Emma and Rainer's Engagement Photos in Farragut State Park

They met at church. What I initially thought would happen after that sentence was that Rainer would walk over to Emma and introduce himself. He didn't. In fact, there is some debate as to who was staring at who first, but either way, they caught each other's eyes from across the room. Emma on her way in, Rainer on his way out (at least, I think I remember it was that way).  

In truth, neither of them said anything to each other. But what it did do was cause Rainer to go looking through Instagram later to find her - and turns out, they were both already following each other. Neither knows why, or how, that initially started, but there you have it.

So Rainer had a dilemma - do I just message her? Or is there some other way to let her know that he has noticed her? His decision? Unfollow then refollow her again. This way, when Emma would get on Instagram later that day (to look for Rainer, she would confess) she would see that he had just started following her.

I'd like to tell you that this worked (and, I guess it kind of did) but nothing would happen for a whole month. They wouldn't see each other at church again, they wouldn’t chat, nothing. But then one day Rainer would get a reminder to send Emma a message (he had set a reminder) and so he sent her an Instagram message. Emma would reply an hour later, and two days from that moment they would meet up for dinner.

At dinner, Rainer would walk in to Emma already at their table (they drove separate), and think to himself "dude, I have to make sure she knows this is a date, she is WAY to beautiful for it to not be a date" - while Emma wouldn't realize it was a date for another two hours.

Turns out, they would end up staying so long that the employees would have to ask them to leave (because it was closing). It would only be a couple months later that both of them would start to realize that the other was someone they'd want to marry - that they were both that lucky. I'm so excited for next year when I get to be there, meet their friends and family, and capture their wedding. Two amazing people, who I had a blast with in Farragut State Park.