When you think of the perfect place to do pictures, an O’Connors Brewery engagement session might not be at the top of your list. But I love that Stephanie and Christina picked this unique venue to do pictures before the wedding, it has so much charm, plus – hello! Handcrafted beer!

Get to know a little more about these two as you look through the gorgeous pictures we got at their O’Connors Brewery engagement session!

O’Connors Brewery Engagement Session

How you two meet?

Steph and I met in 2011 through mutual friends while we were both in relationships. We made each other laugh incessantly and felt instantly connected. We decided we should be best friends! However, as these things happen, we lost touch and did not meet again until 2015. At Hampton Roads Gay Pride in 2015 we were reunited, and it was like no time had passed. I recognized Stephanie first, because she wasn’t decked out in a rainbow tutu, rainbow sleeves and rainbow eye lashes like I was. (Admittedly I looked ridiculous) A mutual friend re-introduced us, and I shouted “STEPHANIE! IT’S ME!” And it was a done deal. She remembered me, our connection, and we spent the rest of the day laughing together. We have been inseparable ever since.

When did you know she was the one?

I knew Stephanie was the one when I kissed her. I know that sounds incredibly cheesy, but I had an undeniable feeling and connection to her immediately. I knew she was something special and I felt instant love and fear of how amazing this gift was and how incredibly precious the responsibility of holding her heart would be. Unlike ever before, I felt completely ready for the responsibility. Steph says she knew I was the one when I fell asleep on her chest clutching onto her t-shirt. No matter how hard I was sleeping, even after all that wine, I never let go until she tucked me in.

What was the proposal like?

The proposal was perfect! When Steph and I first got together, we would go out to Queen Street in Downtown Hampton, because I lived around there for some years. She had never been so I took her to some of the local bars and restaurants for dinner. All throughout the year, Queen Street has trees along it that are lit up with twinkle lights. So early on in our relationship, I asked her to dance with me in the street. It was a first for both of us as we danced to romantic songs with complete disregard to who was around. Then, it became tradition. The next time we went, we slow danced again and it started raining. Extra romantic! We loved it. After the attacks in Orlando, we made a point to go to “our street” and dance and kiss in the street, because we will never stop being who we are and hate will never win. So it was only fitting that 6 months after that, Steph suggested that we were well overdue for a dance in the street. We had run the “Surfin Santa 5 Miler” at the oceanfront that morning but we decided that with holiday craziness approaching, we wanted to make sure we got one dance in under the twinkle lights before the season was over. We had dinner at a local restaurant and then headed out to our spot. Wouldn’t you know, for a usually calm and quiet street, we kept getting interrupted by cars! We were laughing, stepping aside, and then heading back to the street. Completely unexpectedly, Steph started talking about how she knew from the moment she met me that she wanted to spend forever with me. She got down on one knee, I started crying immediately, and she asked me to marry her. I kept crying, but I’m pretty sure I squeaked out a yes there somewhere. 🙂

What are some of your favorite things to do together?

Our most favorite thing to do together is LAUGH. I honestly never believed anyone when they said they “married their best friend” because I thought HOW is that possible?! But it’s true! Steph is 100% my best friend and we find fun in everything we do together. She has such an enthusiastic energy and passion that is contagious! We joke all the time about how we have fun doing the silliest things. We love to pretend like we’re athletic and run races (when we both know we really just want the medal and beer), we enjoy going to the beach (with lots of sunscreen because we both burn at the mention of sunlight), travel, attend local festivals, hang out with friends, and spend time with our family.

If you had to pick a word for your relationship, what would it be?

If I had to pick a word for our relationship, it would be unconditional. Our love is unconditional. We decided long ago that love is more than a feeling, it is a choice. We choose to love each other hard every day. Some days harder than others, because of course we are human and we have our moments, but our love is so much bigger than our moments. We know exactly how to love each other and how to fight fair, and we stand behind each other, unconditionally.

What are three dreams/goals for your marriage?

–          Travel. We have decided we want to take at least one, hopefully two, vacations per year, even if they’re not far, just to get away and focus on each other. Travel is so therapeutic and one of our absolute favorite things.

–          Leave each other notes. We both love little tokens that let us know we are thinking of each other. We’ve made a promise to be mindful of keeping up with the little things that grew our relationship in the first place.

–          Stay present. While we have dreams about our future, we know that things don’t always work out the way you expect, but the beauty is in the journey. Our main goal is to stay present and focused on today, and enjoy every moment, knowing how blessed we are to spend them together.

Love What You See? Want to Have Your Own Session?!

If you’ve finished looking at this O’Connors Brewery engagement session and are thinking to yourself – I wanna do that too! Awesome!!! We would LOVE to create a custom photo session for you and the ones you love! Feel free to message me by hitting the { CONTACT ME } button or by giving me a call at 757-749-5350. I can’t wait to create some magic for you!