Pullen Park Engagement Photos | Raleigh Wedding Photographer | Katie and Nate: Engaged!
Pullen Park Engagement Photos – Katie and Nate: Engaged!
The plan was to take some Pullen Park Engagement Photos and then go to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in downtown Raleigh to take a few more pictures after that. The museum was closed and Raleigh was under a flood warning but we rolled with it and had a really fun time in the process. I was drenched within moments, and I’m still thawing out writing this a few days later, but Nate and Katie showed the most important thing you can have when it comes to a wedding… the ability to have fun anyway. They didn’t let the rain slow them down for a second and I absolutely can’t wait for their big day in November. Congratulations you two!
Who’s filling this out?
Nate
What’s your Fiancee’s name?
Katie
Who did your makeup and hair for your engagement session?
Ulta
Where did your engagement session take place?
Pullen Park and in front of the Museum of Natural Science in Raleigh. In a downpour!
If you chose the location, was there any reason you chose that spot in particular?
We originally chose it because we thought the pictures would look great with the old carousel at Pullen, and on the little train, too. And we chose the museum location because we love the exhibits they have. Turns out the carousel and train were closed due to the rain, and the museum closed at 5pm that day…so we just improvised and played in the rain instead. Turned out to be really fun!
How long have you two been together?
We have known each other for about 13 years, and have dated for the last 2
Tell me about the proposal. Don’t leave out any details!
I did a scavenger hunt for Katie when we had been dating for 6 months. It took her from her apartment, all the way out to my parents house, into the woods, up a tree stand, across the lake, and into the old cabin we are getting married next to this November. She loved it, so I figured I would set up something similar for the proposal. First I went to tell her parents, and ask for their blessing, which I got! Then I started looking for rings. Throughout our relationship, I learned that she loved emeralds because of their clear, dark green color, along with rose gold bands. So I searched online until I found one that I thought she would love. While doing that, I made the scavenger hunt clues, doing a little bit of work each day on them. The day of the proposal, we woke up and I placed the first clue for her, which she found on the bed. It led her to the couch and then to the car, where she figured out we would be driving to the place we first met, and re-met a few years ago…Heritage Hills Pool. She found the next clue in the snack bar where she used to work, then we went back to our house in Carrboro, and she found the next clue in the bathroom. It was a picture of a really neat “indoor lightning storm” thing that Katie made, but taken really up close so it would be tougher for her to figure out what it was. She got it, went to the lightning storm, and found the next clue, which led her to one of the first presents she ever gave me (a DVD of Guardians of the Galaxy, my first Christmas present from Katie). That sent her to the last clue, which I hid in a group of vinyl albums I made for her the Christmas before. The clues were a series of pictures I had taken of myself holding up signs I made that read in different segments: “Katie,” “I Love You” “More than Anyone or Anything” “In the World” “Now Turn Around…”. So with one of the albums playing in the background, she turned around to find me on one knee, holding the ring up and smiling. I said “Katie Bennett, I love you. Will you -“, to which she responded “waaahhhhhhhbblleeeehhhhh*yes!
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve gotten since being engaged?
We were walking down our street one day, and a random stranger was walking very near us. We said hi, and through just a seconds worth of conversation, he learned of our engagement. He said he and his wife have been together for 30-some years, so Katie says “so what advice do you have for us?” Without skipping a beat, he said “it’s not a race, it’s not a competition.” I thought that was really cool, and the message hit me perfectly.
What are you looking forward to most about your wedding day?
For me, it’s two things: one, having both of our families in the same place to meet one another and share in our special day. And two, to see her walk towards me down the aisle. I’m going to try not to, but I cannot imagine a scenario where I don’t lose it crying when I see her.
How would you describe your engagement shoot? Use as many or as few words as you’d like
Rainy. Goofy. Fun. Exciting. Loved interacting with Dave and his assistant. It was really cool getting to be so up close and personal with Katie in front of the camera, and it felt much more natural than I expected. It was perfect. Did I mention rainy??
These images were taken with combinations of a Nikon D5, Nikon D750, Nikkor 85mm 1.4G, Nikkor 45mm Tilt Shift, Nikkor 24mm 1.4G and two off camera SN-910 Speedlights with an assortment of MagMod modifiers. All images color corrected with Adobe Lightroom.
I’d also like to extend a HUGE thank you to Portia for her help holding flash during the shoot in some pretty serious conditions while also making sure I didn’t drown.
In addition to these Pullen Park Engagement Photos, Raleigh Wedding Photographer Dave Shay is available for wedding and couple’s portraiture along the entire East Coast and worldwide. To see more work from Raleigh Wedding Photographer Dave Shay, please head over to the portfolio page.
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