A beautiful fall evening at Aquinas College was captured when I photographed Brittany and Matthew’s engagement.  We had so much fun visiting special spots on campus that Brittany loved.  The rain held off and despite a few puddles of water, this evening was so special.  Here are the favorites from Brittany and Matt’s engagement session:

MATTHEW + BRITTANY, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Together: January 24, 2010 • Engaged: September 5, 2014 • Wedding: June 18, 2016

BRITTANY | Hometown: Lansing, MI • Fave Food:  Pot Roast • Described by Matt:  Brittany… I tolerate her more than anyone else 🙂   Not long after we met, before we started dating, we began hanging out quite frequently.  At the time I was completely clueless – I had no idea that she had taken interest in me.  I was just happy to have a new friend that I could connect with so well.  Before long, I too started to see her in a different way.  I finally worked up the courage to ask her out on a date – this time, not just as a friend.  She supports me in everything I do, and provides comfort when I am most in need.  She is funny, smart, and supportive, yet she knows exactly how to put me in my place when I need it.  Six years later, that clueless friendship has never ended – this summer I am happy to be marrying my best friend.

MATT | Hometown: Hopkins, MI • Fave Food:  Chili, the hotter the better! • Described by Brittany:  Matt is my curly-haird farm boy I started wishing for in high school after watching too much Smallville. He’s steady. hard working, loyal, and has the patience of a saint. I feel very safe and secure with him. When one of us has done something to annoy the other, which is usually me picking on him, we joke and say “I tolerate you more than anyone else.” In a roundabout way we are saying that “I love you more, with all your faults and flaws, than anyone else.” I wouldn’t be surprised that, if we write our own vows, it shows up in the ceremony.

How They Met | (as told by Brittany):  Our sophomore year of college Matt was living with a friend of his from high school, who also happened to be a friend of mine from Aquinas. The majority of Matt’s classes were in the engineering buildings at Grand Valley, which were fortunately in downtown Grand Rapids. We met early on in the fall and became friends. He sat though many nights of chick flicks, several trips to the farmers market, and a trip home to meet my close friends. It’s really a miracle he made it though those first few months. Matt was so oblivious that I was crushing pretty hard until sometime around Thanksgiving. Finally in December we started dating, and by January we were a couple. Our mutual friend that brought us together is going to be the best man at the wedding.

How He Asked | (as told by Brittany):  At the time, my sister and I still shared an apartment in Grand Rapids, even though I spent the majority of the week in Lansing. I drove in Friday after work and Matt met me there. We went out for dinner and came home, nothing really out of the ordinary. Not realizing what he had planed I had suggested Steakn’Shake for dinner, which he vetoed, and insisted on playing phase 10 when we got back. Poor Matt was just trying to find a good time to pop the question and I was messing it all up. He had taken my mom out to dinner earlier in the week to ask her permission, and because my sister was going to be flying out of the country for a couple of weeks, she told him he either had to do it Friday night or wait until Michelle got back. The weather had been horrible, so any outdoor plans were thrown out the window. Finally towards the end of our evening we were cuddling and talking about a friend’s upcoming wedding in a couple of weeks and how they had been together for a  long time. Matt hopped on that segue, mentioned something about how we’ve been together long enough and it’s about time I give you this, pulled a ring out of his pocket and asked me to marry him. It was pretty perfect. So after he proposed I come out all excited to tell Michelle, and she already knows. And I call my mom, and she has been up waiting to hear. He had told EVERYONE that he was proposing that night, lol.