HOW THEY MET
Mike and Abby are high school sweethearts. They met in art class, Abby was in her sophomore year and Mike was a senior. They had a mutual friend that introduced them and by the end of the year they started dating.
After only a few months, Mike left for college but Abby was determined to make the long distance relationship work! Mike attended ASU in Arizona so the distance was quite far. They made several trips back and forth to see each other. After a year, Mike transferred to Rutgers in New Jersey and after another year Abby left for Connecticut for college.
At the end of Abby's senior year they both decided to take a break to see if they were truly going to be together. After three years, they realized that they were meant to be. I guess you could say that distance makes the heart grow fonder because Abby then took a job out in Colorado while Mike remained in New Jersey. After another year, Abby decided to come back to New Jersey to make this relationship work. They have been together for about 10 years total and they have come to a place where they have grown more and appreciate each other more and more each day being back together.
Mike loves the beach while Abby enjoys being in the mountains and lakes. They both love adventure so Mike spends a lot of time looking for new and exciting places to visit. During the winter months they spend weekend in Vermont skiing and snowboarding and in summer they love to visit wineries. Mike and Abby own a boat that they dock in Sanzari Marina in Bay Head, New Jersey where they enjoy weekends fishing off the boat and walking their sweet dog Rosie on the beach.
When it came time to plan their engagement session, they thought how much fun it would be to do it on the boat with Rosie, and then to head to the beach for a pretty end of the day shoot. I loved what Abby chose for her gorgeous floral print dress from White House Black Market. Abby's mom provided some beautiful flowers from their garden and she and I put them together and made two beautiful bouquets for Abby! That was my first time and I loved the floral design!
THE PROPOSAL
Mike proposed to Abby on February 13th a few days before they left for a ski trip in Colorado. He wanted to catch Abby off guard before the trip. While walking Rosie, Mike starting talking about how he would like to propose one day during an everyday moment. Abby kept thinking, "why is he telling me this"? All of the sudden Mike was down on one knee and asked her to marry him. Abby said yes and they went back to their apartment and called their families. They ended their evening with some Chinese takeout and well Mike had his everyday moment for his proposal plan!
When they started the planning of their wedding, they both decided that they wanted a venue that felt like them. They don't like a typical ballroom wedding and Abby always had a vision of getting married in a bard type setting. When they both walked into Bear Brook Valley, they immediately fell in love with it. They loved the feel of the outdoors that would work perfectly with the ecstatic that they envisioned. I cannot wait to celebrate with this sweet couple next July 2019.
Photographer deborahannphotography Abby's dress White House Black Market Engagement Ring Mendham Jewelers Bracelets Alex and Ani Mike's Outfit J Crew Makeup Blue Mercury
