Ariel & Gared

Six years ago, I moved away from home for the very first time to go work at Walt Disney World! It was a year full of immeasurable amounts of fun, and it brought so many wonderful people into my orbit. Ariel is one of those people. I had the honor of sharing an apartment with this beautiful, funny and wildly intelligent woman during one of the most memorable periods of my life. From frolicking around the parks on our days off, to having incredible meals together at the resort restaurants, to dousing each other in aloe vera when we inevitably got the worst sunburns of our lives, memories with her and our other roomates always bring a smile to my face.

 

Fast forward to this year, I get a text from Ariel all the way in Nebraska asking if I'd like to fly back down to Florida to take her engagement pictures. She could have asked any photographer in the country, but she was sweet enough to personally ship me in from Chicago. How could I possibly say no?! So off I was to the place that holds such a special spot in my heart. Even better, we spent the entire evening at one of our favorite locations on property, the Boardwalk.

 

As soon as we arrived, I was overwhelmed with flashbacks of ice cream, dancing, taking picutres, and watching fireworks. I had to pause for a moment before the happy tears started flowing. From start to finish, Ariel & Gared absolutley crushed this engagement session. They were so natural and let their love for each other drive each shot we took. You can tell they were having tons of fun (despite it being one of the hottest Orlando days we've collectivley ever expericed and we were all essentially evaporating). To give the wonderful couple a nice AC break, we stopped by the Abracadabar. This place is SO COOL, and it was nice to pause the session to catch up.

 

Once everyone was feeling refreshed, we were back in business and countinued our lap around the lake. The sun was setting gorgeously in the very spot their love story began. We spent some time enjoying golden hour at the stunning gazebo at SeaBreeze Point. I got to listen to them recount their memories and connect the dots all the way up to this moment. Once the sun was past the horizon, we strolled over to the Beach Club where Ariel's family has been staying since she was a young girl. She then told me how her dad has a tradition where he always brings her downstairs from their room to the bridge that overlooks EPCOT, and they would watch the fireworks together at night. I knew I had to get one last picture of her and Gared sharing this final moment of the evening. Thank goodness I pulled my camera back out, because it is one of their favorite photos that we got.

 

I will always be grateful for her friendship, and for being kind enough for asking me to come back to capture this memory for her. I love you, dear. Thank you for everything, and I am so thrilled to continue watching your love story grow!