Alys Beach Engagement Session on 30a

Alys Beach is one of my favorite towns along 30a in Santa Rosa Beach. The architecture is stunning. The styling of the town, it’s courtyards and landscaping, and the way that it transports you to Bermuda or to the Mediterranean puts it at the top of my list of locations to shoot at.  When a couple is staying in town or gets permission to have their session there, I instantly know it’s going to be a gorgeous shoot.

Courtney and Michael’s engagement session at Alys Beach was no exception. These two are absolutely beautiful together and after getting to spend the evening with them, their personalities are just are beautiful. I had such a great time getting to know them and they knocked their engagement photos out of the park (that baseball pun was just for you, Michael)! After we left Alys Beach, we headed over to Seacrest to take a few photos with their adorable pup and then finish our session off with the most glowy sunset at the beach.

When and how did y’all meet?
“We met in August 2018 in Atlanta, GA. Both of us were out running one afternoon along the Chattahoochee river trail when we passed each other going in opposite directions. It was certainly a unique moment for both of us, we both just felt this instant attraction, and for the next few days, hoped to see each other out there again. A few days later, we ran into each other again, both about to start our run. Michael was with a friend that day when I walked up to stretch. I took off for my run, and a few minutes later they did too. I remember him telling me after that fact that he told his friend he was going to cut his run short that day so that he could talk to me after we finished. Sure enough, when I finished my run, Michael came walking up towards me. We started talking, and talked for about 15 minutes. We exchanged numbers and a day or two later went to lunch. I literally had gone back to the river for 3 straight days after first seeing him, hoping to see him again, and he said he kicked himself all weekend for not talking to me that first day. But it all worked out perfectly, and now here we are!”

Tell us about your first date…
“Our first date was a lunch date. We ended up going to Zoe’s Kitchen, we just wanted to go somewhere casual. I was in grad school at the time, and Michael was on his lunch break from work. I think we sat and talked for a little over an hour, about anything and everything. I remember he was on the phone with his mom when he first pulled up and got out of his car, and when he mentioned he was getting lunch with me, I knew it was a good sign. Our first date was perfect, and really all that we needed to know this was a connection unlike anything either of us had experienced before. Pretty much from there on, we spent every day together that we could and just knew right away we were each other’s person.”

How did he propose?
“Michael proposed down in Seaside, FL, which makes the 30a area special place for us! His family had just bought a condo in Seacrest, and so we planned a trip down for the weekend with my mom and brother. They both flew in to spend time with us, and as far as I knew, it was just a fun weekend planned hanging out with everyone. We were planning to go into Seaside for dinner Saturday night, and Michael decided we should go take a walk on the beach before to watch the sunset. We split off from my family and walked down the beach up to the Pensacola Pavilion. We spent a few minutes talking at first, just taking in the view, and then he stood up and asked me to marry him! Of course I said YES!!”

Fun Facts about Courtney and Michael:

What are your favorite things to do together?
“We enjoy working out, relaxing, and we enjoy traveling when we have the chance to. Most of our weekends are spent watching sports, spending time with friends & family, and relaxing at home. We just bought a new house a few months ago, so a lot of our time lately has been working on different interior & exterior projects.”

What is your favorite date you’ve been on?
“Our favorite date was last January in the mountains of North Carolina. Michael absolutely loves snowboarding, and I had only ever been one time before. We decided to go up for a night and spent the next day snowboarding (learning for me). It was so much fun spending time together just the two of us and learning to do something that he loves to do.”

 

Click here to see another engagement session from Rosemary Beach in 30a