We are one month away until these two cool kids tie the knot! Last summer, we ecstatically traveled to Atlanta, GA for this very special engagement session. What makes this engagement session extra special? You see, Samantha is our niece and Patrick will soon be officially joining our family! If they look familiar, you may have seen some of their engagement photos from their session in Key Biscayne, FL here on the blog. Since they now both live in Atlanta, we found it fitting to do a second round engagement session in their city and we are so happy we did! With the beautiful Piedmont Park as the location of choice, we absolutely love how these images came out. I feel we truly captured the fun-loving spirit of these two!

We would love to share their love story in their own words! Please read on to learn how they met and how he popped the big question. We also hope you enjoy some of our favorite images from their Piedmont Park engagements session as we look forward to their wedding day in Atlanta!

How They Met

I (Samantha) moved to Atlanta in 2015 to begin my Master's degree. Little did I know that I would be meeting the love of my life the next year and making Atlanta my new home.

In the summer of 2016, I began working while finishing up my degree. That summer is when I met Patrick. Patrick and I were working together on projects and, from the very beginning, it felt like we'd known each other for years! We remained friends throughout the whole summer - he even taught me how to use the lathe. It wasn't until the end of summer that Patrick, keeping it professional, asked me on a date after my last day of work. This also happened to be the day before I was moving back to Florida. We had an amazing date walking through Piedmont Park and eating totchos at the Nook. We had such a good connection instantly so it was extra tough to leave for Florida the next day.

We continued to talk over the next three months since we both knew we had found something special. Luckily, I got a job back in Atlanta and I was able to move back to the city. We began dating and have been inseparable ever since then. I feel so lucky that I met the man of my dreams and that our love has grown stronger each day! We are very excited to be celebrating with the best family and friends on our big day :)

How He Asked

Sam and I have always enjoyed spending time outdoors - for us, a weekend backpacking trip relaxing by a campfire and enjoying one another's company is the perfect way to unwind.

I was so excited, and admittedly nervous, as Sam and I began the most important and special camping trip of our lives. She didn't know my plan, and I was doing everything I could to keep my secret a surprise. To make the moment extra special I packed some flowers (which I tried to freeze to keep fresh -that didn't work too well) and a bottle of champagne. As we hiked further into the wilderness small raindrops began to fall. Every few minutes, when Sam looked away, I checked to make sure that the ring stowed in my front raincoat pocket was okay.

After a few hours of hiking, Sam and I set up camp and dropped off our packs, then continued hiking toward the Panther Creek waterfall. The rain had picked up even more, and the hike was a bit more technical than I expected. At certain sections, we even had to climb over boulders along the riverside! As we enjoyed the pool at the base of the waterfall my heart raced. It wasn't my original plan, but the scene was so amazing - and seeing Sam goof off along the shoreline was making me feel so lucky and happy that I wanted to ask her right then. The worsening storm and the fact that Sam would need to climb over boulders in a few minutes made me think it might be a good idea to not give the ring to her just yet. She would have probably had to take it off on the trail and that didn't seem right!

After a great night with "hobo packet meals" and a nice fire, Sam and I awoke, ready for breakfast and coffee. I told Sam earlier on the trip that I had a surprise for her in the morning, and I had her stay in the tent while I prepared. At this point, I think that she was assuming I'd had a special breakfast, and I heard her call out "I hope you have toaster strudels!" I didn't want to disappoint her, but instead, I spread out flower petals near our campsite to contrast the usual browns and greens of the trees. I guided her with my voice (her eyes were closed) over to the flowers where I asked for her hand in marriage. From that moment on I can now say that I am the luckiest man in the world! I am so happy to have found Samantha, and could not ask for a better family to be joining.