A Forever Kind of Love | Romantic Portrait | Tybee Island, Georgia

The sky was clear above, as the waves crashed along the secluded sandy beach at Tybee Island, GA. Brian and Lauren walked hand in hand, as their feet created footprints in the wet sand. Their laughter was music chiming in the air, and they twirled in a dance while splashing through the waves. It was an evening filled with romance, joy, and playfulness as they got to focus on each other and the love that they both share.

Let’s travel back in time to 1999, when Brian asked Lauren to be his girlfriend.

“He was so darn cute, and why not?” – Lauren

This is when it all began. Lauren expressed that through the next four years, they went through more together than most kids experience in a lifetime, which ultimately created a bond that was indestructible. They were each others lifeline.

When he finished high school, Brian decided to join the army and he went off to boot camp, while Lauren stayed back to finish school. Time and distance were no match for their love, however, and could not break the bond they shared.

On December 26, 2002 Brian went shopping with Lauren’s mom while visiting for the holidays. “They were gone for hours,” Lauren recalls. “He was being picky with what he wanted to buy.” Brian returned from shopping and he and Lauren went to celebrate the holidays at his dad’s. It was afterwards, when Lauren and Brian were relaxing watching FRIENDS on TV, that Brian asked, “Hey, what would you do if I asked you to marry me?”

Lauren, not realizing he was serious replied, “Well, I would say yes, but it is not funny to joke about things like that.”

“Well, will you?” He asked.

“You’re not funny.” She replied.

“Fine, don’t marry me,” Brian retorted.

Lauren, finally realizing that Brian was serious and asking her to marry him, excitedly said “YES!”

Two eighteen-year-olds, madly-in-love with each other, began to plan the rest of their lives together. Finally, on April 14, 2003 they had a small intimate wedding, right before his first deployment to Iraq. Lauren and Brian were just two young adults, and trying to navigate through life without each other during this time was not the easiest thing to do.

Like all couples, Lauren and Brian have experienced their share of challenges together, however together have been able to overcome all of the obstacles thrown at them. Twenty-one years later, Lauren and Brian remain just as much – if not, more – in love with each other as they were in high school.

“Most women would pray for a man to love them like my husband loves me.” – Lauren

Lauren and Brian, I can not even begin to express how much I enjoyed working with you both. Your session was filled with so much raw emotion, and it is beyond obvious how in love you are with each other, even after all of these years. I feel so blessed to have been able to work with you and capture your story. Your photos remind me of poppies against a perfectly blue sky – a perfect match, just like you.

I can’t wait to work with you again!!