I have to admit, I have a little soft spot for this couple as their story so much reminds me of mine with my husband! We were together for 11 years before we tied the knot and these two have been together for 10. And their favorite food is pizza, we are so meant to be! They fell in love at a young age and the rest is history. Nicole and her fiancé Brendan are getting hitched this coming summer and I can’t wait for them to finally become one. Here are some of my favorite photos from their fall engagement shoot by C&I Photography. Enjoy!

From the bride: 

Brendan and I first met through a mutual friend as we were about to enter our senior year of high school. After casually pretending that I knew how to play instruments at their band practices, we began talking more frequently over AOL instant messanger (man, back in the day!) and eventually started dating July of 2005. We graduated high school, went to separate colleges, went to the same colleges, graduated college together, started playing ice hockey together, bought our first house together and adopted our first dog together. It’s been such a blessing to be able to celebrate so many “firsts” together.
Fast forward to July of 2015, three days before our 10 year anniversary (TEN YEARS!!). It was a Wednesday evening and I had worked late and didn’t get home until around 10pm. Tired, hungry, and arms full of stuff, I opened the front door to the surprise of my life! Rose petals and candles lined the stairs up to the living room where Brendan was standing with a giant Wegman’s pizza (disclaimer: Brendan and I LOVE pizza. Probably a little too much. We had just been talking about getting a Wegman’s white pizza days before.) His arms were behind his back and I thought “OH MY GOSH, he’s going to PROPOSE!!!” Then his hands come from behind him with no ring and my next thought was “What a romantic dinner!!” He then gets down on one knee and pulls the ring out of a different pocket (tricked me again!) and asked me to marry him! It was all such a blur and I was so excited that I made him repeat his speech again the next day when I was able comprehend things again! The ring is from a family member on his mother’s side and originally had a blue stone, which Brendan had reset to a diamond. It is oh so perfect! Three days later, we celebrated our 10 year anniversary and engagement at Union Brewing’s Anniversary party with our second favorite thing: beer. I am so lucky to have grown up dating my best friend. We are so excited to start this next chapter in our lives!

See the full engagement session here!