Our journey began almost six years ago. It all started in a gardening class where Scott and I were both attending for our undergraduates. After a couple months in class and some help “studying” planting, Scott asked me out and we went on our first date.
The next semester I went to Italy to study abroad, and Scott and I stayed in touch often. Towards the end of my study abroad trip, Scott surprised me and flew to Italy and (officially) asked me to be his girlfriend! We’ve been through it all and grown so much together, it has gotten better and better each and every day. Here are a few (embarrassing) photos from our reaaaaally early days…
I knew [the ring] was coming sometime soon (as Scott’s not good at keeping in his excitement and kept unknowingly dropping hints, haha), but the night he proposed really took me by surprise. We had just finished shooting a wedding in beautiful Corsica (a little island off the south of France), where we spent our final day surrounded by our newly wed friends on a private beach under the Mediterranean sun. It was an unforgettable goodbye party thrown by the couple and a perfect way to end our trip in Corsica; relaxing in the sun, paddleboarding, and swimming around in the brightest blue ocean.
Later that afternoon, we wandered around the quaint little town of Saint-Florent and indulged in our favorite things- gelato, pizza, and sunset views.
Back at our place, while packing for our flight, Scott suggested we take a break, go on a little walk and finish off our bottle of French wine. We walked through a fortress and discovered some unexplored pathways which led us out onto rocks, at the end of the point which overlooks the coast. We sat down to finish a bottle of wine under the full moon. That’s when Scott tapped me on the shoulder…
I turned around and Scott was on one knee asking me to marry him! I couldn’t believe it was actually happening! I think I must have asked”is this real?!” quite a few times before I said yes (haha). It was perfect and I couldn’t imagine our love story coming full circle any other way. Just the two of us, near the sea, traveling in a new place we’d grown to love. Scott is more than I could ever ask for in a partner and I’m still in awe that I’m the lucky one that gets to spend the rest of my life with him!
After some time alone on the rocks, we Facetimed our parents and siblings, and then a few close friends. We kept it to ourselves over the next few days, filling in just our closest friends and family – it was so overwhelming and we wanted to enjoy these special moments for ourselves before we shared. I could hardly sleep I was so full of excitement. The day after Scott proposed, we met up that next day with our friends Noelle and Sage in Marseille and they made it all the more epic and memorable – we’re so thankful for their friendship and being able to celebrate our engagement with them!
After spending a night in Marseille, we drove to the rural countryside town of Grignan, France where we would connect with our amazing friend Lauren Fair for her photography workshop with fellow photographer Julie Paisley. Lauren had asked Scott and I to model for her workshop a few months prior, since she’d known we’d be in the same part of France that very week. Having these world renowned photographers capture us days after our engagement is surreal, the timing nothing short of serendipitous.
For the workshop engagement shoot, they came fully prepared. Janelle on Location did a fabulous job with my hair and makeup, while Oleander Curated designed a basket of florals for the shoot and BHLDN provided a dress. It literally felt like something out of a dream. Around 25 photographers were shooting us at the same time as we wandered through a little town in France and the lavender fields around it. Later that night, we had dinner with Lauren, Julie, and all of the photographers where we were able to get to know them and thank them. Though it was just a workshop they were signing up for, it was engagement photos for us, and we will forever be grateful for their amazing work that captured our love and some of the most special days of our lives.
The next day Lauren sent me a few photos to preview and I was too excited to not share. They are all incredibly talented, the experience was unreal, and the location breathtaking. We couldn’t have asked for a more fairytale engagement or more incredible people to share it with. We are humbled, counting our blessings every day and looking forward to what lies ahed on our forever journey together!
Check out some of the photos below <3 Click to enlarge.
Photos: Lauren Fair Photography
Hair and Makeup: Janelle on Location
Florals: Oleander Curated
Dress: BHLDN
More photos on Lauren Fair Photography’s Blog here
