From the Photographers
We recently had the privilege of photographing Alyssa and Cole's enchanting engagement session at Yenser's Tree Farm, and oh, what a dream it was! 🌳❤️💍 The stunning location was made even more special by the generosity of the farm, who kindly allowed us to utilize part of their picturesque property for this unforgettable occasion.
As we arrived, our hearts skipped a beat as we gazed up at the breathtaking sky, painted with hues of cotton candy pink and soft lavender. 🌅🌸 The atmosphere was nothing short of magical, setting the perfect stage for Alyssa and Cole's love story to unfold in front of our lenses. The couple was an absolute joy to work with, their smiles radiating pure happiness and anticipation. ✨😄💕
Amidst the rolling hills and evergreen beauty, we embarked on a whimsical journey, capturing tender moments and stolen glances that spoke volumes about the depth of their love. Alyssa's eyes sparkled with admiration as she looked at Cole, and his eyes mirrored her affection with unwavering devotion. Every click of the shutter froze these precious instances in time, preserving their love for eternity. 📸❤️✨
We can't stress enough how much fun we had during this engagement session. Laughter echoed through the air as Alyssa and Cole playfully twirled, whispering sweet nothings and stealing kisses beneath the ancient trees. Their infectious energy was contagious, and we couldn't help but join in on the excitement and laughter. 😆🌳💑
Alyssa and Cole's engagement session was a true testament to the power of love and the magic that can be found in the simplest of moments. We are grateful to have been a part of their journey, and we can't wait to capture the next chapter of their love story as their wedding day approaches. Stay tuned for more enchanting moments to come! ✨💖📸
How they Met
Although technically our love story began in early January of 2016 when Cole reached out to me via Instagram (I know, right? Cole the introvert reaching out to me, the extrovert), it was not long after that we "miraculously" ended up at the mall at the same time with our moms. It seems a little out of the ordinary that we planned to meet that next week, but ended up meeting at Gertrude Hawk that weekend prior. Keep in mind that a few months prior to this, our moms tried setting us up after they first met at a get-together. We both totally forgot about this until a few month's after dating, but I will never forget my mom coming home from a night-out with friend's and showing me some random boy that she thought I would be cute with!
Our first official "date" was almost ruined by a blizzard that ended up issuing a state of emergency. Nonetheless, Cole took his blue Dodge Dakota and trekked over to my house where we then decided to go to my neighbor's house for a "Friendsgiving" in January. Thank you, Chrissy, for helping break the ice!
Our whole story of how we met is a bit outrageous, but at least a good story! We started dating shortly after meeting, and it has now been over seven years since! We always say that the worst part was having to explain to our friends that we were dating someone from our rival schools, as I attended Lehighton High School and Cole attended Jim Thorpe High School.
The Proposal
Believe it or not, but it was me that kept holding Cole back from popping the question. It started with me saying to wait until my college graduation, then it was waiting until I get more established in my career, and then it officially ended with wait until Cole graduates college. In all honesty, during the entirety of the Penn State graduation for Cole, I was expecting him to kneel down and pop the question as soon as we saw each other afterward. However, it did not end up happening that day.
We had been planning a vacation to Disney for shortly after his graduation, and after he didn't propose at his graduation, I immediately thought, "Oh, it is going to happen then. But... I hope he is not cliche and does it in front of the castle!". I randomly went to him one day and said, "if you ever would propose at Disney, do it anywhere but in front of the castle! I like Mulan, you can do it at Epcot if you want!". I realize now that he had this planned out already to do exactly that, so at least that verifies that he knows me very well!
As we were packing for our trip, I kept yelling at him not to bring his camera because I was worried it would either get broken or stolen while we were there. I didn't want to run that risk, so I was very adamant on him not bringing it up (keep this in mind for later). He brought it anyways, and we got stopped at every single security checkpoint and I was never more annoyed in my life. Nonetheless, we made it to Disney and continued our trip. It was a blast! A few days in, however, I noticed that he wasn't bringing his camera to any of the parks. It definitely stemmed some curiosity, but I quickly forgot about it.
