Lakeside Picnic Engagement Session

There’s something quintessential summer and ultra romantic about a lakeside engagement session. Ashley & Derek had just that and more. These dock-sitting cuties brought with them a picnic – complete with a champagne toast – to really take their shoot to the next level. Kelsie at Pinkerton Photography captured it all on camera, every glance, giggle, and sunset kiss. Read more below on how these two got together from the bride herself!

From the bride …

Deryk and I met in graduate school: I was from Massachusetts and Deryk from Oregon and we both wound up attending a small university in Fairfield, CT for the school’s physical therapy program. It all began one night during our second year of the program when a group of us went to karaoke. The morning following karaoke, I was in the shower when my roommate came busting into the bathroom squealing with excitement. I knew her parents were coming for the weekend, so I peeked my head out and eagerly asked if they were bringing us a puppy. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a puppy, but I did get Deryk. Looking back on it, that was way better than a puppy anyhow. Deryk had texted my roommate that morning asking about me. Eventually, he mustered up the courage to connect with me and soon after we went on our first date. It wasn’t long before I knew that Deryk was a man I wouldn’t be able to live without. As for him, I’m not sure what won him over, but I can assure you it wasn’t my voice!

He proposed a little over a year later. He had his mom give us a card for our graduation from physical therapy school. The card had an image of a hot air balloon on the front and the inside of the card read, “the sky is the limit” along with a date and time. The card made total sense for the “graduation” occasion. When we arrived to the location the next morning, the hot air balloon was being prepared. The man in charge nonchalantly asked me if it would be okay for his photographer to take a few photos of us for their website, so I agreed. They had blown up the whole balloon and had it lying on its side and I was instructed to walk in. Deryk walked in shortly after me and I didn’t even notice it was just the two of us (plus a photographer), because I was so in awe by my surroundings. The next thing I knew, Deryk was on one knee asking me to marry him and of course I said “yes!”.

We cannot wait for our wedding in Phoenix, Arizona, the new place we call home, on April 22, 2017 – the exact date we began our journey together three years ago.