Airlie Gardens, Wilmington Engagement Session North Carolina Wedding Photographer

I’ve had the joy of photographing Fatima and David every year for the past four years — a tradition we started when they reached out to document their very first anniversary.

It’s been such a sweet constant in both of our lives, and last October, before their fourth anniversary session, David reached out to let me know he was ready to take the next step in their relationship. As we were planning the execution of how we was going to go about the proposal, he knew Wilmington was a non-negotiable. Fatima had spent her undergraduate years at UNCW and made countless core memories there, proposing there just made sense.

So, after a few months of planning, David proposed on the beach on a quiet, fall cotton-candy-skies sunset. The beach was quiet – almost too quiet – it was just them, the sound of the waves crashing ashore, and me and my camera (of course!) It was nothing short of perfect. The stars aligned to give them an unforgettable, intimate proposal.

Fast forward half a year to their engagement session, we met at Airlie Gardens in Wilmington, NC and decided to start early in the morning to beat the heat. It ended up working out perfectly — not only did we stay cool (through most of the session), but we had the entire garden to ourselves! If you know, you know, the garden tends to carry heavy foot traffic during the weekend, so the decision to start early was a 10/10 decision.

Fatima & David’s inspiration for the session was a mix of romantic editorial and nostalgic documentary and it feels like we captured just that. Her dress was whimsical and airy, which always makes for a great photo when we incorporate movement. The session was filled with endless soft glances, little laughs, and two people who are madly in love with each other. It’s been such a privilege to document and watch their story evolve year after year, and I can’t wait to be there this September when they officially become Mr. + Mrs. <3