Taylor and John met me out at the Alachua Firefighter Station earlier this month for their adorable firefighter engagement session. I have to admit that I felt like a kid in a candy shop with so many different “props” to choose from and location options to use, but more on that in a bit!
My sweethearts actually met in Gainesville, Florida during Taylor’s junior year of undergrad at the University of Florida. John at the time had just recently moved up to Gainesville from Port St. Lucie after having graduated from fire college for his career as a firefighter. The two crossed paths when John moved into Taylor’s friend’s home. As she reminisces, “I first laid eyes on him while he was doing dishes in their kitchen, I mean who wouldn’t fall in love with that!” The two at the time were both in relationships, so their secret glances and a little bit of small talk was the most that could take place – at least for now! During a group outing, the two inadvertently went on a date by no fault of their own when everyone invited cancelled. The meet up was at dinner and during their “date” John jokingly told the waitress that they were celebrating their four year anniversary and from then on the rest was history!
Taylor loves John’s good hearted nature and genuineness foremost, but also admires his strong work ethic. John love Taylor’s humor, oh and of course her butt – hehe. The two really just love one another’s soul and the love that they share for one another.
Of course their blossoming relationship filled with a whole lot of love and a little bit of laughter established a strong foundation for the two of them to grow as a couple. John was head over heels with Taylor and vice versa. He knew that there was no other girl for him and planned out his proposal while Taylor was on a trip to Italy with her sister and friends. While she was away, John transformed their tiny little apartment into the Notebook. Complete with white sheets, sparkly white lighted hallway, and rose petals that read “My One?” created a magical setting for Taylor’s return when she found John down on one knee after walking in the door. Of course, his excitement got the best of him and with so much love in his heart, he jumped up before he could ask the question to hug his darling and welcome her home. With Taylor’s grandmother’s ring in hand, a family heirloom that has been around for over 150 years, he asked for Taylor’s hand in marriage and of course she said “yes!”
Celebrating their proposal, the two wanted an engagement session that represented them as a couple. As soon as Taylor brought up the idea of having the session take place at the firehouse, I jumped for joy! It would be my first official firefighter engagement session and I couldn’t be more excited. If you know me well, you know how much I love “firsts” and after having had several firefighter stations say “no” to photos taking place with my prior darling couples at their station, I was excited to finally have a “yes.” Driving the back roads out to Alachua, I made my way to station 25 to meet with Taylor and John. I said it once and I will say it again, I felt like a total kid in a candy store. I mean any prop I wanted was available for use from the awesome firefighters turning the lights on for every truck to John’s assortment of wardrobe items. After scouring Pinterest for a few ideas to get some inspiration earlier that week, I knew exactly the style and type of shoot. I really wanted the focus to be on my couple around the station, as though they were just hanging out on a little date of their own. From kisses on the fire truck bumper to snuggling up in the back seat, the two were just absolutely darling to capture! One of my favorite spots ironically enough wasn’t even with the fire trucks, but in the locker room. I love the intimacy of John and Taylor holding one another along with the bright pop of red and deep navy. It was truly a blast to capture a “first” for both of us!
Looking forward to capturing these two tie the knot in just a few weeks!
Venue: Alachua Firefighter Station
