I can’t believe I’m writing this post. My best friend is engaged.  WHAT?! Katie is everything to me. The chocolate to my peanut butter, the yin to my yang, the chicken to my waffle, the rock to my roll… you get it. Katie and I are going on our third decade of knowing each other…. you can only imagine what we’ve been through, what we’ve seen each other through, what we’ve laughed about, what we’ve fought about, where we’ve been….  From our elementary school days of running around the Beauclaire subdivision to our late nights as college roommates at ODU… she is family to me. Always there when I need her and I can pretty much tell exactly what she’s saying with just one look. Our inside jokes are a long running list and my love for her is deep. Trying to cram all of that into one blog post is near impossible so, enter Brandon.  A guy I had vaguely remembered from high school. A guy that once I saw how happy he made Katie…. I instantly liked.  He treats my best friend with kindness, patience, love, respect… her heart and wellbeing are always his first priority. Everything I could ever wish for for someone I care so much about.

I was shooting a wedding New Year’s Eve when Katie texted me: “I have some news.”  – no exclamation point, just a period. I’m not going to lie folks… I thought something incredibly bad happened. I’ve seen her through a lot, it wasn’t going to be a shock if something else was being thrown her way. But, as I shot back a quick response with “What?” a photo came through…. I sparkly diamond. This news deserved ALL the exclamation points!!!! I felt terrible because I couldn’t actually talk to her…. and once the wedding was over at midnight, it was too late to call. But, you better believe first thing in the morning we Face Timed. I needed the WHOLE story from start to finish. She was beaming from ear to ear.  I won’t be photographing their wedding since Katie asked me to be a Bridesmaid (and I’m SO excited). However, that was not going to stop me from taking some engagement pictures. We traveled back to the spot Brandon proposed, James Madison’s Montpelier. It only seemed fitting we went back to the very garden where he got down on one knee and asked Katie to be his wife.  These grounds were so beautiful.  Brandon was definitely a trooper and put up with all my crazy requests…. but he did it for Katie and I know he always will.  If you’ve made it through my novel – thank you for reading this far. Enjoy my many, many favorites from their engagement session. And if anyone has seen the show FRIENDS – She’s my lobster, ya’ll – I couldn’t cut it down any farther.

Katie’s ring is beautiful! Her grandmother’s diamond in a new setting. Stunning.
LOVE This girl is going to make a gorgeous bride!
Congratulations Katie and Brandon! I can’t wait to stand by your side!