Sara & Mike | Engagement Session



Sara and Mike, who met through mutual friends after moving in the same Washington D.C. circles for years, plan to say “I do” with the help of Charleston’s Gregory Blake Sams Events in the coming months. In the meantime, they shared their charmer of an engagement photo shoot with all of us. But before you dive into those sumptuous shots, get a load of their proposal story. Sometimes it’s best to get a story straight from the groom-to-be’s mouth.

Mike: I had the ring hidden in our D.C. apartment for weeks and convinced Sara that it made sense that year for us to spend Christmas separately with our respective families, me in Connecticut and her in Ohio. What I didn’t tell her was that I had a plane ticket from Connecticut to Ohio on Christmas Eve. I arrived in her hometown during a fairly serious snowstorm and proceeded to the hotel. I had looped her brothers in on the surprise, knowing her mom would most likely have let the cat out of the bag. On Christmas morning, I called the boys to make sure Sara was up and showered and dressed for their big family brunch. I had given Sara a card before we left D.C. and asked her to read it on Christmas morning. I called her (from outside her parents’ house) and asked her to read the card; as I approached the front door she read the last line that said, “Oh and by the way, you have a gift at the front door,” and I rang the doorbell. The rest is kind of a blur, but I saw a picture of myself on a knee and people told me she said “Yes,” so I think it worked out pretty well.     

Venue: The Mills House | Images: Catherine Ann Photography | Planner: Gregory Blake Sams Events

The Wedding Row

April 29 2019
If you’ve ever walked down King Street on a Saturday evening, you know Charleston’s the “It City” for bachelorette parties. So when North Carolina native and bride-to-be Cristen decided to hold her...

April 26 2019
The latest Charleston Weddings magazine features the journey of Kaitlin and her hubby Allan, who defied the odds and overcame a traumatic brain injury to join his bride at the altar on their Big Day...

April 25 2019
When Morgan and her family attended Folly Gras 2015 (a Mardi Gras celebration held annually on Folly Beach), she had no inclination she’d meet her future husband. But when she caught up with her best...

April 24 2019
Few things get us through a hump day better than fantasizing about fantastic food and lip-smacking libations. So we thought it was a good time to reach out to Graham Ervin, director of sales at The...

April 23 2019
We profiled Hannah and Jonathan’s super lovely wedding in the spring issue of Charleston Weddings, but we weren’t able to include all they had to say, and we had a ton of bonus images to share with...

April 22 2019
Samantha Anderson Events teamed up with Lyndi and Jason Photography to turn a no-fun subject—your wedding budget—on its head. The trick? Samantha dressed three tables at three different price points...

April 19 2019
Blake, a wedding planner for Pure Luxe Bride, recently had the chance to plan her own Big Day. She and now-husband Charles met in an accounting class at College of Charleston, and a few years later...

April 18 2019
Here’s a rare wedding bird these days: A Charleston-raised couple prepping to say “I do” here in their own backyard. As Elizabeth and James keep on with the planning, here’s a little about the...