Bianka & JB decided to do a Piedmont Park Photoshoot for their engagement session! We absolutely loved every minute with this sweet, adorable couple! Piedmont Park is such a fun place to shoot at the center of Atlanta – it is a must see if you’re stopping by to visit.
The park affords gorgeous views of the city skyline, and is right of the Atlanta Beltline. As an Atlanta wedding photographer, this might be one of our favorite places to photograph!
Below are a couple of our favorites from Bianka & JB’s engagement photos as well as a brief interview with the bride & groom to be!
How did the two of you meet?
Bianka:
After being introduced to each other, we talked almost nonstop for a little while. I think we stayed up on the phone until 8am one night! He was very sweet, charming, and extremely disarming right from the start.
It wasn’t QUITE love at first sight because he was sooo shy that I couldn’t tell if he was comfortable with me. But after literally sweeping me off my feet on our first date, I was pretty smitten!
JB:
When we first met we almost couldn’t stop talking to each other. We would have these marathon phone calls early on where we would talk about any and everything. I would be hoarse by the end of them but still wishing we didn’t have to hang up.
It wasn’t love at first sight, but the first time I saw her smile I could tell how kind and caring of a person she was (and that I was way out of my league! Still don’t know how I pulled that off).
LOVE that dress! Killin’ it Bianka! 😉
This lighting is killer! OMG! <3
How/ when did you start dating?
Bianka:
He was so kind that he seemed too good to be true! I was really drawn to how gentle and considerate he was – and even more so now. We had our first date at Saigon Cafe in Woodstock – even though he lived all the way in Atlanta! – after a few weeks of talking.
At first, he was so much more timid in person that I was a bit afraid that the date wasn’t going well for me! Thankfully, he warmed up during the meal, and after some silly adventures in Town Center Mall that involved me getting stuck on a super plush mattress, we were both feeling really good about our future.
JB:
She had a sense of humor that was irresistible, but I could tell she was holding back. Thankfully she’s opened up more and has no problem with any material now. We had our first date at Saigon Cafe in Woodstock after talking for two weeks, and I was nothing but a ball of nerves. She was able to put me at ease effortlessly, and by the end of the date I would say we were very sure we would see each other again soon.
Tell me about your relationship
Bianka:
He is such an honest, considerate person. I hadn’t had a relationship with such open communication before, where we talked about every little thing and made sure to check in on each other’s happiness daily. It was really hard for me at first, but six years in, I think it’s one of the best things about our relationship. And it’s all thanks to him.
As for meeting his family, he might not know it, but I was pretty nervous! I’d heard SUCH good things about his parents and brother and knew how important they were to him, so I was worried I wouldn’t make a good impression. When it came to meeting my family, it’s always a bit nerve-wracking to have those first introductions, but I knew they would come to love him. And they have! Especially my 6-year-old nephew who’s so used to his Super Mario sessions with Uncle J.B.! He was the first to say “I love you,” and he did it right as I was feeling the same way.
JB:
She honestly has unending patience and kindness. Even at my most difficult she’s still soldiering on and calmly talking things out with me. I was exceedingly nervous to meet her family because I was worried they wouldn’t approve of me and it was fairly early on in our relationship. But I think that’s an obvious theme here. Nervous man, in lucky break, wonders how he is dating this wonderful, beautiful woman.
Meeting my family was much easier as we’d been together for quite a while. Plus our mothers hit it off right away. I said “I love you” first after a hamfisted attempt at playing a relevant song to test the waters. I felt immediate relief when she said “I love you” back.
We are the luckiest Atlanta engagement photographers ever! Bianka & JB totally rocked some serious style at their session. Loved their formal engagement outfits!
Way to go JB! Way to go on that ring!!!!
At this point in the shoot, we’d ask Bianka to look at JB and tell him why she loved about him the most. Her reaction was priceless! <3
When did you know this person was the one?
Bianka:
I think I realized it all at once. It struck me suddenly one day that I loved him so much and wanted a future with him, which was a wonderful and exciting feeling. Suddenly, romantic movies made more sense! But we were young, and we both wanted to take everything into consideration. We chose to take a few years to just be in love and learn more about each other. These were the sweetest years, and he spoiled me terribly. I’m so excited to be marrying him!
JB:
It was a slow realization, seeing the little things she would do for me, how she could catch me off guard so easily and make me laugh so hard I could hardly breathe. But most of all she was devoted to our relationship and had a love so true that I can’t understand but am eternally grateful for. I of course questioned myself at this moment.
Even though I knew I loved her just as much, I wondered if I would be able to make her as happy as she makes me. As always, her love and kindness assuaged my fears and I’m thankful to finally be marrying the woman of my dreams.
Sharing a knowing look.
And of course that beautiful wall at Piedmont Park! You gotta get it.
How did the engagement happen?
Bianka:
He did SO MUCH for the engagement! I was blown away. Long story short – I shattered my kneecap in 2015 and had to endure intense physical therapy for more than a year to be functional again. He said he wanted to celebrate my recovery by going to St. Lucia this year, which I thought was pretty extravagant, but of course I allowed him to do this for me. 😉 Little did I know, he was planning our engagement!
On our first full day on the island, we were supposed to go to the resort restaurant. Instead, he turned down to the beach and led me down a carpet to a candlelit dinner on the water. To my surprise, he’d arranged a 5-course private meal! He excused himself before dessert and came back with balloons and the MOST smug smile. The server was behind him, recording us on J.B.’s phone.
I couldn’t help myself and started laughing at him because I was so nervous and excited – I knew he was proposing! He had already told my parents and best friend, so when I spoke to them first, they were all like, “oh, really? We had NO IDEA.” It was perfect.
JB:
I decided to go all out and take her on a dream vacation. We went to St. Lucia in May of 2017 and I surprised her with a beachfront dinner. She had a dream years earlier where I proposed by rowing up in a rowboat full of balloons to her standing on a pier. I knew I couldn’t actually navigate a boat up to her on a beach so I did my best to get close to that. I smuggled balloons down with me for the trip and located some helium and had the staff hide the balloons nearby.
The only part that didn’t go as planned was getting a tiny boat to hold the ring, but the balloons were plenty for her. I excused myself partway through dinner to grab the balloons and managed to catch her off guard staring at the ocean. We both got a little choked up but we managed to get the question and the answer out, and I couldn’t be happier that she said yes.
It was finally dark enough to take these GORGEOUS sunset photos!!! LOVE THEM!!!
Those colors!
Sharing a quiet moment together at the end of the day.
Last Questions! What’s the one thing about each other you couldn’t live without?
Bianka:
His kindness, for sure. He always shows me love, even when I’m being difficult, and it makes me feel at home.
JB:
Her sense of humor. No question. Even though I know she’ll make me laugh, she still has a way of sneaking in something you’d never suspect in perfect delivery.
