It’s no secret that I’m a fan of dating apps; as someone who spent half of my twenties trying out the many online dating options (and now is dating someone I met through one of those aforementioned apps), I’ve always been a big proponent of online dating as a way to meet people you may have never had the chance to cross paths with otherwise. Kristina was living in the suburbs and Brad was living in the city when they first matched on OkCupid over four years ago. They met for the first time over a few hot chocolates at Kopi Café, and now this year, I’ll have the chance to accompany + photograph them as they swing by the place where they first met on the day they’ll marry one another. I can’t help but feel a little nostalgic for my couples in moments like these – even now, I feel myself getting excited to see exactly where they first saw one another, and for them to show me which seats they sat in and share their first impressions of each other. Much of my job is spent simply learning and observing, through listening to their stories and the memories they’ve created together, and dreaming with them as they talk about what their future looks like together, too.

During Kristina and Brad’s engagement session, we stopped by Salvage One first, then made our way to Revolution Brewing’s Tap Room. While I adore all of the photos we took, one of my favorite parts of the afternoon was having a beer with the two of them in the midst of our session – after snapping some shots of the two of them sipping on their beers together, I grabbed one and joined them. We weren’t watching the clock, and I set my camera down and we ate popcorn and chatted about their early days and the wedding planning and their friends and families and what life may look like for them after their wedding day, too. And these are the parts of my job that don’t end up on camera but feel just as important to me – the parts where I get to see who these people are outside of this big event they’re planning, and exactly why they’re so great together.