Their Engagement Session:

Alright, this session right here is truly one for the books!! Maloree and Eric are seriously SO incredible, giggly, fun, and kind-hearted. They planned their session around the heart of their relationship – their home together! They’ve decorated their place so beautifully with so many perfect little touches to make it their own. I absolutely love seeing how much personality I can gather about my couples through the way they decorate their home.

These two are all about a cozy home that is full of fun, love, friendship, and laughter! They had their adorable furbabies, Brooklyn and Oliver, join for the session! BUT there was an added bonus baby kitten that we didn’t know would be joining until a few days before! Maloree and Eric’s friend found this few-week-old kitten in the road and brought it over, so this sweet little kitty joined their furbaby family! 🙂

We planned to head over to their high school to document another piece of their story after we did the in-home! Maloree asked her best friend Hailey and her boyfriend Tony to join them for the session so they could watch the dogs while we did some photos of just Maloree and Eric! The whole gang joined us for the in-home part of the session, which made it so much more fun to have the surrounded by their favorite people!

Hailey was quick to pass around the margaritas and helped keep these cuties cracking up throughout the entire session! I also absolutely loved that Maloree and Eric hopped on into their camper to get some adorable and cozy photos in there! Such a fun addition to the shoot and I just love that these travel bugs have their own camper!

Before the shoot, Maloree reached out to me once we had set plans for their session and pretty much said, “So, here’s what I’m thinking…” and she gave me the low down on her big plan!! Tony, Hailey’s boyfriend, had been wanting to propose to Hailey, so they schemed up this grand idea to make it all happen during Maloree and Eric’s shoot so that it could be photographed! Maloree was SO excited for her best friend to get engaged, so we had set a plan (I had lines to practice and everything!) that sounded PERFECT!

Until we realized it was going to DOWNPOUR the day of the shoot. Maloree and Eric had already invited friends to come over after their session to celebrate Hailey and Tony’s engagement, so rescheduling really wasn’t an option. So, we made a rain plan! Maloree connected with a friend who works over at the Hilton Garden Inn in Hamilton, which had a cute covered patio and indoor party room that was a perfect option for covered photos! We got SO lucky that Maloree’s friend was able to get us in exactly when we needed and we were able to do the second half of the session at the hotel!

I was worried that Hailey would think they don’t need to join for the second half since the doggos couldn’t come to the hotel anymore, but Maloree knew she would be up for it all! She said that Hailey wanted to see every moment of the shoot, so she was totally down for sticking with us. YES!!! Hailey actually was an incredible assistant for me and held the umbrella over me while I shot, so that worked out perfectly!

Here was the game plan:

In-home session with friends to keep them company, head over to hotel for second outfit and more portraits on the patio, Hailey’s mom and dad were secretly hidden away at the hotel with Hailey and Tony’s sweet baby girl, so that she could be a part of the proposal! We would start photographing Maloree and Eric on the patio, I would ask Maloree to go change to her second outfit for the inside part of the hotel shoot, so Hailey could go with her to help, we would sneak mom, dad, and baby over so they were nearby, Maloree and Hailey would come back, I would ask if they want any BFF pictures together to get Hailey in place, I would ask Tony to turn on more lights for me because it wasn’t light enough which was actually his cue to go get their baby while I distracted Hailey with pictures of her and Maloree and then she would turn around and see him with their little girl and he would pop the question.

It was A LOT, but it WORKED!!!!!! We made it happen, Hailey was so surprised and totally convinced that it WASN’T going to happen (she had suspected it a little but after all of the changes she thought there was no way) that day, so she was completely shocked! She kept saying “okay, now go take your pictures this is for you” to Maloree and Eric, but we all kept saying, “Nope… this is actually for YOU” :)!

I love how selfless and thoughtful Maloree and Eric were to dedicated part of their session to their friends. It was so special that the people they all loved most could be there for such an exciting moment and I am so beyond honored to have been a part of it. Maloree brought Hailey a change of clothes, so we celebrated with ENGAGEMENT photos of Hailey and Tony, which she totally wasn’t expecting either, and then they got to go back home to a surprise engagement party with all of their friends! Although the rain was coming down hard, this session was nothing short of incredible. I honestly get choked up thinking about how sweet of a friendship they all have and how special this whole day was!

Their Love Story:

NOW, can I tell you about Maloree and Eric’s story?! Because it started with one of the funniest stories of how two people met that I’ve ever heard! Maloree told me, “Eric and I have been together for 7 years in March! We actually went all through school together from 1st grade, but I hated him lol. In first grade, he dumped my water bottle out at recess and I told on him and when the teacher told him to fill it back up, he filled it with toilet water!!! lol I held that grudge for a while… until senior year when he stole my heart. We have been together ever since, have two pups and a home together!” I remember reading her email and cracking up so hard that Eric did that to her. It’s so amazing to see how far they’ve come!!!

Eric had the proposal planned out really well! He got both of Maloree’s parents’ blessings, had her mom make an appointment to take her to get her nails done, and he planned on proposing in Ocean City, Maryland on their annual friends trip in September on the beach! It was supposed to be in front of all of their friends, and he even had a photographer lined up! Two weeks before this was all supposed to go down, Maloree accidentally found a ring in the glove box of his car!! So, the actual proposal ended up being in the parking lot of a Wendy’s! She said she felt SO horrible, but in the end, they’re engaged and more in love than ever and it makes for another funny story to add to their list! 🙂 I adore these two so much and how they just value the best things in life – love, friendship, and always having a good time.

To Maloree and Eric,

Maloree and Eric, thank you for choosing me. I will thank you a million times over before and after your wedding day. You two and your joyful spirits and hearts of freaking gold give me so much life and excite the heck out of me. Thank you for including me in so many amazing milestones already, I seriously cannot wait for your wedding day in September at Johnson’s Locust Hall Farm ! It can’t come soon enough!!! You are INCREDIBLE and I’m beyond words with how grateful I am to be a part of your love story. Thank you for being so flexible with the rain and being creative with how to still make everything work so flawlessly. Obsessed with you two as you already know!!!! Love you both so much! <3