I had the pleasure of meeting Jill and Doug after photographing Annie and Matt's engagement session.  Annie and Jill were coworkers at the time and Annie was sweet enough to pass my information on to Jill. 

Jill and I worked out the details for their wedding and engagement photography via email and before I knew it I was meeting them at FDR State Park in Yorktown Heights NY. I had not been there before, and it was a wonderful experience.

I usually have a hard time remembering how my couples met one another.  But I remember Doug’s Best Man's speech at their wedding and it shared a little insight into the couple’s beginnings: 

Jill and Doug met in college at a relatively small school where everyone knew everyone else. Doug's Best Man shared that he and Doug were closing out the summer vacation of their junior year, and they were ready to graduate the following spring.  One night, he had a conversation with Doug, a nice heart to heart. There they were, about to start their lives, the future was right in front of them with endless possibilities.  He turned to Doug and asked him, 

"What are your goals for senior year?" 

Doug replied, "I'm going to bench press 400lbs and get a date with Jill O'Flaherty." 

 It looks like he did both. 

I'll always be thankful for Jill, Doug and this heartwarming afternoon: 

Something I have a lot of fun with is having couples go for a "serious" shot, a brooding look. It's so funny how that varies with each person/couple.  Some do it easily and others laugh a lot and it takes a little time to settle into that "look."

Jill and Doug?

Well, Doug understood what I was going for and did it immediately.  His face was so serious and focused.  Jill was the complete opposite and burst into laughter whenever we tried it:

Random trivia: Something that happens regularly, that I know other people notice, is what I call, "clothing karma." That phenomenon when you arrive at a public place where you're a part of a group: school, work, and you discover that you're wearing the exact same color combination as another person (Like, you and your coworker are both wearing a bright blue sweater that day.) That moment.  Inevitably someone usually speaks up saying, "So did you guys call each other this morning and..." Or perhaps someone goes the less sarcastic route saying, "Great minds think alike."

Jill, Doug and I had clothing karma for the afternoon of their engagement set; each of us wearing earth tones on top, blue jeans, and brown shoes. It made me comfortable with them immediately.