Then, it was Epcot day. If you don't know my family, we are die-hard Disney fans! When we go on vacation to Disney, we mean business. I have a set-in-stone plan.. eat a churro at 10:00 am, be in line for Remmy's Ratatouille Adventure by 10:07 am, run across the park to get to Mission Space by 11:00 am.... food? you're funny. So when my morning plan came to a halt when Cole got stopped by Disney Security on the one day he decided to bring his camera, I was angry. Once he was released by security, we continued on our way with me telling him, again, "I told you so!".
We were having a great day that was filled with adventure, but I started getting very tired. At that point, I told him that maybe we could go back to the hotel to relax and we could come back to the park later for the show. He insisted on staying and instead told me to get a coffee. I was hesitant but agreed. I received my iced coffee and flavor shot, stepped over to a bench, and asked Cole to get me some napkins. While he was walking over, I stirred my coffee and quickly realized the lid was not on properly and dumped my coffee all over me. Cole walked back over, his face dropped, and I told him I wanted to leave. He kept begging that I buy a new shirt and not leave, and even had my mom call me to tell me to do the same. I then turned to him and said, "what are you stressed about? I am the one stained and sticky from coffee and I have a headache!". I bought a new shirt anyway, changed in the bathroom, and then we went on our way again.
At this point, we were making our way towards China-town when Cole told me he needed to go to the bathroom. I was confused because we went to the bathroom five minutes prior to change my shirt, but went and sat down anyway. He came out and we kept walking towards China-town where I then made a sharp left and turned towards Frozen Ever After. He grabbed my arm and insisted on taking some pictures with a new camera lens he bought. I was confused, but gave in and continued toward China-town, once again. We got in front of where he wanted to take pictures, where he "tested" the lens but "realized" it was broken and needed to get a different one out of his bag. I walked away to go find somewhere to lean against when I then turned around and saw him on his knee holding out a camera lens with a ring inside of it. I was never more shocked, but happy, in my life! I immediately hugged Cole and he put the ring on my finger after I yelled, "yes!". I looked to the side and I see someone taking pictures of us, who I then realize is his cousin and then-fiance who managed to disguise themselves all day to capture this moment.
Turns out that Disney security ran his bag through the detector and noticed the ring in what seemed to be a hollowed-out cylinder. As I was only a few feet away, he was trying to nonchalantly tell them that he was planning to propose and the ring was in the camera lens. Cole custom-made the ring, but also knew how nosey I am and decided to custom-make the "box". With him and his friends, they 3D printed a ring holder that perfectly rose out of the camera lens when twisting the zoom ring on it. He knew this was the only way to truly surprise me! That's what I get for deciding to marry an engineer, but it made me even happier to know how much effort went into this day!
Best Part of being Engaged
Shortly after getting engaged, we made the move to Massachusetts; away from all of our family and friends! We would say we didn't have the typical amount of time to enjoy being engaged as the adult life kicked into high gear within a blink of an eye! However, once we were able to settle down, it has been so nice being in the company of one another. Our whole relationship was long distance as we were both at different universities, so our relationship really became stronger after we got engaged and moved in together. It has been a fun ride ever since exploring our new world together! Planning our future together has been something we have been looking forward to, so it is wonderful to be able to do that now, even if it is seven years after we started dating!
Some Advice
We got engaged in January of 2022 and although we were in the process of moving, we still made time to begin the planning process right away. We wanted a longer engagement in order to allow us time to get used to our new surroundings, plan the big day, as well as start saving money. (It might also be partially because Alyssa loves numbers and wanted a palindrome, so she chose the date of 4.27.24 for the wedding)! Although there was plenty of time to plan, all of the vendors (venue, photographer/videographer, DJ, officiant, hair and makeup artist, etc) were booked as of February 2023. This has already been a huge relief as we have now been able to plan the finer details, while loving the feeling of not being pressured. We also never ran into the issue of our vendors being booked, meaning we got all of our top picks! If anyone is planning on a longer engagement, I would highly recommend booking everything as soon as you make a decision. Sometimes we need this reminder as well, but remember to always have fun and that you are the decision-maker! You can do anything you want with your special day, as this is the only one you will have!
