Today I want to tell you about a north Georgia elopement that was so perfect, it felt like a fairy tale. Many times I can tell from the very first sentence in a couple’s email that I want to tell their story. And the very first sentence in the email that Ileana sent me said, “I am currently engaged to the best human being in the world, her name is Morgan!” Right away, I was hooked. And it only got better from there.
How did you meet?
Hinge. Morgan swiped on Ileana first, not knowing that Ileana was about to delete the app. We matched and began talking about pups and plants, and within 24 hours had exchanged phone numbers. We talked for a couple of weeks before arranging a first date at Forest Hill Park in Richmond. We both had to drive about an hour and a half from opposite directions to meet up. Ileana was incredibly early (as usual) and had changed parking spots at least twice before Morgan arrived a little late (as usual) with some earl grey tea for a hike. Morgan gave Ileana all the details about Alabama football, and specifically their rivalry against Tennessee. Ileana gave Morgan all the details about life as a firefighter. A highlight of the date was when we pulled out our wallets to get breakfast at the market and realized we had the same wallet. We got lost and found our way again several times before ending up on a bench by a pond in the park. We spent a while talking about how we don’t like being clingy in relationships and we’re both very independent people. Our first date lasted about three hours, and we’ve done our best to stay by each others’ sides as much as possible ever since.
How did you get engaged?
We had taken a trip to Costco and hadn’t gotten home until about 9pm. We were exhausted and putting away groceries when Ileana said, “watch your head” as Morgan was putting something in the fridge below. Morgan thought she had time to stand up. Apparently not because as she stood up, Ileana lightly tapped her in the head with the freezer door. Apparently, this was all Morgan needed to just go ahead and propose already because what better time is there to propose than when you’re just doing ordinary life together and hitting each other in the head putting away Costco groceries. Morgan has also never been known for her patience. Morgan ran to the back room and pulled Ileana’s ring from its hiding place on the bookshelf, and said some things (through a lot of tears) about loving her forever and not believing she was so lucky to be loved by Ileana. Ileana agreed to marry her before running to the back room to grab Morgan’s ring from a different shelf and proposing to her as well. Ileana had plans to cook dinner, but getting engaged put that on the back burner. We ended up heating up a frozen pizza instead.
Over the years, I’ve become a connoisseur of engagement stories. And that is a very fine one. One of my favorites, actually. I love all the ways that people love each other. Often when I’m talking about making photos, I describe how we’re all individuals with our own personalities, but each relationship has a unique personality too. And figuring out how to show that in images is endlessly fascinating and rewarding.
And I can’t end this post without gushing over Lilly just a little bit. Lilly is their fur baby and I may have made as many photos of her as everyone else. But when you see how adorable and well dressed she was, you’ll understand.
Thank you Ileana and Morgan for trusting me to document your amazing day. It was such an honor to be a part of your celebration. Congratulations to you both!
