Engagement photos at Wintergreen Gorge and Modern Tool Square were natural choices for Lori and Layne; both love the outdoors, and they spend lots of time at the gorge hiking with their beloved rescue dog, Ares. The couple also used to live in Modern Tool Square. Since both locations held significance for them, we had an awesome time during their engagement session.
Lori & Layne
The pair met in November 2015 at a small gathering of friends at Allegheny College. While they all sat around chatting, Layne made a comment and Lori responded with a sarcastic joke. From there, conversation flowed easily; after spending the evening talking, their friendship slowly blossomed. A couple of months later, they met up at Layne’s apartment to make Lori’s favorite homemade lasagna recipe. Although they’d been hanging out as friends for a while, this was their first official date.
Despite some nerves, they enjoyed a relaxing afternoon together. As the sun shone through the kitchen windows and music played, Lori says she felt completely comfortable and at peace with Layne. They both knew there was a special, rare connection. Layne says that shortly after their first date, he knew she was “the best person [he’d] ever met.” About six months later, Layne recalls telling his mom in a phone conversation that he knew he wanted to marry Lori one day.
An Engagement to Remember
Originally, Layne had envisioned his proposal to Lori on a cruise ship overlooking San Juan, Puerto Rico. They had planned a vacation to celebrate Layne’s graduation that was, unfortunately, thwarted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, Layne refused to be discouraged; he was going to make his proposal special anyway. One morning during the lockdown, Layne woke up and thought, “Today is the day.”
That afternoon, he suggested they go for a walk down by the Bayfront. Lori assumed they’d bring Ares, but Layne suggested they go alone, which Lori thought was peculiar. Insisting they’d need to take Ares for a walk later anyway, Lori put Ares in his harness and leash and Layne relented. (It didn’t take much for him to let it go—they both love Ares a lot.)
Once they were down by the Bayfront, Layne waited till they got to the perfect, picturesque spot. Just as he got down on one knee, however, Ares caught sight of some geese and pulled Lori a few yards away. Layne asked Lori to marry him, to which she replied, “What?!” about four times. When Lori realized that Layne wasn’t pranking her, and he was, in fact, holding a real ring, she exclaimed, “I mean, yes, but what?!” It took a few minutes for it to sink in, but once it did, Lori was over the moon.
Perfect Engagement Photo Locations
Wintergreen Gorge
We opted to take Layne and Lori’s engagement photos at Wintergreen Gorge and Modern Tool Square. Wintergreen Gorge is a trail here in Erie featuring waterfalls, beautiful water, and trees as far as the eye can see. In summer, it’s lush and verdant, but it looks stunning year-round. (In my opinion, Wintergreen Gorge makes for a perfect fall engagement session, too.)
Modern Tool Square
This is one of my favorite spots for engagement photos, so we took a few there as well. The warm red brick and climbing vines make for a minimalist, modern, yet romantic backdrop. It was also the courtyard to Layne and Lori’s old apartment, so it’s significant for them as well.
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