Candice & Nick | Engagement Photo Session

I met Candice and Nick at Candice’s parent’s horse farm in their small hometown of Red Oak, North Carolina.  It was a warm, humid, summer evening very typical for North Carolina.  The sun was setting slowly and the Eastern no-see-ums were buzzing around.  I was greeted by the lovely couple and their two energetic, tail-wagging, yellow labradors — Annie and Bailey.

Candice, a paramedic, and Nick, a firefighter, met at work and have known one another for 10 years.  They maintained a work friendship until one day in March 2016, they started talking a little bit more.  Soon Nick asked her to dinner.  Candice was smitten as soon as she saw him step out of his truck and walk onto her porch.  She saw him in a whole new light and things were never the same!

In December of 2017, Candice and Nick were preparing for a weekend trip to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina when Nick called Candice into the living room.  He was down on one knee with both of their dogs beside him – ring in hand! Nick asked her to be his wife and make their little family complete.  So simple and perfect! Candice mentioned she was glad he did it before their trip because he would’ve been occupied with nerves the entire time.  They were able to enjoy their trip as a newly engaged couple!

Their love for each other was evident during their engagement photo session.  They picked on each other, shared inside jokes, laughed incessantly, and couldn’t help but hold hands for most of the time.  Even when they weren’t meaning to, it seemed as if their movements were a choreographed dance; they were so in-sync.

Candice and Nick gave me complete creative control for their engagement photos, with one exception.  She requested a couple of photos with the other two men in her life, ET and Splash; her two 31-year-old horses, who have been around since her childhood.

ET and Splash have been Candice’s heart horses for what seems forever, watching her grow and navigate through life to this wonderful next chapter of marrying her soulmate.  They were quite important to include in the photos since they did love her first!

We ended the session at sunset with their two pups! Annie and Bailey were so excited to be a part of the engagement photos; they could barely sit still.  Just imagine two yellow labs running around, so happy, so full of excitement! We all got a good giggle out of watching the chaos ensue. Candice chasing Annie, Annie following Bailey’s lead, and Nick trying to get Bailey to stand still for just 5 short seconds.

Eventually, they calmed down and rested beside their beloved owners for us to capture “the shot.”  Bailey belonged to Nick and Annie to Candice long before their relationship began. Now they are fast friends, inseparable, and so happy to have found each other, much like their parents!

The wedding date is set for October 2018 at the same family horse farm in Red Oak.  Candice and Nick are looking forward to marriage and they can’t wait to share this special time with their loved ones!