Winter may not be our cup of tea around here, but when we see beautiful imagery with a whole lot of love and blankets of snow in the mountains, well it’s hard to not get wrapped up in the magic. We’re talking a Victorian castle resort nestled in the Hudson Valley and an adorable couple who bravely trekked through the cold for some incredible engagement images captured by Mary Kelly Photography that’s warming our hearts. We’ll let the imagery do all the talking below.
From Mary Kelly Photography…On a snowy day in November, I met Lauren and Connor in New Paltz for their engagement session. The couple has been together for 8 years and will have their wedding this October. Our first location for the engagement session was at the Mohonk Preserve. We started at the gatehouse which is one of the most beautiful historic building in New Paltz. The gatehouse, originally dubbed the Smiley Testimonial Gateway, was built in 1908 to mark the 50th wedding anniversary of Albert and Eliza Smiley. It was the original entrance to the Mohonk Mountain House (our second location). The gatehouse official became a historic landmark in 2013. Ever since I ran part of New Paltz’s 50 mile race “Rock the Ridge,” I have been shooting at this beautiful location. I ran the first leg of the run, which started at the gatehouse and down the beautiful row of trees which you see in our engagement shoot. The perspective provided by the trees is just stunning. No matter the season, this location is beautiful. After the gatehouse, we made our way to the Mohonk Mountain House where we explored and chatted about Lauren and Connor’s engagement and upcoming wedding, all while making sure we didn’t fall down on the ice or snow! It was absolutely worth the adventure.
Let’s start at the beginning. How did you two first meet?
Connor and I first met when we were working at Hollister in the mall. I was 18 and Connor was 19 at the time. We were both enrolled at our local community college, just trying to figure things out. We worked together for a couple months when in early December Connor asked me to go get dinner and see a movie with him. At first I didn’t take him seriously since I thought we were just fiends who worked together, but after our first date we were inseparable, and here we are 8 years later planning our wedding.
We’re all about the bling… Tell us all about that ring!
The engagement was perfect, and the ring is equally as perfect. We’ve been together for 8 years, of course I’ve showed Connor pictures I’ve saved on Pinterest of rings I love. Never thinking he was actually paying attention, but he certainly was. To ensure he found the perfect ring, and one of my favorite parts of our engagement I learned after he proposed, was that he had my sister come down to the jewelry store in the city one night to help him pick out the ring. Together they worked with a jeweler to go over the pictures I’ve showed him and create the most amazing ring. My ring has a platinum band, just plain, and one circle diamond. It is exactly what I wanted and so incredibly beautiful. The week before he proposed he took the ring to my mom’s house and showed her and asked for her permission. Another thing I learned he did before our proposal that just added to how perfect everything was.
What makes your relationship special? Tell us some things that you both value in your time together. (example: pushing each other to new limits, love to travel, huge comic book fans, foodies, etc.) What makes your relationship unique?
Our relationship is special in that we have been through some tough times together. We have both lost people very close to us and through those hard times become closer. Our hardships have pushed us back at times, but we always manage to work together and build each other back up. Without each other’s love and support I don’t think we’d be where we are today and I am truly so thankful for the loving and supportive relationship we have.
Reception Venue: Mohonk Mountain House / Photographer: Mary Kelly Photography
