Who was crazy enough to photograph in the 8 degree weather this past Monday? That would be me, along with a brave couple, Hannah & Will, and their dog, Harper. With a few layers of clothing and toe warmers, the cold weather was bearable! And, the results of this session were totally worth braving the cold weather. As a matter of fact, I would choose a winter engagement session any day- I just love how magical and crisp snowy winter images look!
Hannah and Will wanted a snow-themed engagement session to match their wintry wedding, which we have the honor of photographing in January 2016! We took these pictures at North Park because, growing up, Hannah always came to this park with her family. This and the fact that Hannah and Will are so active together (they love to swim and kayak, to name a few!) made North Park the perfect spot for their session.
Their energetic and sweet dog Harper is a Husky/Shepherd mix and joined us for some of these pictures. Hannah and Will rescued Harper from a West Virginia animal shelter, which warms my heart because I have a sweet spot for rescuing homeless animals.
I always feel so grateful for getting to know and photograph some of the sweetest couples, and this is definitely one of them! Take a look at some of the images from Hannah and Will’s engagement session!
Tell us how you met!
We met in college our freshman year. We both were part of the swim team and began spending a lot of time together between classes and practice.
When was your first date?
We don’t remember a specific date between swim meets, class and practices, but we always went to dinner together after practice and looked forward to dinner Saturday night after swim meets.
Describe your first date!
Again, we don’t remember specifically our “first” date but we made a tradition of going to Olive Garden after 3 hour -long practices on Saturdays. It was always really exciting to get dressed up and leave campus for a little to spend a nice afternoon together. One of our other favorite memories when we started dating was the first time we went back Will’s home. We went out on the four-wheeler together for an adventure in the woods and had a great time together.
How did you know he/she was the one?
We are absolute best friends. We have always measured our relationship by how many Christmases we have spent together and we have been inseparable for the past six Christmases. I knew senior year of college that Will was the “one” when we were graduating and looking for teaching positions. I could not imagine a future without him, and knew that we had to try and find teaching positions close by each other. We were beyond blessed to both receive offers in the same elementary school where we began a new adventure moving to West Virginia together as teachers and swim coaches.
What date was the proposal? Tell us the details!
12/14/14. One of our good friends, Allyson, asked me to go hiking with her on a chilly December morning. She claimed the weather was going to be nice (it was cold!) and she had always wanted me to take her on a trail with an amazing view of Harper’s Ferry that Will and I talked about often. Will and I absolutely love to hike in Harper’s Ferry and I was excited to share it with her. We were a few minutes into the hike and I noticed a truck from a distance that looked exactly like Will’s parked by the road. Allyson assured me that a lot of people drive that color and model truck. I didn’t think anything of it and we continued our hike. I was anxious to reach the top of the mountain to show Allyson the amazing outlook. When we crested the hill I saw a wooden sign painted with “Will you Marry Me?” and I immediately thought that someone just got engaged. Seconds late, I was shocked to see Will come around a large boulder. I hiked down to him at the outlook where he was down on one knee. Will had planned the entire morning with Allyson who stayed behind to take pictures. Our dog Harper was also there with us to enjoy the moment. I was completely surprised and had absolutely no idea!
What do you like most about your fiancé?
Hannah: My favorite thing about Will is the first thing I noticed about him. He has a huge heart! He loves with his entire heart and is always kind and calm.
Will: My favorite thing about Hannah is how passionate she is about absolutely everything she does. I love that she continuously gives everything of herself to help others.
Wedding Date: 1/15/16
Ceremony Location: The Pastor who married my parents, confirmed me, and christened my brothers will hold our ceremony at McKnight United Methodist Church. Our Pastor and his wife have been a huge part of my family’s lives and Will and I are elated that he agreed to marry us.
Reception Location: Heinz History Center. We knew that we really wanted a traditional Pittsburgh themed wedding and we wanted to include aspects of the city as much as possible. We love Pittsburgh and especially love the sports teams. Heinz History Center gave us a location that included all of the aspects of the city we love with a wonderful space to celebrate the day with family and friends.
