Laura & Michael Ricketts Glen State Park-Waterfall Engagement session

Laura and Michael picked an amazing location for their engagement session, Ricketts Glen State park! We hiked the trails to see a few beautiful waterfalls; yes it was a lot of work, but it was totally worth it! 

These two have actually known each other for SUCH a long time! They met when they were 14 while ice skating the first week of high school! Laura made the first move and skated right on up to Michael and introduced herself! (you go girl!) They dated for about a year and then took a break for 4ish years!!! It wasn’t until they were both in college that they were drawn back to each other! Laura said, “Michael messaged me while I was at college in Florida one night and we immediately scheduled to meet when I came home for Winter Break. We spent the best night in Philly running around the city and talking non stop about everything that has happened in our lives. While walking home that night from the art museum, Michael kissed me and the rest is history! We have been back together ever since for the last 4 years.” 

These two are so sweet and relaxed. Seriously, my assistant and I were DYING on this hike, and these two were killing it!! If they were struggling I wouldn’t have known, Laura did say that Michael keeps her calm in stressful situations, she says, “I love that Michael grounds me and how he is able to remain calm in stressful situations. He is the hardest working and goofiest person I have ever met! He is always making me laugh even if I am in an awful mood. ”

On the other hand, Michael has some pretty sweet things to say about Laura as well! He says, “My favorite thing about Laura is how passionate she is about the people and things she loves. I admire how she is able to help people and her grace towards everyone, especially when it comes to her work. ”

Since these two got engaged in the Finger Lakes while exploring the waterfalls, they decided that the next best thing was to have their engagement session at Ricketts Glen State Park! They both love hiking and exploring new places together, and Ricketts Glen was the perfect spot!

Now when it comes to how they actually got engaged, it’s a pretty picture perfect story, I’ll let Laura take over for this! She says, “We went to the Finger Lakes in NY for our summer vacation for a few days. On our ride there, we found out that it was suppose to rain the entire trip. We were so bummed! But when we got there, it was not raining yet so we immediately hiked at Taughannock Falls State Park. We forgot my camera and other things so we went back to the car and collected everything else and embarked on a less traveled hike for a different view of the waterfall. When we got to a spot with a little hidden view of the waterfall, Michael asked me to marry him! It was exactly what I had always envisioned!” I told you, it’s like something out of a movie!!

I’ve been following Laura on instagram for a little while now, and I love seeing everything her and Michael do together. They love going on lil adventures with their dog, Locke, as well as hiking and just being in nature in general! They’re always staying at the cutest Airbnbs and traveling to the cutest little towns! One of my favorite things to look out for, is when they go to local coffee shops and  taste test their Chai Lattes! So if you’re ever looking for a great Chai, I think they’ll have the answer no matter where you are! 

I’m seriously so excited for their wedding in May. We’re going to be in the woods, surrounded by nature and all of their closest friends and family. Basically everything these two love! When it comes to the wedding and what they’re most excited about, they said, “We can’t wait to finally say our vows and be married to one another. We have known each other for a decade and it’s so surreal that we will actually be married soon. We are so excited to be surrounded by all the people we love and celebrate our story!”