Engagement Session at Bartram’s Gardens

Zach & Liz

We met up with Zach & Liz at Bartram’s Gardens in Philadelphia for their engagement session earlier this week! It was a hot one and it was the first time we’ve ever been to Bartram’s Gardens which is really hidden away in Philly. If you didn’t know it was there, you’d never guess this garden space existed amongst the urban and concrete.

This was also the first time meeting Zach & Liz. They came to us already married because their wedding was postponed multiple times due to the pandemic. After hearing that City Hall was closing, they decided to run down and get their marriage license and sure enough, City Hall closed that day and didn’t reopen for six months. They got married in their home in Philadelphia and Zoomed in extended family. Now they get to have a second wedding later this year and party with all the friends and family who didn’t get to attend their wedding last year. It’s going to be an awesome time!

Q: How did Zach propose?

Zach and I had talked about getting engaged and married but I didn’t know what his timeline was for buying a ring. We were in Big Sky, Montana for a family vacation with my parents, my brother and my brother’s fiancé. He had the idea to propose while we were on vacation because the views would be amazing at 10,000 feet. So we got to Big Sky on Saturday night and decided to all go for a hike on Sunday morning. Then, suspiciously, everyone dropped out of the hike one-by-one. I didn’t think anything of it! My brother had a painful rash, my dad’s stomach hurt, and my mom’s foot hurt. So Zach and I went on a hike ourselves. We were exhausted from the thin air so we decided to stop for sandwiches and Zach jumped on the opportunity.

There was a clearing with amazing mountain views so we knew we’d have to take some pictures. Zach brought selfie stick for “pictures” but what I didn’t know was he bought it specifically to record his proposal. He fumbled around with the camera while I naively waited and then he walked over me (almost tripped and fell on rocks) and got down on one knee. Admittedly, I was so excited I didn’t even listen to what he was saying to me. I just wanted to get the ring on my finger and hug him so tight.

After we celebrated privately on the mountain, we rushed back to our house for the week. Obviously, my parents and brother and his fiancé knew what was happening so we got back and everyone was excited and hugging. One of the reasons I was so surprised by the proposal was because I didn’t think he would propose without his parents there. We’re both very close with our parents. Well… we’re back at the house eating and celebrating and Zach goes downstairs to go to the bathroom, and he comes back with… his parents!! They flew all the way to Montana to celebrate our engagement with us!! I was so surprised. I think my mouth was wide open when they came in. It was crazy.

Q: What’s the best part about being engaged?

Well since we’re married now, I can say that the best part about being engaged was shopping for my dress and looking at venues with Zach. But also, just knowing that we’re going to be married and spending our lives together. The anticipation is hard, but so worth it. Now the best part about being married already is that our wedding is going to be just a big party. Especially after a year and a half of COVID and not seeing most of our family.

Q: Do you have any advice for other couples who are planning their wedding?

GET A WEDDING PLANNER! Even if it’s just a day, or month of planner. They are so helpful and will make your wedding day (almost) stress free. It’s 100% worth the extra $2000.

To Zach + Liz:

Thanks so much for shooting with us! We hope you had as much fun as we did! Your photos turned out beautifully and we really hope you love them! We can’t wait for your wedding day later this year, but until then, we hope you enjoy this little sneak peek from your engagement session at Bartram’s Gardens!