Tresa and Rohan are tying the knot today! To celebrate their love, we are taking a look back on their romantic engagement session at Longwood Gardens.
The couple, who first met at a Catholic conference in Texas almost 7 years ago, began a long-distance relationship soon after and have fallen in love every day since.
Several months into dating, Tresa and Rohan finally shared their first official in-person date. Filled with excitement, they enjoyed a day of wandering, eating macarons, admiring beautiful houses, people-watching, and enjoying each other’s company.
Their first date and every one after continued to strengthen their connection. It wasn’t long before they knew they’d found “the one.”
I don’t know if it was one moment. I think it was from the time I saw him for the first time to every moment after when I got to know his humor, character, and values. With each of these moments, I grew more certain that I wanted to share our future together.
– Tresa (The Bride-to-be)
If a day went by when we weren’t able to talk to each other, I always felt like something had been missing. Tresa is the person that I am most excited to talk to, and share silly stories and laughs with. She’s absolutely my best friend.
– Rohan (The Groom-to-be)
Following 5 years of dating, Rohan proposed to Tresa after attending Catholic Mass together at a beautiful church on the lakeshore. To mark their engagement, the couple traveled from Michigan to Longwood Gardens in Philadelphia for a romantic photo shoot.
Their photographer, Emily Wilkerson, advised them to dress as if they were going on a date night. The pair embraced the idea and styled two outfits for the occasion.
Tresa shares, “After the photoshoot, we got to spend our time wandering the gardens, turning Emily’s date night suggestion into a reality.”
Keep scrolling for more on their love story and photos from their intimate garden engagement session!
- Couple: Tresa and Rohan Karuvayil
- Occupations: Industrial Designer (Tresa) and Graduate Student (Rohan)
- Wedding date: May 18, 2024
- Wedding location: Harrisburg, PA
- Location of Engagement shoot: Longwood Gardens
How they met…
Rohan: We met almost 7 years ago in Texas at a Catholic conference. Tresa was coming from Detroit, and I had flown in from Philadelphia. Both of us are the game night type, so it wasn’t surprising that on the first night of the conference, we found a group of guests playing board games.
We ended up on the same team, and according to Tresa, I was definitely the reason we lost. Luckily, the loss gave us a reason to talk, and the conversation continued every time we saw each other over the next few days. Soon after the conference ended, the convos blossomed into a long-distance relationship.
The proposal…
Having been together for 5 years at the time, we had been discussing marriage for a while. When it came time to design the ring, Tresa made my job easier by learning everything about the diamond she wanted and finding the exact stone down to its 10-digit identifier. I chose the band for the stone to rest on.
After purchasing the perfect ring, I began to get creative with my proposal plan. Inspired by Jim from one of our favorite shows, “The Office,” I managed to pull off a few silly and fun fake proposals throughout the week. On the morning of the actual proposal day, I took Tresa to a Catholic Mass at a beautiful church on the lakeshore.
While we prayed for their future inside, my siblings and Tresa’s cousins set up cameras and decorations right out front. After Mass was finished, I took Tresa outside to a beautiful view of the lake, where everything was set up, and asked her to marry me.
The engagement session…
Our engagement session was photographed at Longwood Gardens. The place is so beautiful, and we wanted what we were wearing to highlight the different parts of the garden where we were photographed.
Ahead of the photoshoot, our photographer Emily Wilkerson, suggested we dress as if it were date night, and we definitely embraced that idea. She also provided us with numerous tips to ensure our outfits complemented each other and even helped pick one of the dresses on the day of the shoot.
Throughout the session, Emily gave us little prompts to help us act naturally, enabling her to capture moments that were authentically us. We discovered that, for us, authenticity involved a lot of giggling.
During the session, Emily alternated between regular and film photography, which offered us a wide variety of beautiful shots. After the photoshoot, we got to spend our time wandering the gardens, turning Emily’s date night suggestion into a reality.
Favorite thing to do together…
We were long-distance for the first few years and so we really learned to enjoy spending time in conversation with each other. Nowadays, one of our favorite activities is to go to a park or take a walk outside and just spend time talking.
Wedding planning…
With both of us working and attending school in two different states, and our wedding set to take place in a third state, planning has been no small task. We have been very lucky our vendors have been so accommodating to us. Also, staying organized and making time for each other amidst all our responsibilities has been crucial. We’re excited to be on the other side and enjoy the results of our efforts (and to laugh at all of our bad ideas).
What they’re looking forward to most…
We are most excited to be officially married! We are so grateful to God, our family, and friends for leading us to this moment. We’re very excited to start this new life journey as husband and wife.
Looking for more inspiration like this engagement session at Longwood Gardens?
Click here.
Vendors:
- Photographer: Fern and Fountain
- Bride’s Attire: Bobbles and Lace
- Shoes: Dolce Vita
- Venue: Longwood Gardens
Leave a Reply