Williamsburg is one of my favorite places to photograph, especially Colonial Williamsburg. There are just so many places to work, so many nooks and crannies to play with and such beautiful light to work with. It was such a great time working with Janice & Ed, I can’t wait for their wedding! Here are a few of my favorites as well as their engagement story in their own words.

Her view:
I had just gotten back from a trip to Las Vegas with Ed and his parents. In our conversations, we had already talked about a strong commitment that we had for each other. Nevertheless, I accepted that the Las Vegas trip was not the right time/place for us to get engaged. I knew in my heart that Ed was the one for me, and I had faith that the question would pop up eventually. When Ed dropped me off in Williamsburg my mom invited him to a Halloween picnic for the following weekend, and he accepted the invitation.

On October 30, 2010, Ed arrived at the house while I was still getting ready. I figured he‚d be comfortable talking with my parents until I was done. I met him downstairs to find him wearing a bleached blond surfer’s wig, sunglasses, a hoody, and cargo pants. It was his Halloween costume, and he had caught me completely off-guard! It was rather hilarious. We then had a simple lunch at the house, and I figured that Ed and I would just relax until the picnic at night. He suggested some outdoor ideas, but ultimately said, “Let‚s go back to our beach.” I thought it was a great idea since it was a beautiful fall day.

We got there and found a woman walking on the beach in the spot where we first decided we would enter into a relationship together. We went to a different section of the beach. Ed placed his mat on the ground, and we both sat down. Ed pulled out his Iphone, and I said that it was thoughtful of him to bring his speakers. (This whole time I’m still very clueless as to what is about to happen.) Ed begins to play a beautiful song by Train that I’ve never heard of before. I listened carefully while Ed started telling me that he was grateful for us meeting each other and for our journey. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as I listened closely to the lyrics- such as “there’s one thing left to do”. Ed then said, as he pulled out a ring, “Janice, will you” and sure enough, the next words in the song were “Marry Me”. Ed didn‚t even have to finish what he needed to say because I, of course said, “Yes!”. He then placed the ring on my finger. It was all very beautiful, and we both cried numerous tears of joy between our hugs and kisses.

I look forward to every moment of planning that will bring us closer to our big day, with God’s grace. It brings me great joy knowing that I will soon marry my best friend, my greatest treasure here on earth, and the love of my life, my Edward, in my parish of the past 20 years and celebrate with our reception where our relationship not only began, but has also truly blossomed!

His View:
I thought about proposing to Janice when we were in Las Vegas but decided it would be better to do it at a more fitting location and when she least expected it. After we had returned from Las Vegas, her mother invited me to a Halloween party. I thought this would be the best day to propose. It was either on October 30th or on our 5 month anniversary date of November 5th. I was scheduled to be down in North Carolina on a business trip from November 3-5 and could stop by Williamsburg to propose to her on the 5th. Well, I finally made the decision that if I could talk to her parents first and ask them for their blessing, it would also be on the same day that I would propose to her. I picked October 30 since I knew her parents would be at home on that day for the Halloween party.

On October 30, I drove down to Williamsburg. While on the way, I said a short prayer for guidance. I had told Janice earlier that I had been stuck in traffic along I-95 and she thought I would arrive around 12:30pm. Fortunately, I arrived at noon and saw her parents outside doing yard work around the house which provided me with the right opportunity to ask for their blessing. Normally, Janice would be the first one to meet me, but everything seemed to fall into place that day. First, I asked her mother for her blessing and then went to her father as he was hammering some floor board into the deck outside. I was thinking that if I did not ask her father the right way or he did not like what I said, he could have easily hammered me in the kneecap! However, this was not the case and they both gave their blessing when I asked for Janice‚s hand in marriage.

After finishing lunch, I asked Janice if we could head down to the beach in their neighborhood. The weather was ideal- a blue sky fall day. Prior to getting ready, I was thinking about what to wear and decided on something baggy to hide the ring. I brought along a bag with a beach mat and a speaker box that could tie into my Iphone.

A week earlier, Janice had sent me a link to a song called “If It‚s Love” by Train. I enjoyed it so much that I bought the album. As I was listening to the album, I came across the song “Marry Me.” I knew then that this was the perfect proposal song. When we arrived at the beach that afternoon, there was a resident walking on the part of the beach where we first made the commitment to enter into a relationship. We ended up going to the left side of the beach for some privacy. There, I laid down my mat and we sat and talked. We looked out at the water, and I told her that she is a blessing in my life. I took out the speakers and told Janice I had a song to play for her. I pressed play on my Iphone. She listened to the lyrics and smiled. I quickly reached for the ring in my pocket and right before the lyrics “Marry Me” were about to be sung, I said “Janice, Will you” and she said “Yes” before I could even finish the words. I then slipped the ring onto her finger and we both became teary eyed and cried, hugged, and kissed. On that day, forever could never be long enough.

I am blessed to have Janice in my life. She has all the qualities a man could ask for. With God’s grace, I look forward to our journey together to build a bright future ahead. She is the love of my life and my greatest treasure here on Earth. I love you my Janice!

-David-