Sara & Mike | Engagement Session



Sara and Mike, who met through mutual friends after moving in the same Washington D.C. circles for years, plan to say “I do” with the help of Charleston’s Gregory Blake Sams Events in the coming months. In the meantime, they shared their charmer of an engagement photo shoot with all of us. But before you dive into those sumptuous shots, get a load of their proposal story. Sometimes it’s best to get a story straight from the groom-to-be’s mouth.

Mike: I had the ring hidden in our D.C. apartment for weeks and convinced Sara that it made sense that year for us to spend Christmas separately with our respective families, me in Connecticut and her in Ohio. What I didn’t tell her was that I had a plane ticket from Connecticut to Ohio on Christmas Eve. I arrived in her hometown during a fairly serious snowstorm and proceeded to the hotel. I had looped her brothers in on the surprise, knowing her mom would most likely have let the cat out of the bag. On Christmas morning, I called the boys to make sure Sara was up and showered and dressed for their big family brunch. I had given Sara a card before we left D.C. and asked her to read it on Christmas morning. I called her (from outside her parents’ house) and asked her to read the card; as I approached the front door she read the last line that said, “Oh and by the way, you have a gift at the front door,” and I rang the doorbell. The rest is kind of a blur, but I saw a picture of myself on a knee and people told me she said “Yes,” so I think it worked out pretty well.     

Venue: The Mills House | Images: Catherine Ann Photography | Planner: Gregory Blake Sams Events

The Wedding Row

October 11 2018
Check out these all-time best engagement rings from our vaults Does your SO need a little hint-hint, nudge-nudge in the engagement ring department? Have no fear, because we’ve rounded up our top...

October 10 2018
During the summer of her junior year at College of Charleston, Lauren studied abroad with a pair of fellow Cougars who kept telling her she had to meet their friend Dante when they all got back home...

October 9 2018
One Monday night, at an East Carolina University bar in Greenville, North Carolina, Pirates Nina and Brett bonded over, as she sheepishly jokes, their love of a good deal on beer. But there was...

October 8 2018
The Wedding Row: Start us at the beginning. How did you two meet? Kate: Edward and I met through work in 2014. We were both living in Washington D.C. and Edward needed some software configured on his...

October 5 2018
We love a groom who goes above and beyond for his bride-to-be, and JP did just that when he scooted down to Charleston from Charlotte, North Carolina, and back again in the same day to ask his...

October 4 2018
For shutterbug Kate Timbers, the 200-year-old The Unitarian Church in Charleston is the perfect location for romantic portraits, timeless ceremonies, and more. With the church’s pastel-blue arched...

October 3 2018
We love a pair who embrace big, bold statements and big, bold flavors with all the mannerly trappings in their Big Days. Enter Amanda and Preston, who not only hosted a posh wedding at The River...

October 2 2018
Some of the best romances we know of are rom-coms, and Amanda and Will’s story is no exception. While Will tried to stage the world’s dreamiest proposal, complete with a romantic dinner,...