Longwood Gardens Summer Engagement Session | Amanda & Ryan

November 27, 2019

Earlier this year, I photographed Amanda and Ryan’s Longwood Gardens Summer engagement session!

Amanda and Ryan met the first week of freshman year of college during orientation. They lived on the same floor and the first time they officially hung out was during a game of capture the flag with a group of people from their floor. They ended up on the same team and within minutes of starting, Amanda fell and scraped her knee. She considers this the first of many boo boos that Ryan has tended to!

They’re unsure they had an official first date as they went from friends to a couple without a clear transition but their first kiss was on Halloween night after midnight and they consider that (November 1st) to be the start of their “official” relationship. After dating for 4 years, Amanda spent 2 years away for grad school in England. The time apart solidified for them that together was the way to be.

Longwood Gardens Summer engagement session Engaged on 04/05/2019, the proposal from Amanda, “Ryan planned to propose after they both got home from work. He was going to surprise me with Fleetwood Mac tickets for that evening. Unfortunately, he had not heard that the concert was cancelled due to band member illness (and I by chance had heard), so when he presented me with the tickets and I said “oh, but this concert was cancelled” he became speechless and frozen. What I didn’t realize was that he was holding the engagement ring in his pocket and contemplating whether or not to still propose now that the concert surprise had been ruined. Thankfully he carried on with his proposal and we got a funny story out of it. We ended up going out to dinner at a hibachi restaurant and had a great time! They even played “Marry You” by Bruno Mars with disco lights while bringing us a boat made of fruit to celebrate our engagement.”

When these two aren’t planning their simple and classic Scotland Run Golf Club wedding, they love hanging out with their 3 fur-babies, their cats: Percy, Ajax, and Tali. They also love traveling together and some of their favorite destinations have been Australia, London, Paris, Budapest, San Francisco, Mexico, Greece and Disney World. They especially love to travel to US National Parks, and it is their goal to visit them all. They also love to cook together and they love the Eagles and the Phillies.

Any advice for future bride’s planning?

-Spread out the planning so you don’t get overwhelmed. Take it one step at a time.

-Remember that it’s supposed to be fun, and this is YOUR day. Do what will make you happy!

-Don’t let people tell you what to do or what “should” be done. Forget about keeping up with the Joneses or fitting in. Be true to your own style, budget, and preferences.

And finally, what are you most looking forward to about your wedding day?

-The first look! The sooner we’re together celebrating our day, the better.