She had waited for their Botanical Gardens engagement session for eight years.

Alli and William attended Shades Mountain Baptist Church (which happens to be my church, too!) throughout their childhoods. They actually have some hilarious pictures of the two of them in middle and high school, and even on choir tours! They went on their first date when Alli was a junior in high school and William, a freshman in college. After two dates, there was seven years of silence.

They went about their lives, but kept tabs on each other on social media over the years. Whenever William moved back to Birmingham from college around a year ago, they reconnected. The first time he saw her upon returning, he knew she was who he wanted to marry. So, the rest is history. And they’ve got a lot of history together now!

They walked up for their Botanical Gardens engagement session hand in hand, like they usually do… and like they will for the next 60 years: confident, peaceful and a little giggly. It was a great session at Botanical Gardens and Railroad Park in Birmingham, and I’m honoured to be photographing their sweet wedding in May at Inverness Country Club!