kim + ryan | patterson park + gunther & co engagement with their adorable dog

To say I’m looking forward to Kim and Ryan’s wedding at the Belvedere would be an understatement!! These lovebirds are two of the most beautiful souls, inside and out… the foundation of their love story was built on kindness, respect, a love of good food and drink and being the best parents to Millie, their super sweet and adorable #urbanrowpup who will be with us for portraits on their wedding day — I CAN NOT WAIT!!

But first, let’s relive this beautiful Fall evening at Gunther & Co and in Patterson Park for their engagement photos. It was golden, glowing, and full of gorgeousness!

Their meet-cute is literally the cutest story I’ve ever heard… here’s how Kim tells it:

“I was out in Federal Hill with my girlfriends when one of them (Casey) introduced me to her cousin (Ryan) who had just moved home from New York. Over the next few months we kept running into each other, since Ryan and Casey have a very close relationship! We became very good friends. One day I was at Nordstrom Rack with another girlfriend of mine, Jenny, and I had asked her if she thought it was weird if I was starting to have feelings for Ryan. She replied, "Omg no, not weird at all! He's so cute!" A few more weeks pass, and Ry and my friendship grows stronger. Then, FINALLY, we are out to brunch with a group of our friends, and this older man starts to hit on me and make me really uncomfortable. Ryan could see that I was getting very grossed out and quickly comes over. He says to the creepy man, "I see you met my wife! Isn't she beautiful? We're leaving for our honeymoon in just a few days." (I'm basically on the floor at this point in awe...) And then BOOM he plants a big smooch on my lips. The rest is history…” :)

And the proposal… I love that we got to take their photos in Patterson Park near where they actually got engaged!

“One of our favorite things to do is go on long walks around Canton. By far our favorite location is Patterson Park! One Saturday in December, Ryan wanted to go on a long walk to Harbor East for dinner, and stop off at Patterson Park since it was on the way. Halfway through our walk at the park, Ryan guided us to a pebble stone path, dropped down on one knee, and popped the question! I said yes, of course! Afterwards, we walked back to our apartment where Ryan had organized a surprise engagement party with both of our families. He did great!” :)

Cheers to celebrating your love with all of your family and friends in one room, finally, Kim + Ryan! I can’t wait to see all the dance moves you’ve been practicing!! ;)

xoxo,
Naomi

lee + dan | a sunset engagement at cold saturday farm with their dogs

Fancy and Barkley are the luckiest pups to have Lee and Dan as their paw-rents… just look at those happy faces basking in the golden sunlight streaming through the trees at Cold Saturday Farm!

To be honest, when Lee initially reached out about photographing their wedding, I had never heard of Cold Saturday Farm in Finksburg, MD. Established in 1765 by virtue of a grant from the King of England, Cold Saturday is a one-of-a-kind estate: a lovingly preserved and restored colonial farm encompassing 60 acres in western Maryland. It features rolling hills and pristine lawns, lakes and creeks, fieldstone mansions and log cabins… but what does that all mean for Lee and Dan?

It means there were SO MANY beautifully picturesque backdrops for portraits and all the space one could ever want to stroll in a peaceful and serene rural landscape with their dogs. Not only will their October wedding take place here, but we took advantage of the expansive, photogenic property to get to know each space for their Fall engagement photos as well!

I’m obsessed with their love story, their pups and the way these photos turned out… I can’t wait to be back at Cold Saturday Farm for their wedding day!

Lee + Dan, I can’t wait to see you two officially become husband and wife! You’re always so eager to give your time and energy to others, now it’s everyone else’s turn to celebrate you both and the amazing love you share!!

xo,
Naomi

lily + andy | a relaxed, candid engagement at rye street tavern

When I met up with Lily and Andy for their engagement photos at Rye Street Tavern, it was a chilly yet beautiful November evening in Baltimore; we danced, we walked, we jumped and we snuggled up with Nyla, their adorable #urbanrowpup who seemed like she’d modeled at 17 photoshoots before this one… she was a pro! ;)

I love how completely at ease and comfortable you both are - up for anything and so sweet and silly together, Lily and Andy, you compliment each other in every way! I also have to say how much I swooned over Lily’s vibrant blue floor-length dress that added so much motion and movement to their photos.

But you know what’s even better? The story of how they met:

“After studying abroad for a semester in Sydney, Andy was apartment hopping; catching up with the friends he hadn't seen for a semester. On his way home, he decided to stop in at one last spot and visit a friend who he had known since high school. That friend happened to be throwing a small party, and Lily was there! After learning that Lily was interested in travel and Game of Thrones, Andy was hooked.”

And then how Andy proposed at a Getaway House (LOVE that!):

“Andy booked a Getaway House by Shenandoah National Park for a weekend trip. We spent the weekend there hiking in the park and taking pictures at many of the amazing outlooks. Although Andy was hoping to propose at the top of hike with a beautiful view, heavy cloud cover forced an audible. Andy suggested taking photos looking out the huge window in the Getaway cabin. While Lily's back was turned, and the camera was rolling, he got down on one knee and proposed. Nyla, our pup, was very excited.”

Lily + Andy, I can’t wait for your wedding day and all the jumping (for joy!) photos that are going to take place!! ;) You two are just the cutest!

xo,
Naomi

christina + tony | a historic fells point engagement session

Spending time together in Fells Point with a stylish and fun, beautiful, dog-loving couple on a crisp Fall evening by the water is what I dream about… honestly! There’s nowhere else I’d rather be, than documenting an incredibly inspiring love story with soulmates that are passionate about their relationship, excited for the start of their marriage and choose to live and love in Baltimore.

