Vintage Romance: Engagement Session in Old City, Philadelphia | Nadia + Malcolm

They say the best relationships begin with friendship, and this was true for Philadelphia couple, Malcolm and Nadia. The blushing bride-to-be says, “We were easily drawn to each other’s sense of humor, as we are able to find the laughter in everything!”. After sharing their mutual love of music, travel, and lifestyle long before ever moving forward, they organically progressed into taking their connection to the level. To Nadia’s surprise, Malcolm was planning on taking it ALL the way, with a romantic surprise proposal in the works. And, with their birthdays only three days apart, Nadia’s birthday dinner seemed like the perfect time and place to get down on one knee. However, she fell a bit ill that evening and had to cancel dinner. Looking back, Nadia recalls,

Had I known what Malcolm had planned I would have toughened it out! But all was certainly not lost as Malcolm was ready with Plan B.

As we all know, the best things in life take time to create. This engagement session planned by our Coterie member, Tiffany Chalk, reflects a couple who let their love evolve naturally and, in turn, created a bond that will stand the test of time.  See more of their love story below:

The engagement session…
We knew that we wanted or engagement photos to be at a location that went along with the theme of our wedding, “Vintage Romance”. We decided there wasn’t a better place then in the Old City section of Philadelphia. The cobble stone streets, historic landscape and buildings spoke to us in a way that was certainly captured on film. We had our photo shoot done in January and it was extremely cold outside. But we have an amazing photographer by the name of Ruty Maldonado. She made us feel so comfortable, despite the cold weather. It was great the way she used the natural lighting and landscape to express our moments together.

What did you do on your first date?
Our first date was very simple. I love to cook so I decided to surprise him with dinner at my place. We had already been friends for some time and I never really felt nervous until that moment.  After dinner we watched a movie and just relaxed from our long day.  It really just was a relaxing date. Although I felt nervous, there was no pressure. Everything was organic.

What’s your favorite thing to do as a couple?
Because of our immediate connection, it was very easy to plan how we wanted our future to look. We both love to travel so we immediately began planning trips to visit different parts of the world. Our absolute FAVORITE place to travel is to Milan, Italy! With our birthdays just 5 days apart, and so much in common, everything seemed to just fall into place.

I love everything about Malcolm, from his wonderful sense of humor, to his remarkable style, to his love for history and culture.  We also consider ourselves “foodies” and love to dine at different hot spots throughout the Philadelphia area and surrounding cities and feel lucky when we stumble upon a hidden gem.  It has truly been amazing spending these last few years together.

How has wedding planning been so far?
I am so happy that I have Tiffany Chalk as my wedding planner. She keeps me focused and calm. I have to say that I am very organized and a planner by nature so it is very easy for me to want to constantly make sure things are in order. The stress of bringing everything together is starting build up now, since we are just 30 days away. But I am doing my best to remain calm! The most difficult part of this process I believe is narrowing down the guest list. We both have large families, but wanted to keep our ceremony and reception intimate, which can be challenging with such large families.

Tell us what you’re looking forward to most on the wedding day.
I’m looking to just have a great time with family and friends.  I know it is going to be a long day so I am also looking forward to the honeymoon so we can just relax and enjoy each other.

Congrats on your engagement Nadia and Malcolm!