Engagement Session Giveaway at The Free Library of Philadelphia

We recently teamed up with The Free Library of Philadelphia, and Brulee Catering to host an exclusive engagement shoot event at the Parkway Central library.  We also gave one couple free access to the event, and thanks to Ashley Gerrity Photography we were also able to giveaway free photography services.  Our lucky winners, Brittnay and Will were able to enjoy a lovely day at the library celebrating their love!  Keep scrolling to learn more about this lovely couple, and to see the amazing photos taken at the event!

How They Met:

“After both attending the University of South Carolina, Will and I met through a mutual friend. Despite being told we were exactly what each other needed at the time, I insisted a serious relationship was not in my near future. Two weeks after meeting and hanging out with our friends as a group, we went on our first date and both instantly became attached! Will tells me he immediately knew that I would be his forever and I couldn’t be happier knowing he was right!”

“I could write a book on how well Will loves me. Seriously, his personality makes up for every aspect that mine lacks. When I’m being more of an introvert and taking things too seriously, his charismatic, adventurous ways bring out the playful side of me. Being the perfect mix of work and play has brought us lots of laughs, happy cries, and a promising future filled with love and adventure!”

The Proposal:

“When Will’s family came up from South Carolina for their first visit, we knew it would be a perfect opportunity to get both of our families together for the first time! None of us had ever been to Longwood Gardens, so we thought it would be a great outdoor setting to explore. My family met us there and we walked around taking photos throughout the beautiful gardens. When we got to the conservatory we lined up and took pictures together. When it got down to just me and Will, he mentioned how nice it was that we were “one big family now.” In agreement, I was cheesing hard for our next picture when he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I was speechless, in shock, and couldn’t figure out how he had planned such an unexpected surprise. A minute later, my best friends from grad school came around the corner and were there the entire time! Even more of a surprise, my best friend from college (who currently lives in New York) was there too! I hadn’t seen her in over a year and was overwhelmed with joy that Will had planned so many surprises to make our engagement special. It truly was a perfect day.”

“Although I am from Pennsylvania, Philadelphia was just as new to me as it was to Will when we moved here a year ago. We knew we wanted to capture the beauty of the city in our engagement and wedding day photos. Since we are getting married in Center City (The Kimmel Center), a location with view of the city scape was our plan for the engagement photos. The Free Library, with remarkable architecture, was one of the first places we visited here. It was the perfect location to get both the skyline and Philly character in one session.”

Wedding Planning Experience:

“We started the venue search a few weeks after getting engaged. Since our families are pretty far apart, we considered a centrally located venue, but quickly realized it would be too difficult to plan with our busy schedules. Picking a venue was 10 times harder than I expected! Now that we know we will be having the ceremony and reception in Center City, we are looking forward to planning the details and seeing our vision of the perfect day unfold.”

Engagement Session Experience:

“We had a great experience with Ashley and Petronella from Ashley Gerrity Photography. Ashley called me to make sure any questions we had were answered, reassuring us it would be a stress-free photo shoot. Her friendly personality was super helpful making us feel comfortable being in front of the camera. We are very thankful Philly In Love connected us with such an awesome photographer!”


Vendors | Photography: Ashley Gerrity Photography | Venue: The Free Library of Philadelphia (Parkway Central)