Storms have been rolling in day after day, but I seem to luck out with little pockets of sunshine. The night before our engagement session, I gave Chelsie and Kyle a ring that there was potential for the rain to put a damper on our plans. Waiting out the rain, I called my sweethearts up and told them we have a quick moment of sunlight before the storms circle right back around and with that they headed out to meet me in the heart of downtown Winter Park for their engagement.
I was so excited to finally meet Chelsie and Kyle. Their bubbly personalities and excitement for planning their wedding day is absolutely contagious. While the sun was on our side, we headed over to the lush tropical campus of Rollins College to start our session out before making our way back to Park Ave. for a sweet treat.
Walking around the grounds, we had a blast shooting and watching the festivities as we passed by student tours, and even a bag piper welcoming in guests to the chapel on campus for a wedding. The excitement all around us just added to the silliness of our shoot.
Now, I love Rollins – adore it – seriously love every little inch of that gorgeous little campus, but for Chelsie and Kyle’s engagement session, my favorite spot we went by far was Peterbrooke Chocolatier. A little ice cream and chocolate shop off of Park Ave. right by Central Park, the placement could not be more perfect along with the setting and rising sun that seems to always center the quaint building. As we passed the building for pictures, it hit me – I turned to Chelsie and Kyle and asked them if they liked ice cream, because I just felt like this shop was the perfect spot for the two of them to end their session. I’m not sure exactly why, but there was a little photographer voice inside saying, “hey, I bet these two would really love to go off the beaten path and try something different – go get some ice cream.”
Chelsie lit up and Kyle started laughing! Apparently, the two go and grab ice cream literally at least two times a week at their local Twisty Treat. They loved the idea so we headed inside for a few scoops. It was the perfect spot, for a perfect ending to a session that we lucked out on having the perfect timing for.
FSU fans, as I am sure you could tell, Chelsie and Kyle met up in Tallahassee on campus through mutual friends. After a few date requests, Chelsie finally agreed to a lunch date with Kyle, and the rest was history. The confidence Kyle exudes, knowing exactly what he wants and going after it is what Chelsie loves most about him. He inspires her to do the same in every facet of life. Chelsie does not give herself enough credit though, as Kyle loves how much of a hard worker she naturally is. She is always working to better herself, her friendships, her efficiency at work, and truly anything she can just overall improve on. As Kyle explains, “her motivation for the little things drives me to be a better person.”
Kyle’s proposal to Chelsie was just as fun as the two of them. Bringing her to Lake Eola for drinks and dinner, they took the “scenic” route around the lake to the World of Beer for the supposed drinks and dinner. Not far from WOB after their scenic tour slowly came to a close, Kyle took Chelsie’s hand and got down on one knee asking for her to marry him. She of course said, “yes,” and was unexpectedly surprised to find all of her sorority sisters, friends, and her parents at Kyle’s parents house that night for an after-proposal celebration!
Looking forward to our team capturing these two tie the knot this coming April!
Venue: Peterbrooke Chocolatier of Winter Park
