When Rosalina & Doug came to me with the idea of doing their engagement session at Skyline Park (which happens to be on the roof of Ponce City Market), I was thrilled! We rode the elevator up to the rooftop & began our time at 9 Mile Station, a cute rooftop Beer Garden with amazing views of the skyline! I loved capturing Rosalina & Doug’s interaction as they shared beer in the warm spring sunshine. Afterwards, we moved over to Skyline Park where these cuties enjoyed the Heege Tower, Skyline Slide, Derby Race & Skee Ball! The evening ended in shades of vibrant pink as the sun set against the Atlanta the skyline. Scroll down to see all the fun photos from our evening together & read Rosalina & Doug’s beautiful story! 

“We actually met in passing a few times before really ‘meeting.’  Doug grew up in Maryland but moved to Alpharetta with his family after college.  I (Rosalina) grew up in Athens and then went to UGA with one of Doug’s childhood friends from Maryland.  Having a mutual friend, our paths would occasionally cross in Athens or here in Atlanta, but that seemed to be the extent of it.  No sparks flew until we “swiped right” on each other on the infamous Tinder app. It didn’t take us long to realize that we had met before, thanks to our mutual friend (who is now the Best Man).  We spent our first few dates flexing our foodie muscles, dissecting menus and ordering any and everything adventurous (this has not changed). We spent every minute of our free time together, uncovering countless similarities and complementary characteristics between us.  We fell in love pretty quickly, but why wouldn’t we?  We are two halves of the same soul– halves that were apparently floating around the east coast until we finally happened to find each other.”

“What I love most about Doug is his moral compass.  He is one of the most altruistic people I’ve ever encountered, and he has an incredible sense of right and wrong.  If Doug witnessed someone stealing an old lady’s purse, he’d be the first one to run after the purse-snatcher, but then offer to help him get his life back on track.  He is just, fair, and selfless in a way that will never cease to amaze me.  That quality of moral goodness seems undervalued these days, but it is that very thing about Doug that has always stood out to me.  Aside from that, his big bearded grin comes in at a very close second.”

“Unquestionably, the thing that I love about Rosie the most is how she makes me feel loved every day.  It starts with a kiss on the forehead and a quiet “I love you,” as I’m in between dreams. Then, as I’m rushing out the door for work and grabbing my belongings, I’ll find a carefully placed note in my wallet wishing me a great day or telling me how proud she is of me. Throughout the day she will send me messages of encouragement to push me through a rough shift and let me vent about work.  As my night winds down and I’m ready to leave work, she’s always sure to check in and see how I’m doing. When I finally make it home, I go straight to the fridge and more often than not, there is a stash of my favorite beer or a tasty treat, carefully labeled “Doug can eat this”.  The fact is, Rosie knows me better than I do myself. She knows my quirks, my faults, and knows how to bring out the best in me. I love her for all she is and all that she has made me.”

“THE PROPOSAL:  This one was a bit of a nail biter. For weeks, I(Doug) had been planning a trip to the mountains in North Georgia, with the help of my childhood friend and Best Man, Chris.  It was made out to be a casual weekend away from a stressful month of work. Behind the scenes Chris and I were scheming to plan an epic proposal. The problem was, I had picked out the ring and was waiting for the final touches to be made– the exact day we were leaving. Somehow, I managed to get off work early and made it just in time to pick up the ring.  We drove up to the cabin and then spent our first night hanging out and planning a hike through the trails the next day. (continued below)

“The next morning, I think I checked a thousand times to see if I still had the ring. The question was, how do I hide this from her? Putting it in my pocket was too obvious, and I was too paranoid to stick it in my backpack. So of course, the obvious choice was for Chris to hide it in his sock and wait for the right moment to hand it to me. We made our way down the trail to a lake, beside which we found a quaint refurbished chapel.   It was perfect.  Jenn (Chris’s wife, and also in on the plan) led Rosie into the chapel, while Chris fumbled to hand me the ring.  When the girls came back out, we decided to take some photos in front of the chapel.   Chris and Jenn posed first, and then they offered to do the same for us.  Then came the moment.   I awkwardly posed next to Rosie, with this box protruding from my pocket.  Then I turned to her, got down on one knee, and asked her to be my wife.  It all happened so fast and yet I will never forget that moment, or the feeling I had knowing I was going to marry such a wonderful person and my true soul mate. “

Rosalina & Doug – Thank you so much for sharing your story with me! I can’t wait for your wedding in November! 🙂