 2011, Aaron landed a new job, packed his things and drove to Winston-Salem, NC. The plan was to have Allison tie up any loose ends back home before moving with him. Moving required that Allison resign from a good paying job, leave close friends and family behind, and postpone her post graduate studies to order to relocate 700 miles south to be with her then boyfriend. Her leap of faith spoke very loudly to Aaron – leaving him with no doubt that he was making the right decision in asking her to be his wife.

April found them settling into their new Greensboro apartment where their next adventure together began. During the two months they’d been apart, Aaron had been hard at work saving money for and researching the perfect engagement ring for her. Allison’s love for the environment and all things green led him to a very special ring which he had designed just for her. Made from recycled white gold, the band cradles 12 conflict free Canadian diamonds with an Arizona Peridot presented at its center – green for her favorite color!

On Friday, July 1st, Allison had been planning for them to head to her mom’s house for the long weekend to celebrate Independence Day. Much to her surprise, Aaron came home early from work and asked if she was ready to go. He wouldn’t tell her where they were headed, but she was told to wear some comfy shoes. They grabbed a quick lunch and headed out to an undisclosed location. She had a hunch they were headed to the North Carolina Zoo, and she was right! But going to the zoo on a Friday afternoon, just a couple of hours before closing, had her wondering just what he was up to. That was when he handed her the first clue of the scavenger hunt he’d created.

The first clue lead them to the mountain lion, where she got the second clue to head to the bald eagle, then the river otters, and finally the red wolves – all the monogamous animals at the zoo! As she read the final clue in front of the wolf den, Aaron took Allison off to the side, got down on one knee and asked her to be his wife! Of course she said yes!

P.S. Aaron’s backup plan was to pitch her into the wolf den if she said no! LOL ;)

{Behind the Lens with Brent & Anna} Allison and Aaron’s engagement shoot was so much fun for us, and incredibly easy because the love they have for each other made them so completely comfortable and romantic together. It’s easy to get gorgeous photos like this when the couple is this much in love! From the time we met them (we spent over 6 hours chatting for our initial wedding consultation!) we knew we were going to get along well. These two are what we would consider our ideal client … willing to put the extra time and effort into their photography investment to make it unique to the things that they love together, and up for what it takes to get that perfect, intimate image, including bringing a little bit of style into their shoot. It’s fun to do things that you don’t get to do everyday, and an engagement session is the perfect time to dress up a little and do something fun and out of the ordinary!

Allison first found us through Heart Love Weddings when she saw our published session with Heather and Ryan. As we’ve gotten to know them better, we’ve found that they are huge foodies (as are we!) and love to spend time making food together. We can also talk about the Food Network with them like it’s nothing .. since we watch a lot of the same shows on there. Plus, we are huge suckers for vintage bikes (or vintage anything) like the ones they used in their shoot … combine that with the beach (another of our personal favorite places) and it’s like magic.

One of our favorite photos from the session was the one with Allison and Aaron riding their bike with her on the handlebars. We got the shot all set up and they rode into the frame, and that winning photo was actually the first one we took out of three before the bike got shaky and they came to a sudden stop, laughing. Just another way they were willing to do just about anything for a cool picture!

And when the rain poured down at the end of the first day of our shoot, and we all got soaked – they were totally up for staying out in the rain just a little while longer for some steamy, romantic, ‘Notebook-esque’ type shots in the rain. We loved those! Since we got rained out that evening, we didn’t get the final outfit change in, but thankfully, the next day cleared just enough that we could go back out and get those photos. The light was gorgeous, the sunflowers added a vibrant pop of color, and you can easily see how in love the two of them are with each other. We can’t wait for their August wedding!

No words for how adorable I think Allison and Aaron are! And I just LOVE that they found Brent and Anna through Heart Love Weddings originally. Makes my heart so very happy :) Thank you, Brent and Anna, for sharing this sweetness with us today! It was the perfect post-Fourth of July treat! And Congratulations, Allison and Aaron! Thank you so much for sharing your love story with us. We cannot WAIT for your wedding in August! xoxo

Live View Studios is a fabulous member of our Vendor Boutique. For more information on how members are chosen, click here.