A soft, sweet, romantic Rutgers Gardens engagement for two Rutgers grads…
Nicole shared, “Choosing you as our wedding photographer was probably the easiest choice we made while wedding planning. From the second we saw your photos we knew we needed to book you! Your photos capture love in exciting and interesting new ways. In our wedding photos we are hoping that you will be able to capture our love in a fun and unique way that ‘wows’ us and everyone who sees them!”
Thanks so much for your vote of confidence, Nicole! That means a lot to me!
I set out to capture this romantic engagement session by visiting a sentimental place for these Rutgers alums. Rutgers Gardens is not only their alma mater, but also a place they’d visit with friends long before they met, so there are a lot of memories for them there.
One of my favorite areas was the Bamboo forest! I love to play with photographic elements and framed Nicole and Stephen with two bamboo shoots in the image below. I like the leading lines that it creates that draw your eyes down to the couple.
While I love capturing candid moments like the few above, I also make sure to capture more traditional photos as well. I think the soft, bright light filtering through the bamboo worked so well for these romantic portraits.
Nicole shared, “Steve has always been such a smart and devoted person. When there is something he is interested in he becomes an expert at it. Since he was a little boy he always wanted to be a firefighter. He worked very hard to not only become a firefighter, but to also graduate from Rutgers University with a degree in Communication. I admire Steve for all he has achieved in his life thus far. He has had many obstacles, but never once let that stand in the way of his dreams.”
Steve shared, “I love how Nicole goes out of her way for the people she cares about. It shows by how many people she’s close with. She’s smart and driven. There’s nothing she’s not good at when she puts her mind to it. I’m happiest with her by my side.”
She looks pretty happy, too 😉
When we arrived at Rutgers Gardens I saw this little corner and I knew it would be the perfect place for us. It was shady and comfortable and had this soft, romantic, natural look that I thought complimented their unique aesthetic. How sweet is that gazebo?
I peeked through branches and framed them in the soft leaves, I think it adds a real sweetness to this image…
Nicole continued, “I think we work so well together because at the end of the day all we want is to make each other happy and enjoy an excellent meal and bottle of wine while we are doing it.” More about that during Part II of their engagement session that incorporates one of their favorite places… 😉
The way they look at each other is just plain adorable…
Nicole shared, “Rutgers Gardens really helped to capture the romantic side, plus we are both Rutgers Alumni and pretty big Rutgers football fans. As teenagers we both spent a lot of time at Rutgers Gardens with friends, but never together. It was nice to visit the gardens together and take advantage of the beautiful scenery. ”
I like to use some different photography techniques, here I focused on the flowers and gave them some privacy– I like the soft, romantic look of it.
Oooo this moment– straight out of a movie!!! I like how the sunlight is peeking in here!!!
Nicole and Stephen, it was such a pleasure to work with you and I can’t wait to post Part II ;). Until then please enjoy this set of photos and share them with friends and family! If you like what you see, please “like’ below or share! 🙂