It’s always an honor to photograph a friend’s wedding, which is why I’m so excited to shoot Andy and Emily’s wedding next year and to share their fall engagement photos in West Lafayette, Indiana on the blog!
Donuts and a broken foot brought Andy & Emily together.
Andrew Rowe and Emily Britton have the sweetest “how they met” story. Andy and Emily both went to Taylor University and lived in brother-sister dorms, meaning their halls would occasionally organize activities for residents to do together. One night, the dorms went on a “donut run” to a local donut shop.
Coincidentally, neither Andy nor Emily wanted to go. Andy had just broken his foot and wasn’t feeling up to battling the weather (It was winter.) on crutches, and Emily just wasn’t feeling it. However, both had friends who encouraged them to go anyway.
So, Andy and Emily headed to the parking lot. Students were hopping in vehicles, and Emily volunteered to drive a few of her friends to the donut shop. Because of Andy’s injury, he couldn’t drive and needed to ride in a vehicle where he could stretch out a little. So, although Emily and Andy had never met, Andy rode with Emily and her friends.
Emily was sure to help Andy inside the donut shop, and then they went to their respective friend groups; however, they kept catching each other’s eye.
They ate their donuts, loaded into the car, and headed back to campus. On the way back to school, Emily let RED (a band) play. Andy knew the band and commented that he really liked the music and wanted to hear more.
Emily dropped the girls and Andy off, and at this point, she was a little surprised he hadn’t asked for her number. In the meantime, Andy was very disappointed because he’d somehow gotten the impression that Emily had a boyfriend. Luckily for Andy, Emily has guts!
Wanting a chance to hang out with Andy again, Emily decided to drop a RED CD off for him at his dorm. She went to the dorm’s welcome desk and told the guy at the counter that she needed to him to put a package in Andy’s mailbox.
“Andy who?” the guy at the desk asked.
“Umm . . .” Emily said. “The Andy with the broken foot.”
Long story short, it took a while to figure out which Andy was the right Andy, but Andy eventually got the CDs and texted Emily to get together.
After that, Andy and Emily were seeing each other every day. Andy knew Emily was special, and wanting to make sure his intentions were clear, he told her, “I’m looking for a wife, not a temporary girlfriend.”
Through Andy and Emily’s relationship, they’ve kept this comment in mind and dated with the intention of getting married. Now, they are!
Andy & Emily made their engagement photos into an epic date.
So, Andy needs to be bragged on just a bit. While many guys drag their feet for engagement and wedding photos and smile simply to make their bride happy, Andy is a VERY thoughtful and prepared groom.
In fact, Andy contacted me before he even proposed! Usually, I don’t even meet the groom until the engagement session!
Andy has been very helpful in the wedding planning process, so I shouldn’t have been at all surprised when he made their fall engagement photos in West Lafayette, Indiana into an epic day for this bride.
The day started with a couple’s massage. Then, Andy arranged for Emily to have her hair and makeup done by Phoenix in Flight Makeup Artistry & Spa (one of my absolute favorite makeup artists!). After that, Andy and Emily met me at Purdue for their photos. We then went to the Horticulture Park for more photos. Lastly, wanting to take Emily somewhere fancy since they were “already dressed up,” they drove all the way to The Lighthouse Restaurant in Cedar Lake (about an hour and a half drive from West Lafayette, Indiana)!
Engagement photos are definitely a fun part of being engaged, and I wish more couples would take note from Andy and Emily and make their photos into a day full of fun!
Side note: Andy is wonderful, but his actions are definitely inspired by a wonderful woman. Emily is so sweet and deserves all of Andy’s love and more! After all, her gutsy CD drop-off is why this darling couple got together in the first place!
Congratulations, Andy & Emily!
Andy and Emily, I’m so thankful that you chose me to be your wedding photographer! As sweet and detail-oriented as you are, I have no doubt that your wedding will be amazing!
I pray that you’re always as intentional in your marriage and relationship with Christ as you have been during the wedding planning process. October 2019 can’t get here soon enough!
Are you a bride looking for a wedding photographer?
I’d love to meet you for coffee and learn more about your big day!