• Engagement

It was a cool, brisk day in Red Bank, New Jersey. The Dublin House was bumping with music and crowds of people enjoying the weekend. This is a great small town feel place with shops lining the streets and people bustling about shopping or catching a drink with friends. We both walked towards each other in the bar and immediately we were like, “hey, its you!”. We warmed up with a round of drinks and chatted for a bit. It was crazy to find out that they live next to Molly Pitcher in Red Bank and were enduring the hurricane just a few weeks ago. We were shooting a wedding at the Molly Pitcher during Hurricane Joaquin, which you can see here. Amanda and Wes had been out for a walk to see what was happening with the weather when the spotted some crazy photographers battling the 50mph winds with a bride and groom! I think it took them a minute to realize 1. They knew who that bride was and 2. That was there photographers!! Crazy, small world we live in. Just knowing someone was watching us in that storm makes me giggle because we looked like crazy people, I’m sure. Knowing it was a future bride and groom we have never met made it even more epic. So cool.

Watching Amanda and Wes tell the story of how they met was quite funny. Apparently, there are 2 stories and neither would backdown on who was right. The first time they met was when they he 17 and she was 16. Wes was driving around with the guys and saw Amanda and her 2 friends. They yelled out of the car and Wes’s crazy friend jumped out to talk to them.Wes fell in love with her that first night. They lost touch after high school and didn’t reconnect until after college when they ran into each other at the Dublin House. A few months later, they started dating and 11 years after the first time they met as teenagers, they are now engaged!

We laughed and told stories as we shot around Red Bank getting to know each other. We chased the sun for a while, but eventually it tucked itself behind the clouds and we headed towards Broad Street. They wanted to go back to the very crosswalk that they met that night the guys drove by. They were standing in front of the Starbucks while I ran across the street to get ready to get my shot when out of nowhere a white car drove by and they started waving and hollering! It was Amanda’s family!! They were headed to dinner down the road, but it was so cool that the exact same place where Wes drove by and spotted Amanda was the same exact place Amanda’s family drove by. I love when stuff like this happens. We decided to go around the corner to try and find something more urban, but saw this amazing red door at the fire station. I wanted to make this quick because I know if they got an emergency call, those doors would fly open and a firetruck would be pulling out! As we were shooting the Red Bank Fire Dept, a few firemen were peeking through the windows watching us shoot. My first thought was, “OMG, we are about to get in trouble”. But, they opened the door with huge smiles and congratulatory handshakes to the happy couple and welcome us in. They allowed us to shoot on the trucks and even wanted to get involved in planning some shots. 🙂 What a sweet gesture. It was a happy little surprise.

We finished the night off at the restaurant where her family was waiting on their table. Drinks and cheers to meeting an amazing couple and their amazing family! BONUS! It was a fabulous day and an even more amazing couple. Congrats Amanda and Wes- you guys are GREAT!

xx

Leaha

 

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