It was so good to finally meet Danielle and David in person! In the last year and a half of zoom “meetings,” it’s been great to finally meet the couples that booked me during that time. Danielle and David met me at one of my favorite spots…the Goodstone Inn and Restaurant. We took advantage of the historic grounds for this stunning engagement session.
Danielle and David are planning their Big Day in November. It was wonderful to meet them ahead of the Big Day AND photograph their engagement session.
So let me jump right into their love story.
“We first met in February 2020 and went on two dates before David was kind enough to drive me to the airport so I could frolic off to the other side of the world for two weeks. While I was gone, I couldn’t stop thinking about our amazing dates and how I hoped he would still be interested upon my return. Luckily for me, he was!
We soon started spending a lot more time together, regularly cooking dinners and binge watching Netflix. By April David was working from home and would always say how he wished I was too so we could spend more time together; he got his wish. In late April, as we were sitting on the couch together, I received a call from the doctor (on speaker phone) informing me I had in fact tested positive for COVID. David just looked and me, shook his head, and said ‘I guess I’m stuck with you now!’.”
“October 24, 2020, we were on a cabin trip in the West Virginia mountains with a bunch of friends. That morning, David woke up surprisingly early (like 10am) and was super eager to go on a hike. I know something was awry because that is not like him that early in the morning. After trekking six miles through the mountains, we made it to the beautiful lake where he got down on one knee and proposed to which I responded with a very genuine ‘awwww’ and said ‘yes!’. It was one of the happiest moments of my life and I cannot wait to spend forever with him.”
“Danielle and I met in February 2020 and hit it off right away. Our first date was at BarTaco in Reston Town Center on a chilly Tuesday night – both enjoying each other’s company while enjoying some tacos and margaritas. We discussed families, interests, and shared some funny stories and ended the night with our first kiss. Our second date was a few days later at a local brewery. We were pleasantly surprised to find it was trivia night and quickly learned how competitive we both were. The date lasted until the early hours of the morning with the brewery staff keeping the doors open late so we could win trivia in overtime. From there, things moved quickly – third and fourth dates were enjoyed with wine, home cooked meals, and our soon to be favorite show: Yellowstone. Neither of us realized but the process of us being inseparable was well underway.”
“We were spending more and more time together – cooking together on weeknights and spending time in Middleburg on the weekends. By this point, COVID-19 was starting to make its way to the U.S., with the first cases starting to be reported in the news. Shortly thereafter, we were both working from home until we were both diagnosed with COVID-19. I’m not pointing any fingers… but Danielle did it! Fortunately, our symptoms were very mild. After settling into our co-quarantine after the first few days we were making jokes that she did it purposefully in an attempt to trap me, since she essentially moved in. All jokes aside, I was thrilled by this as I was rapidly developing feelings I’ve never felt before. She is the most special person I’ve ever met and we were well on our way to becoming engaged. I still like to make the joke that it was a six-week long date that never ended.
Skipping ahead a few amazing months later and we were already hinting at being stuck with each other forever. Ultimately, our real engagement was settled over a bottle of wine while puzzling (Danielle’s new passion to keep us occupied during quarantine). I bought a ring and waited for the right moment. After asking her parents for their blessing, I proposed on October 24 while hiking in West Virginia. In true Danielle-style, she gave a sarcastic ‘awwww’ and rolled her eyes when I got down on one knee. One month later, I couldn’t be more excited to spend the rest of my life with this amazing, smart, witty, and gorgeous woman. I’m so lucky to have her in my life.”
Danielle and David, I love your sweet love story!!! And I can’t wait to serve you both on your wedding day. Congratulations! Keep scrolling for more highlights from their Goodstone Inn and Restaurant engagement session.
Michelle with Lieb Photographic is a Northern Virginia Wedding Photographer, a Charlottesville Wedding Photographer and photographs destinations worldwide. To see more weddings and engagement sessions in the Northern Virginia area, view the Northern Virginia Wedding Venues age. If you’d like to explore some more of my favorite wedding venues in the Virginia and Washington D.C. areas, view the Wedding Venues page.