Engagement in Brooklyn, NY

Andrew + Annika

Last week we travelled up to see Andrew + Annika for their engagement in Brooklyn and Manhattan. We met these two a few months ago at another wedding, in which Andrew was a groomsmen. Now it’s their turn and we’ll get to photograph their beautiful wedding day in just a few shorts months. We loved wandering around Brooklyn with them. It was our first time in Brooklyn and our first time taking the ferry across to Manhattan. That was a really cool experience. Overall, Andrew and Annika were just so fun to hang with for a few hours and they crushed it in front of camera. We are loving the way their engagement photos are turning out.

Q: How did the proposal go down?

A: We got engaged in Big Sur. Annika and I had been planning to take a road trip down PCH in Summer 2019 until i ruptured my Achilles playing pick-up basketball. Fast forward a year and we were finally ready to take our first trip since the injury; we rebooked the road trip for March 2020… Summer 2021 the trip would finally happen. And I was ready to get engaged at that point 9 years into our relationship.I booked a night at a take out a home equity loan level expensive hotel… which I paid for with maximum thrift: points and one night.

Annika didn’t know about this. Our second day in Big Sur (staying elsewhere) we drove up to have lunch and do some hiking. I told her there was a trail that was open to the public behind the expensive hotel. We had a sweet Ford Mustang we were driving which I drove up to the resort feeling all smug. Immediately met with big iron gates that require a guest pass to open… yikes, So I backed the car into an employee lot and parked in a spot that wasn’t really a spot. Annika didn’t seem to notice. I took her up some access road that abutted the property sweating bricks at this point that we’re not going to be able to make it onto the trail And of course we pass a small pathway to the resort with a level of security you could only find in Big Sur… a sawhorse with a sign on it that said “Resort Guests Only”.

I take Annika past the sign with some story about how we’re not really trespassing because Big Sur is federal parkland… blah blah believable cover story for a real estate nerd. We link up with the trail and within 5 minutes we hit a landmark on the trail called the “Circle of Life”. Bingo. We step into a ring of mature redwoods and I popped the question there. And then hit her with the double surprise that we were staying the resort in realtime as the front desk asked for a name on the. Stuck the landing!

Q: What’s been your favorite part about being engaged?

A: Planning the rest of our life together. Thinking about homes, kids, pets, careers. It’s officially one team one dream. Also seeing families light up with the realization we’re adding new members.

Q: What advice do you hvae for future couples planning their wedding?

A: Annika is the one to ask about this, but since she’s studying for the bar you are stuck with me. I suppose take control early and often and give family confidence in your ability to plan a great wedding irrespective of the minute to minute details. Annika has done a phenomenal job giving everyone confidence and taking a leadership role with her organization and swift decision-making. That has given her a ton of credibility to make day-to-day decisions without tons of discussion (or argument).

To Andrew + Annika:

We can’t wait to celebrate with you in just a few months at your wedding in Manhattan! It’s going to be so beautiful and we’re excited for the chance to document such a special day for you both! We’re still finishing up with the rest of your engagement photos, but until that gallery is complete, we hope you enjoy this little sneak peek from our time together during your engagement in Brooklyn, and Manhattan!