Wedding The Acre Orlando - Corner House Photography Team

Lauren and Joey tied the knot during their wedding at The Acre Orlando. Vibrant florals, paired with hip style of the venue made for a very tropical vibe!

How They Met

Technically, we met over 8 years ago in our first few weeks in undergrad at Queens University in Charlotte, NC. A friend a few doors down from me wanted to introduce me to someone that also liked art and so she had me come meet him while they were waiting for an audition. We connected instantly but it turned out to be the case of right person wrong time. We both were not actually ready. We went our separate ways in life, Joseph went off to the marines and I finished my BA in Art History and then moved away to NYC to get my MA in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Joseph moved to Japan during his in the marines and then came back to North Carolina. When he was about to leave the marines he made a linkedin profile and found me at the end of November 2017. I didn’t see his connection invitiation and so he friended me on Facebook later that night, which I did accept because I knew him reaching out after all these years was not a coincidence. We started texting, which led to phone calls and Skyping, which led to a long distance relationship. It hasn’t always been the easiest of paths but it has definitely been worth it.

The Proposal

We got engaged on June 29, 2019 off the 40 Steps on the Cliff Walk in Newport Rhode Island. I was extremely nervous and excited because earlier that week he had asked me about stone shapes and then mentioned us going for a walk in our nice clothes and having someone take photos of us because we didn’t have any nice pictures of us, in his words. Well, that tipped me off because that’s the first time he has said something like that and I was not going for a walk in a long dress, so after some discussion we decided we would get up early and go for a walk in the morning to scout locations before the photoshoot later that morning with the photographer, Cristy, that Joseph was able to get last minute. Before heading over to 40 Steps for our shoot, we were getting ready at his place and I just knew something was happening when I saw him all dressed up. I had henna on my hand at the time and he spent a lot of time trying to scrub it off on my ring finger, and when I asked him why he was paying attention to that finger he said he was making it even, which I didn’t believe. So by the time we arrive at the spot for the shoot, which he had pre-picked despite our scouting, I was so excited, hopeful and nervous.We climbed down the steps and the rocks, which required a lot of careful maneuvering in my dress as it had a lot of parts that could get caught on the rocks. There were a few things that tipped me off that it was a proposal because Cristy and Joseph seemed to know about something I didn’t. We did several shots, and about halfway through the shoot, the Cristy says, “okay, Joseph, why don’t we go to that spot you wanted” and it was on the edge of the cliff but near a corner so we had a bit more of a private view. Also, Joseph cut himself on the rocks right before proposing! Then Cristy said for me to turn around and to look out at the water and take in the breeze since it had been so hot. After staring out for a few seconds, and not noticing the other tourists clearing off the rocks and people lining the stairs and rails to watch, Joseph got down on one knee. I caught him out of the corner of my eye and my heart just stopped. I had been waiting for this moment for so long and I couldn’t believe it was happening. I actually was nodding yes before he could even get his words out, which made him forget what he was going to say! It was just more perfect than anything I could ever ask for. After taking in the moment and sharing in our excitement, we continued on with the photoshoot. We stayed there for a while just calling friends and family and letting them in on the excitement. We were supposed to meet up with friends, which didn’t happen, so here we are in our fancy clothes and we got lunch at a Starbucks! It was so silly yet perfect. We spent the rest of the day telling family and friends and then we spent the evening having fun on the boardwalk in Newport.

Wedding Day Vision

It’s all about fun. It’s a cocktail party that happens to have a wedding at it. It’s hot pink with bright orange and bright yellow. Also, lots of palm leaves because I love love love palm trees. There’s a “jungle” in my grandparents backyard so that’s where we want portraits to be done.