Justine and Christopher’s love story involved Tinder and a bit of fate.
In the summer of 2016, Justine just moved to the D.C. area. So, she decided to give the popular dating app “Tinder” a chance, and she connected with Christopher. Justine and Chris texted for a few days, but Justine didn’t think too much of it as she had grown uninterested with the app and had planned to stop texting Chris, too. But fate had other plans, cause on the Friday of the next week, Justine randomly spotted Chris at a happy hour. Justine decided to make the first move and introduce herself, and the rest is history!
For their engagement shoot, they kept the vibe sophisticated and classy. Justine shares, “We wanted our engagement photoshoot to be focused on our love, so we didn’t have a theme. Because we were unable to go to New Orleans where our wedding will take place for our shoot, we chose the Georgetown Waterfront in D.C. so that our photos would have pretty outdoor surroundings.”
We know their New Orleans wedding will be just as fabulous as their love story. See more of their gorgeous engagement photos and read how Christopher secretly planned the perfect proposal below.
- Couple: Justine Burke & Christopher Baynham
- Occupations: Justine- Attorney, Christopher- Accountant & Varsity Girls Basketball Head Coach
- Wedding date: Sunday, May 16, 2021
- Wedding location: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Location of Engagement shoot: Georgetown, Washington, D.C.
How did you meet?
Justine being new to the D.C. area and Chris being single, Justine and Chris both decided to give the popular dating app “Tinder” a chance in the summer of 2016. While scrolling through profiles one day, Justine “matched” with a cute (and tall!) guy named Chris who happened to only be a few miles away. They made small talk and exchanged numbers and continued chatting via text. Justine and Chris texted for a few days, but Justine didn’t think too much of it as she had grown uninterested with the app and had planned to stop texting Chris, too.
On Friday of the same week that they exchanged numbers, Justine went to happy hour with some law school friends that were in town. While sitting at the bar, Justine looked up and saw someone enter the bar who looked very familiar, but she couldn’t figure out how she knew this person because she was new to the area and didn’t know many people yet. After some intense pondering, it dawned on her— it was Chris! Completely by chance, Chris had happened to visit the same bar that Justine was at! Before leaving the bar, Justine walked up to Chris to confirm that it was actually him and to introduce herself in person; Chris texted Justine again within minutes of their formal meeting. Their first date was the following Friday, and the rest is history!
What did you do on your first date?
We are both really big foodies and one of Justine’s favorite cuisines is Thai food, so naturally, we went to a Thai restaurant on our first date. After we ate, we sat and talked for about two hours.
Tell us your proposal story.
One of Justine’s best friends was in town for what she told Justine was a “continuing nursing education” seminar, so they decided to make a weekend out of it. Justine gathered some girlfriends to go to brunch and then to Howard’s homecoming tailgate… or so she thought. As they had done dozens of times before, Justine and her friends got dolled up for bottomless brunch. While at brunch at La Vie on the Wharf, Justine was sitting with her back to the door looking out over the waterfront. Suddenly, she heard gasps and lots of footsteps behind her and when she turned around to see what the commotion was, she was greeted by Chris on one bended knee surrounded by some of her closest friends and family and a photographer! Unbeknownst to Justine, Chris had been working with Justine’s best friends for months to pull off this surprise which involved family and friends traveling from different states to be a part of their special moment.
Describe your engagement session.
We wanted our engagement photoshoot to be focused on our love, so we didn’t have a theme. Because we were unable to go to New Orleans where our wedding will take place for our shoot, we chose the Georgetown Waterfront in D.C. so that our photos would have pretty outdoor surroundings.
What’s your favorite thing to do as a couple?
We run a food blog on Instagram (@blessthefoodblog), so one of our favorite things to do is try new restaurants in D.C. and other cities. We also love to travel and go jogging at the nature trail near our house.
How has wedding planning been so far?
Pre-COVID, wedding planning was a breeze. Justine is a natural planner and by February 2020, we had our venue and other major vendors booked. We remain cautiously optimistic that the rest of the planning process will go smoothly amidst the pandemic.
Tell us what you’re looking forward to most on the wedding day.
Aside from the initial reveal when Justine walks down the aisle, we look forward to sharing our love with our family and friends again and celebrating with them in the Big Easy.
Vendors
- Photographer: Images by Geneva
- Makeup: Chelsea of @chellzdidit
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