14 Nov

Engagements

Cape May Engagements | Jessica + Craig

I am SO stoked to feature these gorgeous Cape May engagements featuring some pretty stellar people. You know how sometimes in life, you run into people, and from the first time you meet you just KNOW–they are YOUR people. That was me with Jessica & Craig. And their engagement session in Cape May, New Jersey was nothing short of a dream (albeit a frigid dream…but more about that later). First, let’s do a little background shall we?Cape May Engagement photos on the beach

“Meeting” Jess & Craig

Their initial contact came from another photographer who was booked on their wedding date BUT lucky for me they were willing to take her recommendation of flying me back east (TWICE – once for engagements and once for wedding day). Our first “meeting” was over Skype, and I was a little worried about being able to make a connection online, but from the second we logged on, we were instant friends. They were MY people. I think it also has to do with the fact that my kids kept coming in and out of my office to see who I was talking to. I don’t even think we talked all that much about their wedding package as much as we did about life and kids and relationships. Jessica and Craig honestly became my great friends from that point forward. After that it just felt like I was helping a friend plan her wedding and helping her make her (and his) dream wedding come to life.

Cape May

So, like I said, DREAM engagement shoot. But their engagement session might have been the most freezing engagement session I have EVER shot and to put the cherry on top Jessica was determined to have sunset pictures on the beach in Cape May, NJ IN SHORTS! She was so brave and it made for so much laughter because we couldn’t believe JUST how cold it was and that we were all suffering on the beach but boy did they look dreamy!! No one would know the difference!

Their Love StoryEngagement photos of a couple at Cape May, NJ

Craig & Jessica actually met on Match.com about 2 years before they got engaged. Jess’s sister had just had her nephew who she was (well, still is) OBSESSED with. She had been going out onsome dates and realized that she may have been freaking some guys out because she couldn’t stop showing off pics of the little guy. Her sister and her had talked/laughed about this and thought it best to maybe tone down the nephew obsession when out on first dates at least. The next date Jessica had after this convo was with Craig…when he went to the bathroom Jessica sneaked a peek at her phone and her sister had sent this ADORABLE picture of her nephew in a Christmas stocking…I mean come on…this was TORTURE! The effort it took to restrain myself from showing this picture to not only Craig but the entire restaurant was TORTURE for Jess. She somehow managed to just put the phone back in her purse and waited for him to come back from the bathroom. But here’s the kicker…he comes back from the bathroom with this huge smile on his face and his phone out and goes “Look at this adorable picture my friend just sent me of her daughter!” So Jessica, of course, whips out her phone and they spent the rest of the night one upping each other with cute baby pics. A man that loves babies…she was in heaven.

From the Bride

Jessica says, “I don’t like to think I was picky with guys but I had always felt that I lived a very fun and blessed life on my own and the only way I was going to date someone was if they could enhance my life and vice versa. When I met Craig I felt like he lit up my life! There has not been a single day that we haven’t laughed together. He has the biggest heart ever and I can just look at him and smile. I had thought I had been in love before but the love I feel for him is like nothing I had ever known. I knew he was the one within 3 months of dating…we were Facetiming and there was a lull in the convo where we both just started smiling and giggling for no reason at all. I remember it hitting me right then and there…in that simple moment. There truly isn’t a day that has gone by that I haven’t thanked God for giving me this gift. I find joy in everything with him. We’re pretty simple. It doesn’t take much to make us happy…as long as we’re together, we’re usually smiling and most likely laughing. We currently live in the city and just love walking around all the parks and historical areas. His family has a house at the shore so we spend a lot of time at the beach in the summer. We always go on bike rides in the morning when we’re down the shore and that was actually how he proposed to me the other weekend! It was amazing. And both our families and tons of our friends were there to celebrate with us after. Family and friends are EXTREMELY important to both of us. So much so that we’ll be inviting about 280 people to our wedding!”

I absolutely adore Jess & Craig and can’t wait to share their equally gorgeous wedding day photos with you guys! Trust me…this is just a sample of the yumminess that is to come.

XOXO
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