As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I get especially excited when I get to photograph members of my own community, and this Atlanta LGBTQ+ engagement session was certainly no exception.
These two are the cutest. The two of them met back in 2017 while at Georgia State, and they’ve been inseparable ever since. In the LGBTQ+ community, it’s pretty typical for both people in the couple to propose, and Kaitlyn and Rachel were no exception. Kaitlyn & Rachel told me their stories before their engagement session, and they’re too cute not to share.
Kaitlyn’s Proposal
I knew I wanted to propose to Rachel for a long time. When I heard Tulip season was coming up in the Netherlands, I knew that would be the perfect place to do it. We went to a garden named Keukenhof and I had no idea where I was going to do it there. The plan was to just play it by ear until we had a nice private moment. We walked through a maze and at the end, there was a gazebo overlooking a bunch of flowers – that’s where I decided to do it.
Rachel’s Proposal
I knew I wasn’t going to one-up the European gardens, so I wanted to do something sweet and private close to home. I cooked up a meal and packed a lunch and we went to a little park in Midtown. We set up this sweet picnic and I proposed to Kaitlyn with Adele playing in the background 2 months to the day after she proposed to me. It was a romantic, intimate moment. Since we weren’t as public as Kaitlyn’s proposal, we had more time to soak it in (and cry a bunch).
The Engagement Session
For their engagement session, I knew I wanted to represent these stories for Kaitlyn & Rachel. We decided on a session running through a field with wildflowers then settling in for a picnic, complete with a fresh bouquet, to combine elements of both of their proposals. The two of them poured mimosas, giggling and feeding each other strawberries.
We spent time getting to know each other in preparation for capturing their big day in Athens, Georgia at the UGA Botanical Gardens. We swapped our coming out stories, talked about their goals and excitement for their day, and captured some true documentary photography as they enjoyed their picnic together. These are my favorite kind of sessions, where we’re not on a clock and the couple comes ready to have a date with each other – I just happen to be there capturing it.
About this Atlanta LGBTQ+ Engagement Session:
This engagement session is part of my storytelling package. With these sessions, I offer personalized photography sessions that focus on telling your story. These sessions are customized to you based on a questionnaire that helps me get to know you and plan the perfect date. These are a great way to document a beautiful time in your life, whether that’s getting engaged, your favorite pizza night tradition, or that lakefront spot you spend so much time at. You can see more details here.
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