Meg and Joe’s Engagement Session

Oh my heavens! THESE TWO!! 😍😍😍 We don’t even know where to begin with just how genuinely sweet Meg & Joe are!!! It’s oh so obvious that they are best friends and that they are crazy about each other! Those giddy giggles, so many sweet snuggles and that stunning sunset = PURE ENGAGEMENT SESSION MAGIC! We are obsessed with everything about M&J!!! And their sweet proposal story was just the icing on top!!  Read alllll about these two below and enjoy some of our favorite photos of the happy couple!

How did you two meet?!

“Joe and I met sophomore year of college at IU when our sorority and fraternity houses were paired for Homecoming. We instantly hit it off and spent a lot of time together that week and for the next couple of months. Looking back, I still remember the butterflies I felt the first time Joe kissed me in Sigma Chi’s smelly basement. Ultimately, we were both young and went our separate ways the following spring semester, but luckily fell back into our natural habits the beginning of our senior year. Although it wasn’t until February when Joe finally built up the courage to ask me to be his girlfriend, we have been inseparable since August of 2015. From Bloomington to Chicago, and now St. Louis, Joe and I have always loved doing life together.”

When did you start officially dating?

“February 24, 2016 — Our first official date was at a sushi restaurant in Bloomington called Japonee. Joe had actually never had sushi before and he knew it was my favorite food, so he wanted to see what all the hype was about. Up until then, we really had only done things in groups or hung out in social settings, so it was really fun to do something just the two of us.”

Do you have a favorite date you’ve ever been on together?

“The best date that comes to mind is in December 2017 when we lived in Chicago. It was a Friday that we had both taken off work so we had the entire day to explore the city. We started off the day taking a helicopter ride around downtown Chicago – it was absolutely incredible. After, we walked through the Christkindlmarket in West Loop (a recreated German market with German delicacies), and then had dinner in the John Hancock building, where we had 360 degree views of the city. It was a day neither of us will ever forget.”

What would the perfect date night look like or include?

“The perfect date night for us is actually pretty simple. We would start off the evening going somewhere to have drinks on an outdoor patio. If we were lucky, the place would have oysters that we could have as an appetizer. Next, we would go to a restaurant with a fun ambiance – Joe would probably order steak or a burger, and I (Meg) would order pasta or seafood of some kind. We would stop and get ice cream on the way home, then get in comfy clothes and have a Harry Potter marathon with popcorn.”

When did you get engaged & how did he propose?!

“June 19, 2020 — So I actually had absolutely no idea Joe was about to propose.. We had been dating for 4 years at that point and we had definitely talked about our future and getting married, but I always thought that I would have some sort of idea when the proposal was coming – however, Joe did a very good job at keeping it top secret.

We had just gotten home from a trip to Florida that just the two of us went on, and we were back in St. Louis staying at Joe’s parent’s house. He told me that we were going to go to Forest Park to walk around before meeting up with his brother, John, and his wife, Emily. (I had never been to Forest Park before and had always wanted to go, so I didn’t think anything of it). On our way to the park was the first time if crossed my mind that something could be going on – I know Joe very well and he all of a sudden seemed very nervous and was doing these fake yawns in the middle of his sentences. I don’t know how to describe it, but it makes me laugh every time thinking back on it).

When we got to the park, he had a blanket and a bottle of wine and he took me to a really pretty spot by the Grand Basin. He told me to open up the bag that the wine was in and it said “Megan Jean, Will you be my lobster?” (all of my Friends fans out there will get this). He then got down on one knee and my head was already in the clouds so I can’t remember everything that he said. It was such a special moment that I will never ever forget.

We then went back to his parent’s house where my mom, dad, and sister were waiting to surprise me! We spent the night all together drinking, eating, and playing games. Joe also had told all of our friends and family that he was planning to propose, and compiled a 20 minute video of all of them telling us congratulations… It is one of my favorite videos that I will ever have. The next day, the boys played golf and the girls had a pool day, and we ended the night with a surprise engagement party with a bunch of friends. Joe actually had made an excel sheet with an itinerary for our entire weekend – I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend to start our lives together.”

What are your favorite movies?

“Pretty much anything that’s a chick flick! (Crazy Rich Asians being our absolute favorite). I got lucky in the fact that Joe probably likes chick flicks even more than I do :). We also love Harry Potter and frequently have Friends marathons.”

What’s your favorite way to spend the weekend?

“I (Meg) work every 3rd weekend, so we really cherish the weekends we get to spend together. We also have a ton of friends getting married this year, so we have been spending a lot of our weekends traveling around the country to be at those weddings. Since we are so busy, when we have a free weekend with nothing to do, we love to just relax and spend time with each other and with friends. A perfect Saturday would probably be waking up and playing tennis, then grabbing some coffee and lunch. If it’s a nice day out, we would love to hang out by the pool. We would probably relax for a bit in the afternoon then grab some drinks or dinner with friends that night.”

For the bride: What are three things you love about your groom?

“Narrowing it down to just 3 things is very challenging – the list could go on and on. I know it sounds cliche, but I love everything about Joe. I love how Joe is so easy going and could get along with just about anyone (I’ve never met anyone that doesn’t love Joe). He can make anyone in a room feel comfortable and at home. Joe is incredibly thoughtful and caring – he would do absolutely anything for someone he loves. He is unbelievably loyal, sweet, humble, fun, and makes me feel so, so loved. Everyone deserves a Joe in their life!”

For the groom: What are three things you love about your bride?

“Well well well….where to begin with my Megan! In a nutshell, Meg’s the woman of my dreams – she’s kind, compassionate, humble, honest, and absolutely beautiful. I may not hear Meg when she walks into a room (she never wants to be the center of attention), but once I see her I can’t take my eyes off of her. She’s warm and friendly to everyone, genuinely interested in what other’s have to say, and always carrying her amazing smile on her face. Meg is truly a one of a. kind, and I consider myself the luckiest man in the world to be with her.”

What do you both do for a living?

“I (Meg) am a nurse and Joe works in finance (associate at a private equity firm). Joe works long hours during the week, and I work long shifts just about any day or night of the week depending on my schedule, so we really cherish the time when we are both free from work and can spend time together.”

If you could go anywhere on a vacation, where would you go?

“Bali or Africa!!! Both are on our bucket list :)”

What’s your favorite place you’ve ever been together?

“Our favorite vacation would probably be when we went to Naples, Florida right before we got engaged. It was around the height of the pandemic, so it was really nice to escape somewhere just the two of us. A lot of things were still shut down, so we spent a lot of quality time together just hanging out on the empty beach. I had just graduated nursing school and Joe was a week away from starting his new dream job, so it was just a really blissful time for the both of us – even more amazing thinking about how we were about to get engaged when we got home from that trip!!”

What was your favorite part of the engagement session?

“I loved how comfortable Bret and Brandie made us feel!! Joe and I don’t take a lot of pictures, so we were a little bit out of our comfort zone, but they made it so easy and even fun! It’s something I will always remember.”

Where did her outfits come from?

“I got my dress from a super cute boutique in St. Louis called Splash. If you are ever in the area – check them out! They have just about any color you are looking for, and is a great store to go to if you are about to go on vacation.”

Where did his outfits come from?

“his closet (hehe)”

Advice for other couples who are prepping for their engagement session?

“Just relax, go with the flow, and have fun with it! :)”