I was so eager and excited to finally meet Michael and Lotte for their engagement session at Sky Meadows State Park this past weekend! We had to reschedule their session a few times because of all of these crazy storms we’ve been getting this summer. We ended up getting a beautiful day (and even not quite as hot as it’s been lately!) and these two spent most of the session laughing together and were game for anything. Hanging out with and photographing our clients during their engagement session is one of the best parts of this job and I just love this time spent with them. I am really looking forward to their wedding this October. Enjoy a few faves from Lotte and Michael’s e-session!
How did you meet?
Lotte: Michael and I met in graduate school. We had a mutual friend who knew Michael from undergrad and me from grad school. He talked about Michael before the school year started, so I had heard about him. Our friend introduced us in person and we hung out together and in groups for a few months before we started dating.
Lotte: Michael is such a positive, upbeat, and energetic person. I liked him immediately because he was so friendly and wanted to spend more time with him.
How did you start dating?
Michael: I asked Lotte out for a casual date to get some desserts after she had a bad day. As someone who is not much interested in desserts, it was outside my usual outings. She said no. The second time I asked her on a casual date, she was busy with some prior obligation. The third time I decided to see if we could go on a real date. We figured out a date to check out the Boston Pops. Fun fact: we were able to sneak into the concert!
Lotte: Michael asked me if I wanted to go out and get dessert when I was having a bad day, but I was busy that night. So I invited him to a Boston Pops Christmas concert a few nights later. As we were walking to the concert, I didn’t notice a traffic light turned red and almost walked into traffic. Michael grabbed my hand to stop me and held it the rest of the night!
What did you tell your friends or family about each other after your first date?
Michael: Do you know that Beatles song ‘I’ve Just Seen a Face’? Pretty much that. I just told my parents that I had a girlfriend the next time I saw them, a few weeks later on winter vacation.
Lotte: Michael and I both lived in Boston while we went to graduate school. When I started applying for jobs in the northern Virginia area, I asked Michael what he was going to do if I won a job there. He immediately said he would move there with me. After getting a job and moving to Arlington, I can’t imagine my life here without him.
Michael: We encountered a hardship a few months into dating. Rather than letting the relationship end, I felt like this was the relationship that I wanted to build. I knew if we could work through it that we would prevail.
How did the proposal happen?
Lotte: Michael came home from work and said he wanted to go out to dinner. I knew something was up when he didn’t change out of his work clothes before we left. We ate dinner then got ice cream and ate it outside because it was so warm. Because it was warm, though, my ice cream melted and I spilled some on me (oops!). When we went home, I changed into clean clothes. Michael went onto our balcony and had lit a candle and put the ring box next to it.
Michael: It was an oddly warm February day but a day like any other. We went to go out to dinner and dessert after work. The usual happenings occurred: me ordering the same dinner, Lotte dripping ice cream on herself. Upon returning home, Lotte changed to more comfortable clothes while I set up our balcony with the comforts of a warm evening. With a candle lit and the ring next to the scented candle reminiscent of Boston, she came out to the surprise.
What quality/qualities do you love most about your partner?
Michael: Lotte has always had a way of bringing levity to everything—she keeps me from becoming too serious about everything!
Lotte: Michael is willing to do anything for the people he cares about.
What are some of your partner’s quirks that you love or appreciate?
Lotte: Michael really invests himself in his hobbies. He spends a lot of time researching movies, TV shows, board games, and music that he’s watching, playing, and listening to.
Michael: She loves to comment about how most people she meets are “the nicest.” I laugh because I know when she is going to say this.
What moment of your wedding day are you most anticipating?
Lotte: No one thing in particular, but everything! We have both been working together in every aspect of planning. I can’t wait for it to all come together and experience it with along with so many people we care about.
Michael: The moment we are introduced for the first time as one unified family!
