Bayview Farm, Aquebogue, New York Engagement Session

Oh man- sometimes there are sessions that just make me fall in love with what I do all over again. Tia and Mike’s engagement shoot did just that for me. When Tia reached out to me a few months ago to talk about wedding details and setting up a shoot I knew immediately that they were going to be so much fun to work with. We set a date (which ended up being the most beautiful, warm, sunny fall day!) to try to capture the best time for some fall foliage here on the island and picked a location to really fit the vision these two were looking for. My favorite part about the enthusiasm I found in every message from these two was that when I asked to hear about how the proposal happened Tia told me it actually hadn’t happened yet!

It’s clear that these two are head over heels for each other, and if these photos don’t show just that I’ll be a witness to back it up! The two of them had went the picked out the perfect ring together, had it sized and then had it produced. Even though Tia had been so involved in the search, Mike still wanted to keep her on her toes to surprise her with how he would finally get down on one knee.

After hearing this I immediately felt like I was in on the excitement and quickly followed Tia on instagram anxiously waiting to see how Mike would ask. Knowing our session was coming up, I knew it was bound to happen sometime soon. I was SO happy when I finally saw the post. A photo was posted of Mike down on his knee right in front of his Grandpa’s beautifully restored Farmall Tractor, covered in photos of the two of them with bistro string lights hung up. (Bonus: He had his sweet nana Joan take photos of the whole proposal!) With Mike coming from a farm family and growing up on a 90 acre corn farm in Water Mill, I loved seeing all the personal touches that really roped back into a little family background that I had heard about in our passed emails planning for this shoot.

Needless to say, the engagement shoot really ended up being everything we had planned for and more. We explored all of Bayview Farm– (seriously, beyond one of my favorite markets and farm stands here on the north fork, they were so warm and welcoming to allow us to to shoot there, too!) tromping through the cabbage fields, wrapped up in blankets on the hills, piggy back rides into the overgrown woods (you guys are troopers!) and even took advantage of all of the old trucks and barns on the property, too. Mike and Tia mentioned how much they loved sun flares (anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVED hearing this) and we sure got every bit of magic that came with them, too. As the sun started to get lower we soaked in every single golden ray the sun had to offer.

Happy engagement, you guys! I’m so happy I got to be a part of it.