Epic Center City Engagement Session by J&J Studios

by Dolly Marshall

If you’re looking for interesting engagement photo locations in Philadelphia then look no further! Photographer John Ryan’s marathon 4-hour engagement shoot is filled with some of the most popular date spots that Niyanta and Brendan have enjoyed since living in Philly. This couple share a love for the Avengers, exotic travel, great food and the Rolling Stones, but most of all are a fusion of two fun and quirky personalities!

couple holding hands in the city
man picks up fiance
couple pose in front of dinosaurs
couple pose in front of Batman insignia

How They Met

On a blind date via OkCupid 5 years ago. I was in grad school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Brendan worked for Herzing University. We went to see Dave Chappelle on our first date. The rest has been a happy blur.

couple holding hands on stairs
couple embrace on stairs
couple with dinosaurs
couple hug outside science museum

Niyanta shares what she loves most about Brendan, “His love of music, comedy, road trips, science, and dinosaurs. His empathy and sense of fairness. And our shared fandom for Neil deGrasse Tyson.”

couple walk in magic gardens
couple hold hands in magic gardens

The Proposal

“We took a cooking class at Scarpetta earlier this year and loved this restaurant in Rittenhouse. Se he took me to dinner the night before my birthday at Scarpetta and proposed over dinner!”

man on one knee with fiance in front of city hall
couple's hands with engagement ring
couple sitting on steps outside
couple kiss in front of mural

Engagement Session Inspiration

“I moved to the Philadelphia area in 2018 and Brendan followed last year. We’ve been nomads over the last decade moving places/countries for jobs, schools etc. particularly me, which we love. We like to adopt the place where we live and make it our own. City hall, the art museum, the Franklin Institute are all places we’ve been to on dates or with friends over the past year so they have happy memories for us. The magic gardens are on our list for how quirky they seem which feels like us. Also it wouldn’t be us if we didn’t add a new place to explore to our list of places we visited for this shoot. If we do manage to get a picture with a dinosaur or science exhibit I and therefore you will get a lot of points for that because it’s high on Brendan’s list.”

couple pretending to be superheros in front of dinosaurs
couple embrace on stairwell
couple holding hands in front of philadelphia art museum
couple holding close in magic gardens

Wedding Planning

“We got engaged just a few days ago so not quite yet. Although we’ve discussed a few specifics before and we’ve been filing away ideas we like! We will probably get married in City Hall in the spring of 2020. A smaller intimate celebration with a few friends and family. We will have slightly bigger weddings in the US and in India in 2021.”

couples waking down city street
man and woman in outdoor garden
engaged couple sitting outside in garden
couple embrace at night in front of city skyline
couple embrace at night overlooking river

J & J Studios

“Working with John Ryan was simply A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!”


Vendor | Photography: J&J Studios