Chet & Elisabeth’s Riverside Engagement Pictures in Charlottesville Virginia

Images: Amanda Maglione Photography via Two Bright Lights

Who had a great weekend? I hope you did! We left bright and early Friday morning for NJ and had an excellent weekend with family. Evie met the Easter Bunny (and actually smiled!) and got her first pair of shoes thanks to her grandparents. Saturday we had Easter Eve brunch in the morning with all of my family (egg hunts, donuts, the works!). That afternoon we traveled to Andy’s sister’s to celebrate our nephew’s first birthday. I can’t believe we will be doing the same with Evie in just over a month. Then yesterday we relaxed (what is that?!) a bit, grabbing brunch with friends and walking around Brookland. Can’t say I am thrilled it’s Monday, but at least this darling engagement session is helping. Two beautiful people, in love, having fun in a river for their engagement pictures. Let’s get this week started, shall we?

How they met:

On March 8, 2015, I was going out for drinks with a girl friend and we decided to try a new spot in Charlottesville called Yearbook Taco. We had heard about their Sundayspecial, BOGO margaritas, and who wouldn’t oblige to that?! After a while, these two guys walked in and sat diagonal from us at the bar. I locked eyes with Chet and immediately fell for him. I turned to my friend Mollie and said, “Oh my gosh, that is the hottest guy I’ve ever seen in my life…” Chet and I spent about thirty minutes exchanging shy glances from across the bar, and, little did we know, both trying to muster up the courage to say something. He beat me to the punch, and came over to talk to us. He looked at me and said, “Hi, my name is Chet. I never do stuff like this, but I wanted to tell you that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and, if I left here without talking to you, I would regret it for the rest of my life.” Obviously, I was speechless. How do you even respond to that?! I probably turned bright red, because all I could manage was a handshake, and said, “my name is Elisabeth…”

We fumbled through some small talk, both of us just confused by this connection we felt, and exchanged numbers before Mollie and I left. My phone was dead, and I waited for what felt the longest four hours of my life for that first text. The rest is history!

The engagement story:

Chet took me to Washington D.C. for the fourth of July weekend of 2016. We got a hotel room with a great view just a couple blocks off the National Mall, and had a weekend full of fun plans! In retrospect, my parents were extra sweet about making sure I had everything I needed for that trip, because Chet had asked both of them for their blessings prior to our trip! I LOVE museums and galleries, so he had planned for us to go to all of my favorites. Little did I know, that wasn’t all he had planned! After a long, hot day at the National Zoo, we went back to our room to shower and change clothes for dinner. Chet asked me to go find the ice machine on our hall, so I left the room and wandered the halls until I found it (always more difficult than it should be). When I returned to our room, I opened the door to find Chet on one knee, little velvet box in hand, with tears in his eyes.

I immediately fell to the floor and started crying tears of pure joy. He started laughing and said, “um, I kind of need you to stand up for this part.” We laughed together, and I managed to pull myself to my feet. Chet proposed to me with his grandmother’s diamond solitaire, and had a custom guard with a stone on either side to surround it. He wanted to preserve her original ring and be able to add his own touch for me. It’s perfect. Of course, I said yes, and we celebrated all night! We went to an amazing dinner at the Blue Duck Tavern in DC, and came back to a lovely gift basket and champagne from our hotel! It was a wonderfully intimate proposal, which is definitely my style. We had only known each other 4 months, but if there’s anything we knew, it was that we were ready for forever together.