"On July 14, 2012 Ryan asked me to go for a walk with him once we’d finished having dinner with my family. True to form, I wasn’t able to walk very far because my legs and back were aching terribly and I ended up begging him to sit in the gazebo outside my Grandpa’s house with me instead. We sat down across from one another and he quickly took my legs in his lap and started massaging the pain away, as he always does. Once I’d promised I felt better he instructed me to turn around so he could show me what he’d gotten for Graham. After a short while he told me to call him to me, at which point our handsome pup pranced over to me in a dress shirt, tuxedo vest, and clip-on tie. I laughed and turned to ask Ry if the costume was for my graduation party the next day, but instead of an answer to my question I found the Mister to my Misses kneeling with a gorgeous diamond ring from the 1930s. I sat in stunned silence, a condition in which you will not often find me, as he asked me to please take his hand in marriage. My initial response was, “You are so stupid, I’m a cripple!” To this he said, “You’re incredible, and I’ll always love you, no matter what—and I definitely, definitely still want to marry you.” I said yes and started crying, and when we walked back into my house my dad was already tearing up before I hugged him, with my sisters following suit. It was perfect."
About their engagement session: Ryan and I knew early on that we wanted our wedding to be small and intimate with a vintage feel, so when we found Michelle's blog--and the almost surreal photos she had taken with film--it was love at first sight. We asked to meet with her shortly thereafter, and hit it off instantly. In talking about the engagement session we explained our ideas for the wedding, talked about how we met, and discussed what qualities we wanted to shine through in the pictures. Ryan and I were both working upwards of seventy hours a week while we were planning our big day, but, thank goodness, Michelle was extremely understanding, flexible, and professional. Low and behold, she ended up meeting us at Stoney Creek Metropark for the engagement session a mere two weeks before the wedding! She took us to a few incredibly beautiful locations while keeping us laughing like an old friend, readying each shot with ease, and working comfortably with our dog, Graham. At the end of the day we were surprised by how much fun we'd had trekking through the park and being silly together, and when we first saw the finished images we were amazed at how beautifully she had captured our love. We are incredibly grateful to her for the phenomenal work she did!
Photographer: Captures For Keeps Photography
