Yale University Engagement Session in New Haven, CT | Alli & Tim

Arturo and I always enjoy the opportunity to photograph our couples at Yale University located in New Haven, Connecticut! With so much history, architecture, and scenic backdrops it makes for such amazing photos. When Alli and Tim decided to hold part of their engagement session at Yale, this made for some happy photographers! Before making our way to the college campus, we started their session at East Rock Coffee, a local café which Tim and Alli often frequent together (Arturo and I always encourage our couples to be creative and include locations that have sentimental meaning to them when brainstorming for their engagement sessions!). As we walked into the cute little shop, the most wonderful smell of coffee beans and sweet treats filled the air. Alli and Tim each grabbed a cup of coffee and snuggled up together in one of the corners of the café. After a few fun shots, we were off to the Yale Divinity School a few blocks away. Tim and Alli met there when they were both graduate students, and have been together ever since! With so many wonderful memories made there, it was the perfect spot for their engagement photos!

Alli is an avid hiker and hiked a major portion of the Appalachian Trail (AT) in the summer of 2017. She wanted to hike the trails which she had not completed that summer, so one day she and Tim hiked 7 miles of the trail that Alli hadn't been able to do the first time around. Along the way Tim was reciting poems and other things; Alli thought nothing of him doing so since it’s something he usually does anyway! Eventually, on a secluded part of the trail, Tim found an excuse to recite one more thing, saying he had just recently memorized it. He began to recite the words of a benediction by Edward Abbey (an author special to Alli), which begins, "May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view." At that moment, Alli immediately began to think something was up! Tim finished the benediction and said that he felt that it was especially meaningful as it described his life well, which had been crooked, winding, lonesome but led him to Alli. He then made some puns about hiking through life with her; their very own “Alli and Tim AT Journey”. He then got down on one knee and asked to her to marry him!

These two are having a beautiful garden wedding ceremony at Edgerton Park followed by a celebratory reception at The Graduate Club in Downtown New Haven next June! Congratulations Alli and Tim! We cannot wait to celebrate you!

When did you know you'd found "the one"?

Alli: “I knew Tim was "the one" pretty early on in our relationship. From Day 1 of our friendship that turned into a relationship, there was a sense of comfort and security with him. I felt like I could be vulnerable with him without fear of judgment or embarrassment, and I felt that reciprocated from him almost immediately. I think that is why we became such close friends so fast and why entering into a relationship was an easy transition. I pretty much knew Tim was the one I wanted to continue life with, as my partner, when that comfort only began to strengthen and my vulnerability was never compromised, but encouraged.”

Tim: “I don't think there was ever a specific moment when I knew. Our relationship grew naturally, never being a source of fear or anxiety but of mutual assurance, comfort, affirmation, security. We had a ton of fun together and were right there with each other through highs and lows, struggles and accomplishments. It didn't take long for it to become obvious and natural that we belonged together.”

What's one thing you love about your partner?

Alli: “He is so genuine. From his Christianity, to his dedication to knowledge, to his nostalgia and his impeccable memory, to his oddities and humor, and his love for me, Tim is always authentic and kind.”

Tim: “The way that she is so genuinely and joyfully open to the world around her, from her love for the natural world to her constant joy not just in meeting new people but in genuinely getting to know every person she meets, who they are, what they care about, and then to her joy in sharing what she loves and cares about with others and, especially, in bringing people together.”

Besides getting married, what is one thing you're looking forward to on your wedding day?

Alli: “Throwing a really great party with our family and friends there. Since we are a bi-coastal relationship (his family and friends in Oregon, mine in Maryland) it will be the first time several members of our family and friends from home meet. Anytime social worlds collide, there's an opportunity for genuine fun, laughter, and joy, and I am really excited for that!”

Tim: “I'm most looking forward to bringing so many people who have been so important in my life and Alli's life, in so many different ways, at different times, and different places, all together in one place and time to share in this beginning of a new stage of our lives together.”

What's one thing you're looking forward to about marriage?

Alli: “I am really looking forward to managing the everyday with Tim for the rest of our lives. I will always be excited for the adventures we will have, but I am really looking forward to the security of doing the mundane with him. We get to live and grow together every single day together, there's nothing more joyful than that.”

Tim: “We will definitely have a lot of changes coming in our lives in the next several years, and I'm just really excited for all those new opportunities to make our life together in new circumstances, places, and periods of life, discovering where we end up and making a home there together.”

I hope you enjoyed this Yale University engagement session!  Do you know Alli and Tim?  Show them some love by commenting below!


ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHERS

Shaina Lee Photography is a husband and wife photography team serving Connecticut, New York, Hawaii and beyond.  We specialize in timeless, elegant, and romantic weddings while celebrating all couples in love.  Are you planning a proposal, engagement session or wedding?  Take a peek at our wedding portfolio or contact us for availability.