THE TOP 5 REASONS CHRISTINA + TONY’S FELLS POINT ENGAGEMENT SESSION WILL MAKE YOU SMILE:

1. Christina wore a flowing and full-length black floral Anthropologie dress for a moody, modern and romantic look at their waterfront session

2. Tony wore a solid burgundy sport coat paired with dark jeans for a crisp Fall look that was the perfect compliment to Christina’s dress and all the industrial character of Fells Point

3. They brought their shih tzu pup Marcel along for photos and he was spoiled with snuggles (just look at his face! how could you not squeeze him!? He’s the most adorable little ‘fluffball’ as my son called him when he saw these photos!)

4. Christina had a vision for the look to their engagement photos that I absolutely love: romantic and industrial chic with a touch of urban grit and texture, just like their wedding venue, The Winslow Room

5. These two simply exude love in every sense of the word! From a gentle touch to a loving glance, there is a comfort and confidence between them that is such a joy to document. Christina is simply one of the sweetest people you’ll ever meet and Tony compliments her in every way.

Here’s to celebrating this October AND next, at The Winslow Room… you both deserve all the love and happiness in the world and clearly celebrating over the course of one year isn’t enough! ;)

xo,
Naomi

melanie + james | north point state park beach engagement with their dogs

There are so many reasons to love Mel + James, I don’t know where to start!! The first 5 that come to mind:

1. They are not only dog people… they are double dog parents to 2 of the most adorable, photogenic, sweet, energetic and personality-filled pups I’ve ever met.

2. Mel’s sense of style; she is my go-to resource for fall boots (Frye all the way!), summer dresses, blue-light glasses (she introduced me to the awesomeness of Felix Gray!) Anthropologie inspo, mood boards + color palettes, modern typefaces and dog-friendly bars + breweries.

3. They brought 2 types of liquid courage with them to their esesh: one to drink and one to pop for the photos, obviously (scroll to the end). Yes and YES!

4. She is a fellow small-business owner too; Little Orange Studio specializes in ‘thoughtfully crafted design’ (love that tagline).

5. James proposal was a complete surprise, in a wine cellar of a local Baltimore restaurant with “a significantly large charcuterie board” (the BEST, right?)…more on the proposal details below! :)

But how they got to this point is an adorable story on its own… in Mel’s words:

“We first met at a college pre-game party in Salisbury. The pre-game was at James' house and a mutual friend invited me and my roommate over. Naturally, I was underage and playing beer pong with Captain Morgan. Across from me on the table was James!

We bumped into each other back home on spring break at The Stalking Horse where we exchanged numbers and realized that we're both from Baltimore. We are laughing out loud right now because it seriously is so blurry we can't even get our story straight. There were so many fun nights following with friends where James and I would bump into each other. We both say that we're pretty sure we had the same conversations several times and it's the drunk college version of 50 first dates. We both also worked in Ocean City every summer when the spring semester was over. We had our first date that summer and some of our most favorite memories. I still can't believe it took us three years at college and three summers working down the beach to finally bump into each other because we had so many mutual friends.”

I love these two photos paired up because it shows how cute they were at the beginning of our time together and how confident and much fun they were having at the end… not to mention, their perfect choices for a summer-at-the-beach vibe to their engagement photos! Mel’s dress is this Anthro one, if you were wondering… ;)

And then the proposal story… in James’ words!

“I made reservations on the week of her birthday to throw her off the scent of me or anyone that could be getting overly excited, as well as going to a really nice restaurant. A week before I scouted out the wine cellar and met the manager and server who would be taking care of us and told them the plan.

I reserved the wine cellar in the basement of the restaurant where we had wine and a significantly large charcuterie board. We were hanging out, enjoying ourselves when I thought I saw something that looked familiar. (For anyone who has not been in their wine cellar, it is a narrow room, obviously with wine literally wall to wall. There are 3 long narrow tables for people to hang out and drink while they are down there, so when popping the question, I had to figure out how to get on the other side of this long narrow table.) I moved to the other side of the table to look at one of the bottles of wine on the lower rack, while on one knee and came up with the ring box in my hand and popped the question. She had NO IDEA and all the planning was well worth the reaction. We then went upstairs for dinner and a drinks, then went home and had friends and family over to celebrate!”

It’s hard to pick a favorite of these two, but the black and white moments may be my favorite… they so perfectly show the way Mel + James compliment each other.

“If I could just name one thing [I love about James], it would be that I've never had more fun with anyone else in any given situation. James makes everything fun and I really love that about him. I've never laughed so hard in three hours of stand-still traffic. Some of my favorite memories are times where it was just him and I doing something impromptu and having a blast. Even arguments end up with both of us laughing. How lucky am I to marry someone that makes life so fun— never a dull moment.” ~Mel

“I love Mel's selflessness and how she always puts other people before herself. She is truly a genuine person and agrees with me when we say that its about the little things in this life. On top of that she always motivates me to be the best possible version on myself and keeps me young at heart. ~James

You both are the definition of perfect soulmates and I couldn’t be happier to document the official start of your married life together! I know it’s bittersweet to have had to postpone to 2021, but know we are all celebrating with you this weekend in spirit and the party will be that much more EPIC when the big day finally gets here next summer!

xo,
Naomi