Creativity and vibrant colors from the fall foliage to Kaila’s incredible hair— you won’t want to miss this Murray Hill Engagement!
Why Rhinehart Photography?
Kaila shares, “Our wedding planner had sent us a list of photographers to check out. Truthfully, many of them felt similar to some of the initial shots. A few of Lisa’s images really stuck out to me. I knew I definitely wanted some of the more traditional shots. However, with having more of a creative background myself with painting and photography, I knew it was important to me to find someone who could also do something a little more creative as well. Seeing unique shots with creative angles and elements is something that I really love. I know the day will be special, but I wanted the pictures to be special in their own right too. Not just for their content, but for the thought and creative eye that went into them. After looking at some of her images, I thought Lisa might be able to do that. After we had our first meeting and she showed us some more, I knew for sure she would.”
She continues, “As far as the engagement shoot goes, it has honestly just made me more confident and excited for the big day. I consider myself pretty shy and don’t typically like being the center of attention. As much as I struggle with that I know Mike is even worse. He’s a good sport since he knows it’s important to me and that he’ll probably want to have these types of images too, but I knew he’d feel embarrassed and shy to be affectionate in public.”
Kaila continues, “Lisa was amazing, she worked with our tendency to joke around to diffuse the tension and did a great job of helping redirect the focus to each other, rather than thinking about how we were specifically getting photographed. I wanted someone who could really capture our authentic selves, and I feel like she did a great job with that during our Murray Hill engagement session. I can’t wait to see how she does it on our wedding day!”
Mike adds, “I really liked your unique eye. I’m not an artistic type, but even I could tell your photos were impressive. I see your strengths as your creativity. You’re able to think of and execute shots that I never would have thought of. I am hoping for photos that we can look back on in the future. Something that will not only be nostalgic but also pretty to look at.”
Why Eachother?
Mike smiles, “The first time I saw Kaila she was playing an obscure computer game. That immediately piqued my interest. I fell for her because we just get along and she’s nerdy in all the right ways. I love her determination and resolve. For example, she got a Ph.D. partially out of spite because someone told her she couldn’t. We work well together because our strengths complement each other. What she’s good at, I’m bad at, what I’m good at, she’s okay at.”
Kaila adds, “Mike is one of the most devoted and dedicated people I’ve ever met. When I first met him, I could tell he was on the shy side. Maybe a little nervous about talking to me in general. I think he had a crush on me almost right away, that probably didn’t help. It can take a while for Mike to warm up to you and let you see his real, caring, goofy self. Once you’re in though, it feels like he’d do anything you needed to support you at the drop of a hat.”
She continues, “The first time I really got to know Mike, I was hanging out with him and a mutual friend (our future officiant) at his house. It was meant to only be one night, but there was such a bad snow storm the entire state shut down in a state of emergency. I ended up having to stay for the whole weekend. That was the first time we really got to know each other. We talked for hours. I think what really caught my attention was how sincere and interested he seemed when I talked. It’s not all that often you talk with someone and you feel like they not only want to know what you think and are saying but that they’re really absorbing it too.”
Kaila shares, “Things have only gotten better since. Getting to know each other more has only made Mike better at reading me and supporting me in whatever ways he can. When he puts his mind to it, he’s the most thoughtful and caring person I’ve ever met. I know I can always count on him to ground me, keep me sane, and make me laugh.”
She says, “I like to think we work so well together because we do that for each other. As a couple, we find a middle ground of tempered sanity in a world that is a little bit insane. The laughing is important too. I don’t think we’ve had a day together where we didn’t laugh together. We’ve been through a lot of hard life events together. I know taking the time to make each other smile and laugh is not a small part of how we got through it all.”
The Proposal & Engagement Ring
Mike laughs, “It was supposed to happen at a zoo and then we’d go to a concert after. Instead, Kaila felt it was too cold to go to a zoo. So I had to improvise because her dad knew it was happening that day. Kaila didn’t want it to be too public. I decided I’d do it in the parking lot before the concert. We’d never been to the venue, so I prayed it would at least be a pretty area. It wasn’t. It was urban, run-down hell. But she said yes anyway.”
Why a Murray Hill Wedding and Engagement?
Kaila says, “Mike definitely has it in his head that the wedding day is more about the bride than the groom. (I think he likes that fewer people look at him)So he deferred to me for a lot of decisions. He hasn’t come in with strong feelings or visions on most aspects of the wedding, and the venue wasn’t really an exception. I personally knew I loved the outdoors, and wanted that to be incorporated into our day. Fall is both of our favorite seasons. I thought we’d both love a venue where we would have a chance to take in the foliage and make fall a central theme of the wedding.”
She adds, “I knew Murray Hill was the place when Mike was stunned by the view for the ceremony. Mike rarely comments on the beauty of the outdoors, and the view of the Potomac and surrounding foliage from the ceremony location is really something special. We wanted the day to be special and classy, but not go so far in formality that we lost the quintessential comfort and cozy-ness that defines us. I think Murray Hill just hit all those boxes. The manor is elegant, the ceremony view is stunning, and the reception location is rustic and natural but still elegant in its own right. I think our venue will really excel at pulling in the natural regality of stunning fall foliage, without losing that cozy feeling you get from bundling up by a fire as the weather starts to get a little chilly.”
Mike continues, “It’s pretty and affordable. We like the view of the river from the ceremony area and the reception area is rustic but still pretty. Kaila also really liked the reflecting pool area, she has ideas for that. A lot of it was just that we’re new to the area so we don’t really know anything here. According to our wedding planner, things were booking up fast, so we saw something we liked and we jumped on it.”
Overall Vibe
Mike smiles, “Kaila likes it when I wear plaid, so I did that. Whatever vibe we were going for was Kaila’s design, she’s the one with a vision. I try to do what will make her happy.”
Kaila adds, “My main goal with our Murray Hill engagement session was to get some shots that would start to capture what we were hoping to see on the wedding day. We did the shoot a little later in the season, so the foliage was a bit past the peak. We were hoping we could still pull off the fall vibe without attire and the remaining leaves in the environment.”
She smiles, “I think my hair hasn’t been its natural color in over 5 years now. I definitely didn’t want this shoot to be an exception. For me, dyeing my hair is a fun way to bring some color into my life. I wanted this shoot to capture us being our real selves. It just wouldn’t be my authentic me if I didn’t have that pop of color somehow.”
I had a blast working with Kaila & Mike! I love capturing people who are authentically themselves and love creative photography. I loved their Murray Hill engagement and am so looking forward to their Murray Hill Wedding!
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