On November 1st, Emily and Tom had a beautiful coastal engagement session in York, Maine. It was the perfect day with perfect light and the weather felt like a warm September day. We began at York Harbor's Wiggly Bridge, strolled along the coastline and out to the docks and finally, we finished up the session at Long Sands Beach.

I asked Emily to describe their relationship in more detail:

How did you two meet?

Tom and I met on Match! Tom had moved to New Jersey for work and decided to try match as a way to meet new people. After a few emails we exchanged phone numbers and talked for a few weeks before we met up in Morristown, NJ where we were living. We hung out twice and then stopped talking for a bit (to be honest I thought Tom was too short hah) after about another month we started talking again and things clicked perfectly. Within 6 months we were living together and then about a year into our relationship we moved to York, where Tom grew up.

Tom's mom had told him before he moved that she knew he would find a girl to marry when he moved to NJ... and she was right :)

What did you do on your first date?

Our first date was at Elysian Cafe in Hoboken, NJ. Tom was living in Hoboken at the time and I had agreed to go there after work to meet up for dinner. As I was parking, Tom was walking home from the train and we bumped into each other. What started as maybe just a friendly dinner turned into a long night of talking and laughing and realizing we had something special starting to grow. 

When and where did your engagement take place? Please describe the proposal.

Our engagement took place at our home in York, Saturday Sept 19th. The night before Tom had asked me if I wanted to wake up early to take a motorcycle ride and watch the sunrise. Thinking this might be coming, I woke up early, got ready and away we went on the bike to Long Sands Beach where we did watch the sunrise.... and then we went home! I was thinking that the proposal wasn't going to happen but Tom insisted we go out to breakfast. On the way out the door, Tom asked me to sit on the steps where we talked about our house and how our love has made it feel like a home and Tom popped the question, to which of course I said Yes!

What are some activities or hobbies that you love doing together?

Tom and I enjoy spending time together at home and with our dog Ralph. In the summer we enjoy taking Ralph to the beach, riding the motorcycle together, and trying new dinners at home. Friday nights we enjoy a dinner and a drink out. Emily enjoys going out for a run while Tom plays ice hockey throughout the year. This summer we played together on a co-ed softball team. We also like to ride our bikes together and even got a basket for our dog Ralph to come along. Recently we have been enjoying some home projects.

Also Tom and I travel a lot together, we have taken vacations to Key West, Nashville, Jamaica and also travel to  Florida and New Jersey often to visit my family. So we have gotten very good at making the most of long car rides and often never even turn on the radio, instead we take the time to talk, read to each other, and just enjoy some time alone. 

Is there anything else special or meaningful about your relationship that you'd like to share?

Tom and I are both the 3rd out of 4 children and share a bond having come from large and close knit families. We both would agree that we put our families first and look forward to our marriage as the foundation to build a family of our own.