Ashley and Kevin met while downing some beers with their law school buds. Then, they got engaged after a brewery tour that spanned New Hampshire and Vermont. When at home, they love spending time trying new beers and those at The Brew Gentlemen in Braddock are some of their faves. When Ashley and Kevin decided to incorporate a subtle beer theme into their October 8th wedding, they knew they wanted it to be a part of their engagement session as well. So the pair, along with their photographer Ashley Giffin, headed to Braddock to snap a few pre-wedding pics. They threw back a few brewskies, snuggled in the tasting room, and played a game or two of Ticket to Ride before heading to another of their favorite locales – Frick Park. Romantic and playful, this e-session will make you thirsty for some beer and jealous of how adorable Ashley and Kevin are! Enjoy!
From the bride…
When and how did you two meet?
Kevin and I met in law school. He was in his last year at Pitt and I was in my first year. Our paths crossed a few times at the school, but I think our first “official” meeting was in March 2011 during the St. Patrick’s Day “Bar Review”, a weekly event where law students gathered to drink and commiserate. It was also the day before my 25th birthday. We talked about our love of March Madness and Michigan basketball. A few days later, we went on our first date – salsa dancing at Seviche. And the rest is history!
Juicy details on the proposal, please! Where, when, how?
We got engaged on January 2, 2015. For months, Kevin had been asking me to go away for a weekend. I was feeling overwhelmed at work so I continued to refuse (not knowing there was a ring hidden somewhere in our apartment). Finally, he convinced me to go away over New Year’s for a brewery tour of New Hampshire and Vermont. It was honestly the best weekend from start to finish.
We left Pittsburgh on New Year’s Eve. We didn’t have hotel reservations that night because we wanted to see how far we could drive. Eventually, we ended up in Poughkeepsie, NY, home of the Culinary Institute of America and the Walkway Over the Hudson. We rang in the New Year with amazing food and a 2.5 mile run over the Hudson River.
Later, lured by signs promising pie, we stopped at the Blueberry Hill Market Café in New Lebanon, NY. Unfortunately, they were out of pie, but they did have a New Year’s Day brunch – still Kevin’s and my favorite breakfast/brunch meal.
Our next stop (after a brewery or two) was in Keene, NH. I had previously surprised Kevin with a birthday trip to NH to visit some of his family there. We randomly stayed for a night in Keene and loved it. Kevin made reservations at the same hotel. On the morning of our engagement, we walked to a local coffee shop and Kevin taught me to play cribbage. Then, after hearing multiple people say how beautiful Mount Monadnock was, we decided to hike it. Neither of us had packed hiking gear, so we put on as many layers as we could and headed out. It was amazing (and so, so cold at the top). After our hike, we drove across the border to Harpoon Brewery in Vermont. Kevin had been in contact with them prior to our trip, so they put us at a great table by the fire! We enjoyed our time at Harpoon so much that we were running late for our dinner reservations back in Keene. I called to let them know we were on our way, and as soon as Kevin parked the car, I took off toward the restaurant. There’s a gazebo in the main street of Keene that Kevin and I had taken pictures in during our last trip. He ran to catch up with me and asked if we could stop in the gazebo for a minute. It was still decorated with Christmas lights and that’s where Kevin popped the question! I cried and said yes! We finally made it to dinner (which we didn’t eat because we were so excited).
Then, we went off the grid for about 12 hours (one of our favorite parts of the weekend). We couldn’t wait to tell our families and friends, but it was awesome to celebrate and keep it to ourselves for a little while (although we did tell the waitresses at the restaurant)!
Describe the engagement session.
We wanted our engagement pictures to reflect us and the things we love to do, so we picked Brew Gentlemen in Braddock and Frick Park.
We love visiting breweries, meeting the people that own them, and trying the beers! Brew Gentlemen is one of our absolute favorites. Their space is amazing and so are their beers. We spend a lot of time at the tasting room relaxing (and playing Ticket to Ride). In addition to our engagement being brewery-centered, we are incorporating a beer theme into our wedding, so we wanted to have it be a part of our engagement pictures as well. The staff was great about letting us do our engagement shoot there!
We also spend a lot of time in Frick Park. Kevin and I both enjoy running and do most of our training in the park because we live nearby.
Our photographer, Ashley Giffin, was totally on board with our ideas and we had an awesome afternoon with her! She helped us feel at ease, which I think came through in our pictures.
