NC Mountain Engagement Session
How did you and Orane meet?
We were both undergraduates at Duke University! Our first time noticing each other was at an on-campus eatery called The Armadillo Grill (affectionately called the Dillo). For about 2 years after that meeting, we grew from acquaintances to best friends. We ended up in some of the same classes, hung around the same people, and studied together.
How did Orane propose?
As students, we both spent a lot of time at the Duke Gardens and we would sometimes take walks there to de-stress after studying. We have so many fond memories there from our college years, so Orane wanted to capture those feelings in his proposal. Naturally, that meant planning a surprise proposal at sunset in Duke Gardens.
He made up a story that we would be attending a Japanese tea ceremony in the gardens followed by a jazz concert (which I completely believed). As we were walking through the gardens, we eventually turned a tree-lined corner when a saxophonist began playing “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran.
I turned to see rose petals on the ground in the shape of a heart and an area with photos of us from different phases of our relationship. After Orane said some heartfelt words to me about the reasons he wanted to marry me, he got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. I said yes!
Tell me about the details you’re most excited about for your upcoming wedding!
We are so thrilled and excited to have amazing vendors for our upcoming wedding! We are particularly excited for the decor of the wedding that will feature white and netural-toned floral arrangements that Taylor has always dreamed of having and plenty of romantic vibes (think candles, string lights and more!).
To top it all off, we are getting married at The Bradford in New Hill, NC. We’re excited to have an intimate setting for our wedding that will provide a place exclusively for our family and friends to gather with us on our special day. We can’t wait!
Who is your wedding planner?
We are working with Nouveau Events! Monica has been great to work with thus far, and we highly recommend her and her team.
What did you each wear to your session?
We wanted to have two different looks for our session. The first was a casual date night look, so we opted for jeans/slacks and a nice shirt. For our time in the mountains, we wanted to have a more refined romantic look, so we chose dressier attire.
For the NC mountain engagement session, Orane wore grey slacks with a blue blazer with a customized shirt and pocket square to contrast Taylor’s look. Taylor wore a navy blue dress with nude heels.
Do you have any tips or advice for other couples about to have engagement photos taken?
Our advice is to decide on a theme and look that matches your personalities and your relationship when planning for the session. Try to choose looks that compliment who you are on a daily basis. This will make the engagement session feel more natural.
Also, try to have fun and be yourselves during the session! Once you begin to focus on your partner and having fun with the session, the camera begins to fade away into the background. Also, think about fun poses you’d want to do beforehand.
How was your overall session experience?
Our experience was amazing! We felt very relaxed and comfortable throughout the session. Dawn was also so incredibly warm and relaxing to work with. She was excellent at stepping back and allowing our personalities to shine through during the session while also providing some direction at times when it was needed.
Want to see more of our dynamic couples? Click here to view more engagement sessions.
Interested in learning how to start the process to have your very own engagement session? Click here to contact us!
