A Virginia Countryside Engagement: Elsa and Gabe

They first met when they were only two and three years old. The location? The Church nursery. Their relationship is built on a lifetime of friendship, but, for most of that time, it seemed that friendship was all it would ever be. I’m excited to say that God planned more for them than that, though!! And today I get to share their beautiful Virginia countryside engagement!!

Things changed for Gabe first. He started to notice –really notice– things like her confidence and how she made him laugh and her steadfast faith in God. While he admired those things all along, they came to mean more to him the more he noticed them. Elsa, however, had no idea Gabe was even interested! And, when she did figure it out, she didn’t quite feel the same way for a while.

Something Changes

As Elsa and Gabe grew more and more involved in their various roles in Youth Group, and as they spent more and more time together things really started to change. Elsa started to have feelings for Gabe, too. But, since he’d had a bit of a head start, Elsa was still nervous. She told her sister that she was scared because she didn’t like him as much as he liked her!

Well, that wasn’t the case for long. 😉 Her feelings grew quickly, and they started talking about marriage. And then, finally, after anticipating a certain question for a while (at least we as her family were anticipating it for a while!!) Gabe and Elsa planned a special trip to the beach with friends back in February.

One evening while they were all out on the beach, Gabe and Elsa climbed one of the sand dunes to get a better view of the sunset. The sky turned the most spectacular shade of orange. Elsa was busy taking pictures of it. And Gabe prepared for the moment he’d been planning all along. As the sun sank down, Gabe took Elsa’s hand, pulled out a ring, and knelt down.

She accepted wholeheartedly.

A Virginia Countryside Engagement

If the names Elsa and Gabe are sounding familiar it’s because this isn’t the first time they’ve been on the blog. Elsa is my husband’s sister, and she and Gabe have graciously allowed me to practice on them numerous times over the last couple of years! Today, however, I’m absolutely over the moon to share a few favorites from their beautiful Virginia countryside engagement session!

Gabe and Elsa, it has been so fun to watch your relationship grow and change over these last few years! I love the way you two love one another, and I so admire how you’ve committed to keeping Christ at the center of your relationship. Don’t let anyone discourage you based on your age; you’re ready for this, and you’re perfect for one another! What a blessing to get to spend your whole life with someone!! Congratulations times a million! We love you guys, and I can’t wait until your wedding!!