Heather & Eric || A Very Duke Engagement

Every Friday (or most Fridays, anyway), Heather would go to a wine tasting with friends. It was the same group of people every week--regulars--and that group included Eric. Though Heather enjoyed Eric's company, she wasn't too sure about dating him--their mutual friends tried to convince her to give him a chance, but it wasn't until Eric quit smoking because he knew Heather hated it that she saw how serious he was about taking their friendship to a new level. After a year and a half of dating, Eric proposed to Heather on a Viking Cruise on the Danube (in a very complicated story involving surgery, delayed flights, and lots of painkillers, which is better told by them than me!), and they will be getting married this September.

Since their relationship has so far been filled with much craziness and fun, it only makes sense that I had a tumultuous relationship with their engagement session. We had scheduled it for one of those undecided Southern weather days, where the forecast tells that the skies could open up and pour anywhere at any time. I was a little ball of anxiety all day leading up to their session, trying to predict what the storm might do. Fortunately, it decided to skirt Durham after some few showers, leaving the air a bit cooler if no less humid, and doing us the grand favor of clearing the majority of visitors out of Duke Gardens. After we had finished strolling around the Gardens, as Heather and Eric are both avid Duke sports fans, we headed over to two of their favorite places in America: Cameron Indoor and Wallace Wade Stadiums. The hazy summer light was beautiful, and shooting with them was so much fun! Can't wait for their wedding in September! (More from their engagement session on Facebook.)

Devin & Kyle || A Bennett Place Engagement

Devin and Kyle met in ROTC at Duke. He was the dashing upperclassman, she the fresh-faced cheerleader. They both grew up in military families, and Devin especially moved around a lot as a child. They fell in love at Duke and are making their home together in Durham. Devin graduated from Duke only a week before our session. (Yay, Devin!) Their original wedding plans were upset a bit by the revelation that the Duke Chapel will be closing for renovations for the entirety of summer 2015--they ended up switching their wedding to the very last date on which the Chapel will be holding ceremonies! We started our session at the gorgeous and historic Bennett Place, where Devin and Kyle's sweet six-month-old puppy Elsa (yes, named after the Frozen character!) got a good romp in the grass; but it only seemed fitting that we spend our second hour in the place that is so dear to their hearts, and so we headed over to the beautiful grounds around Duke Chapel. Devin and Kyle are the sweetest of the sweet, and we look forward to their wedding next April. Enjoy some images from their session below! (More on Facebook.)

Nina & Jimmy || A Duke Gardens Engagement

Nina and Jimmy are an awesome couple of engineers who booked with us through the Forever Bridal wedding show in January. We met with them at Fullsteam in Durham to discuss their wedding plans (they brought their boy Zeus with them!), and their wedding reception--in just a few short weeks!--will be at the Mystery Brewing Pub House in Hillsborough. For their engagement session, they wanted to head to the beautiful Sarah P. Duke Gardens, and they were such good sports as we slogged through the masses of teenagers bedecked for prom. They are super fun and super adorable, and we're excited for their upcoming wedding! Enjoy their photos below! (More on Facebook.)