Maymont & Belle Isle Engagement Session | Richmond, Virginia

Rachel and Chris explored Maymont and Belle Isle for their engagement session.

We started off their engagement session at beautiful Maymont Park. After walking through the Italian gardens, we wondered up to the Maymont mansion and down the trail by the Blue Atlas Cedar. Rachel and Chris shared stories of their love for hiking, traveling and adventure.

After jumping in the car, a quick drive and outfit change, we arrived at Belle Isle for the second part of their session. Here we were joined with their sweet dog, Belle! We crossed the bridge over to Belle Isle and walked down various trails, ended up by the water at sunset.

How They Met

One August summer day at Penn State (going into senior year), Rachel’s rugby team decided to throw a slip and slide party to take advantage of the gorgeous weather. Chris and his friends were invited to the as they lived right next door. Rachel and Chris met during the party and instantly hit it off! They ended up grabbing a bite to eat later in the day and exchanged phone numbers!

The Proposal

Chris and Rachel were in the Poconos and wanted to do a quick get away after attending a friend’s wedding in Pennsylvania. It was the last day of their trip after a week of hiking, fun and relaxation at Hickory Run State Park. They decided to hike a few trails that day and see Boulder Field. On the last trail of the day, they hiked out to the Hawk Falls waterfall. Rachel asked a lady to take a picture of her, Chris and Belle to commemorate the trip. Rachel chose the smallest rock imaginable for all of them to stand on in front of the waterfall and the next thing she knew, Chris was going down! At first, Rachel thought he was falling into the creek and tried to catch him and pull him up. Instead Chris went down on one knee and her asked to marry him, much to Rachel’s surprise!

What Rachel Loves About Chris

“I love how hard working and driven he is, always going after what he wants. I love our chemistry/compatibility/love language. He always treats me in various ways, bringing home my favorite snacks, setting up dates/pushing us to try new things, cooking dinner for me etc.”

What Chris Loves About Rachel

“I love her ability to push me to try new things or retry things whether food or activities, she always makes me try things even after I tell her they are not for me and sometimes I am surprised that I actually like them like brussels sprouts, Indian food or even being social when I don’t want to be. She is driven, she is not willing to settle whether its is her career, financially or life in general she wants the most for herself and that is something that is something I admire about her.”