A month before they started dating, Amanda wrote a letter addressed to her future husband. In that letter, she wrote that she thought he was going to be Matthew. They had met through a mutual friend at a camp while in college. They became good friends, and when their lives moved them to two different places, Matthew spent a ton of time and energy planning a trip to go see her and planning fun things to do together. It’s the kind of self-sacrifice and thoughtful kindness that Matthew is known for. She realized she was falling hard for him, and a few weeks later he finally asked her out.

He never stopped planning those visits to go see her. One weekend, he brought a puzzle with him. It was a puzzle he’d had made from her favorite photo of them together. They spent the evening working on together, until they were finally down to the last piece - and it was gone. Amanda began searching for it frantically. Her competitive nature was raging. She yelled at the dog, thinking he had swallowed it. Finally Matthew stopped her, and she turned to find him kneeling on the floor with the last piece of the puzzle - and an engagement ring!

They invited us to Harrisonburg for their engagement session, and we explored the old historic downtown with their favorite bar, their favorite restaurant, and maybe their new favorite ice cream place! Enjoy some of our favorites from these two kind and beautiful souls.