From the Photographer

Emma & Jarred are a laid back and simple couple who are big on the family, including their dogs and horses. When I met them over zoom (thanks Covid) it was effortless to talk with them about their wedding and story. When the day finally came to shoot their engagement session, we were both a little worried about it being wet and foggy. It was also 50 degrees in Mid-December, but alas, it is also the year of 2020, where anything can happen! The time at this session flew by! It was great to meet them and their family in person. My favorite moment was meeting their horse Breaker who was the sweetest little heart breaker. 😅 The entire shoot was majestic and magical. Enjoy their story and just some of the moments we created, together.

How they Met

We probably followed each other around without knowing it most of our lives. Growing up in small towns only a few miles apart, that's almost a given, but it was a little extra coincidental for us. For example, Jarred did tree work for a few years after high school, and Emma went to Delaware Valley for college. We were definitely in Bucks County at the same time! I'm sure we held a door at the Wawa for each other once or twice. We rode the same hometown rodeos, went to the same county fairs, had some of the same friends. In early 2018, not long after Emma moved home from Vermont after law school and Jarred decided not to move to Montana, one of those mutual friends, who we had both known for years, ran into Jarred. Something just clicked, and she decided she had to connect us. A few days later, Jarred reached out to Emma. For days, Emma made up excuses not to meet Jarred in person, but when the talks about our mutual love of extreme sports kept going, Emma asked Jarred out on our first date. Neither of us touched our food - although we can still remember what we ate - and the waitress kicked us out of PJ Whelihan's. A few days later, we met up again, and then also. After seeing each other every day for a month or so, Jarred took a chance and asked Emma to be his girlfriend on his birthday - that really could have gone either way! And the rest is history. Sometimes we talk about wishing we met earlier so that we would have been together sooner, but thankfully, the Man upstairs has better timing than us, and we met right when we were supposed to. 

The Proposal

We probably talked about getting married a few months into our relationship. We both knew it was right from the start. But we did take our time and let life unfold for a few years. In October, We got together with some of our closest friends and decided to have a small joint bonfire for Halloween. We LOVE hosting. We had been planning this for months. Our family and friends are incredibly important to us, so Jarred started scheming to make it perfect. Weeks before Halloween, he got the ring. He showed it to everyone! Emma's parents (Jarred asked their blessing of course!), Emma's sister, Jarred's parents, Jarred's friends, Emma's friends...everyone knew! The night before, Emma and some friends were getting food together, and Emma mentioned that there might have been some suspicion because everyone seemed SO EXCITED for just a little get-together. That morning, Jarred went out on a memorial ride, and Emma stayed behind to finish up getting ready. Jarred got home so late, and Emma was a bit annoyed - enough that she forgot she was suspicious. We were supposed to dress up as gnomes. Emma was in costume when our family and friends started showing up but Jarred refused. What Emma never really noticed, though, was while she was busy making sure everyone had food and was having fun, was that Jarred was pacing and that Dad just kept saying, "Do it already!"


At some point, everyone gathered in front of the garage. Our friends' son was riding his little Power Wheels 4-wheeler around, and Emma was playing with him, and when he rode past her, Emma turned around to see Jarred down on one knee with the ring! Jarred shakily got "Will you marry me?" out. Emma - for once - was speechless. Jarred said, "Say something!" She managed a "YES!" and hugged and kissed him, and everyone cheered. After Emma pulled herself together, she turned around and asked, "who knew?" and every person raised their hand! We have no idea how many people we are so close to could keep such a secret, but it was magical! And since everyone was waiting for it, we have so many great pictures and videos of that perfect moment. And then the champagne flowed. They came prepared!

Best part of being Engaged

It's just so exciting! Even though we knew this was our plan all along, being engaged really makes it feel like we have so many more opportunities for our life together! And, if its not obvious, we love a great party, so planning the wedding is so much fun! 


Advice from the Couple

Have fun with it! Celebrate your unique love. Ask for advice and help if you need or want it, but remember, it's your day, it is about the love you share and the life you're making together. Your wedding should be a reflection of that.