Libby Hill & Chimborazo Park Engagement Session | Richmond, Virginia

Mary and Raul wanted to make sure their engagement session was fun, festive and a true representation of who they are both as individuals and a couple. We started their session at Libby Hill, the exact location where they got engaged. After walking around the park and learning all about them and Raul’s favorite facial expression mimicking Jigglypuff that Mary does, we headed over to Chimborazo Park for the main event.

Taking a page out of the hit 1999 Film Ten Things I Hate About You, Mary and Raul wanted to recreate the balloon paint fight scene. After doing extensive research, the selected eco safe and biodegradable paint and balloons.

How They Met

Mary and Raul first We met through OkCupid. Raul messaged Mary on her birthday and they started talking and scheduled their first date, which happened five days later at Postbellum.

The Proposal

Mary and Raul got engaged in June 2022. Raul originally told her that they were going to a brunch event for a coworker of his. Mary started to figure out that Raul wasn’t being entirely truthful after he started getting vague on the details of the brunch (but at the same time oddly specific about other details like what she should wear and what time they had to leave by. They left their house and drove in the direction of The Hill Café (where they were supposedly having brunch), but Mary knew something was up when Raul parked outside of Libby Hill Park and suddenly said that they had time for a walk in the park because not all of the brunch party had arrived at the restaurant yet. He took her hand and walked toward a random guy playing a guitar by the gazebo porch, when they turned the corner, Mary saw that he had planned a beautiful picnic with a gorgeous picnic spread on the porch. When they went to sit down, Raul got on one knee and proposed! Of course Mary said yes, but what Raul wasn’t expecting was that she would have a ring for him too! Before they got engaged, Raul was adamant that he was to get an engagement ring as well, so Mary made sure to get him one. They ended up leaving the park that day with two rings instead of one, and spent the rest of the day celebrating at some of their favorite places throughout the city!

What Mary Loves About Raul

“I love that Raul is incredibly sentimental and unapologetic about it. From movies to pictures to people, Raul is not afraid to show things from objects to people how much he loves and cares about them. I love that Raul is a consummate nerd who loves to research and fix different things, be it engineering things at work or even doing repairs for both of our cars. I love that Raul is incredibly approachable and unfailingly kind to almost every person he meets. He’s incredibly helpful and generous when he wants to be, and it shows in all of his relationships.”

What Raul Loves About Mary

“She is unapologetically herself. She is smarter than me and is not afraid to put me in my place when I’m wrong or being ignorant. She has the most sweetest and sensitive soul. She will put others before herself just to make sure everyone around her is well taken care of and loved.”