From the Photographers
Chad and Maria are such a strong and amazing couple. Laurette has known Chad for over 15 years and worked with both Chad a Maria for quite a bit of time back in the day. We were so excited to hear that Chad popped the question and will finally be tying the knot! We had such a fun time shooting their engagement session at Chelsea Sun Inn and catching up at a local diner to end the night. We are so excited to be able to share these memories and celebrate their BIG day!
How they Met
Country Harvest! At the time, Chad was the Frozen Department Manager and Maria had recently started as a cashier. We became really great friends while working together and slowly started falling in love with one another. We ended up working together for 7 years!
The Proposal
Chad purchased the ring during Valentine's Day weekend 2018. Chad held onto the ring for months! Somehow, he was able to share the news of his purchase with all of our friends and family, and not ONE person let the news slip to Maria.
During the summer of 2018, Maria was getting ready to embark on a new chapter by attending Bloomsburg University to finish her Accounting Degree program. On July 5th, a beautiful summer day, we both went out to spend the day together. Our day began with a trip to Bear Rock Junction for a round of mini-golf (loser pays for ice cream!). Afterward, we decided to visit Christman Fall & Trails at Beltzville State Park (one of our very first date spots). This is a great spot for us to get away from our very busy lives, unplug from the world, and just talk about life. We sat by the waterfall and talked about the next adventure ahead, navigating through a long-distance relationship after living together for 5 years, and how to continue to make time for one another.
As the sun was beginning to set, we decided to make our way back to the car and head over the bridge above the water. Maria walked on the bridge first with Chad following behind. Suddenly, Chad said he lost his keys. Maria turned around to help, only to find Chad down on one knee with a ring in the palm of his hand. Naturally, Maria's first reaction was "You're joking, right?!". She could not believe that this was actually (finally) happening! She then started crying tears of joy and happiness (and Chad may have had a tear or two streaming down). Chad picked a flower from a bush behind her and placed it behind her ear. He then asked, "do you like it?". Duh! She loved the ring and felt like she was on cloud 9.
We then headed back to Palmerton and made stops to family and friends along the way to share our exciting news! We ended our day with a trip to the Blue Mountain Pub to celebrate with friends.
Best Part of Being Engaged
Our favorite part is that we decided to not rush to become married, and instead have enjoyed giving ourselves time to have a longer 'engagement phase' of our relationship. We have been in a relationship for 7 years and engaged for 3 years. Having a longer engagement has allowed us to soak in this special time in our lives and just enjoy being each other's fiancé(e).
Advice from the Couple
1. Spoil yourselves! We live extremely busy lives, and we do not take time for just the two of us very often. We are constantly on the go and are always prioritizing everyone else before we prioritize ourselves (which we LOVE!). We are planning the wedding of our dreams because, really, when will we ever get to do something like this again?! Weddings can be expensive, but for us, it is a once-in-a-lifetime event. Make decisions with no regrets.
2. Have FUN throughout the process! The day of the wedding will fly by. Turn the wedding planning phase into an exciting and fun experience. It will be stressful at times, but creating an experience out of it will give you memories to look back on that are more than just your wedding day.
