I met Lara and Ryan at the iconic Grand Army Plaza to begin their Brooklyn engagement session.
It was a beautiful day in Prospect Park and we strolled through the paths, enjoying the summer evening air.
Lara shares, “Ryan and I met freshmen year at Boston University. We lived on the same floor and the first night in our dorms we had a mandatory floor meeting. Everyone had to go around and say what they did that summer. Almost everyone (including me) had responses like, ‘I went on vacation,’ or ‘I worked at,’ and, of course, ‘I hung out with my friends.’ But when it was Ryan’s turn, I remember he had this sweet response of ‘I just did a lot of walking this summer.’ I’m not sure why this is one of my favorite memories of Ryan. I think it is because he was so honest and genuine and I remember thinking, ‘I want that guy to be my friend.’ What really attracts me to Ryan is how unique and authentic he is. He is also someone who is always striving to do or learn something new. It’s a personality trait that I find very attractive and admire and want to be more like myself.”
Ryan shares, “The truth is, it’s only thanks to Lara’s perspective that I can recall more on that first meeting than being extremely nervous about what I’d have to show for my summer. I can tend to be a bit self-involved. I can clearly recall the first time I wanted to be Lara’s partner, though. For graduation, her father rented a minivan and me and a whole lot of Diaz’s piled in for our travels around Boston that weekend. The way they made each other laugh throughout the trips were some of the warmest moments I’ve been a part of. And they were telling of the times Lara and I would share in the years to follow. We spend a lot of time trying to make each other laugh. Around Lara, I’m funny, and I really have her to thank for so many good times together, where I otherwise might have been just staring at my shoes. …however, she did reject my initial draft of “Two goofs, one lawn” for this bio, so it’s not all roses either.
It was an easy decision for us to choose Prospect Park as our location for our engagement shoot. We live in the neighborhood and we love coming to the park to dog watch on the weekends. Our first summer here we rode our bikes around the bike trail almost every weekend and we go to Celebrate Brooklyn concerts whenever we can. When figuring out what locations to go to for the session, we discovered the Natural Exploration Area, which is off the beaten path, and were amazed at how beautiful this spot is. It’s like we traveled to a different part of the country. We’re so lucky to have this park as our backyard!”
Lara and Ryan are getting married in Manhattan this September. Happy engagement, you two!
