A Bellingrath Gardens Engagement

I have loved Bellingrath Gardens for as long as I can remember. I’ve been there several times, in all different seasons. If you’ve only been to this gorgeous place for the Magic Christmas in Lights, then you’re definitely missing out! There is so much to see during the daytime!

I’ve long wanted to photograph an engagement session at Bellingrath Gardens. When Ashley said that’s where she and Ryan wanted to go for their session, I did a happy dance. Then I prayed for good weather! Ashley and Ryan live in Texas, so we planned their session for a weekend when they’d be here to take care of a lot of other wedding business. Mobile is known to be a rainy season, but this winter has seemed especially wet. As the date for the session drew near, the forecast didn’t look promising.

Luckily, there was one day of good weather forecasted during the time Ashley and Ryan would be in town and somehow it worked with all our schedules for us to push the session back by one day. Talk about the best decision EVER! Not only did moving the session by a day give us rain free skies, it also gave us some dreamy golden light!

Ashley worked at Bellingrath for 10 years, so she had many favorite places on property. She and I both love the Japanese Gardens, so it was a must-stop on our list. I really hoped the Japanese Magnolias would still be in bloom the day of our shoot and they were! It was such a dream! I was a bit sad when the sun set and all the light was gone because I just didn’t want this session to end!

A Quebec City Proposal

I can’t introduce you to Ashley and Ryan without sharing their incredibly amazing proposal story! I ask all my couples to share their proposal story with me because I truly love hearing those stories. Often I’ll hear the story from the bride’s perspective, but it’s extra fun when I get to hear the groom’s version of the story as well!

Ashley’s mother’s family is from Quebec, Canada. She and Ryan planned a trip to the city along with her parents. It was going to be the first time for Ryan to meet Ashley’s grandfather. Ashley says they were walking around the Old Town of Quebec when she noticed her mom and Ryan acting a bit strange. She just couldn’t figure out what was going on! Ashley wasn’t thinking a proposal was about to happen. In her mind, they were just sight seeing and she was perplexed at why her grandparents were bothering to see a place they’d been to countless times before.

Ryan had selected Chateau Frontenac for the proposal location the day prior when they had been touring the city. Ashley’s mom had arranged a day of sight seeing so that Ryan could choose the perfect place for his proposal. Ryan says Ashley loves surprises, so he knew from the beginning that he didn’t want her to suspect anything. In fact, he found the perfect ring only two weeks before the Canada trip!

When they arrived at the overlook at Chateau Frontenac, Ryan took Ashley aside, got down on one knee, and asked her to be his wife. Ryan remembers hearing gasps from the crowd of tourists who were watching their magical moment. Everyone cheered as soon as Ashley said yes! She was one hundred percent surprised!