Hartford Pizza Picnic Engagement Session

A cool summer day, a cozy blanket, some good smellin’ wildflowers, and a hot and cheesy pizza makes for one joyous engagement session. Alina and Gary made sure to feature their common food pallete in their photos as well as tie in their wedding theme – flowers! The two ideas coincided beautifully as they laid in the grasses of a Connecticut park with Par La Mer Photography capturing all of the right angles.

How did you meet?

We used to work at the same company, once upon a time, and traveled in the same friend group. We bonded over our similar sense of humor, love of fitness and most importantly, food tastes. Even before officially becoming a couple, we were good friends which was really the basis of solidifying our relationship.

What is your proposal story?

Back in the early days of our relationship (and even now) we enjoyed going to parks and almost each day out, had pizza involved in it. One of our first outings was to a unique pizza spot in Edison, NJ which happened to have a park nearby, Roosevelt Park, that we discovered when we got there. This park contained such a memorable and eccentric fountain structure that we remembered it for years to come. Needless to say that about four years later, we ended up at this park again around Alina’s birthday where Gary proposed in front of the fountain. We then joined a bunch of our friends in Brooklyn for a pop-up pizza museum so the day was absolutely perfect!

Tell us about the ring/band.

The engagement ring is a unique rose gold piece from James Allen. It contains a beautiful center diamond with lots of small surrounding diamonds all around. What makes it most special is that Gary chose it all on his own and it fit perfectly from day one.

Tell us about your engagement shoot outfits and accessories.

Given our love of pizza and wine, of course we had to incorporate it into our engagement shoot. Our vibe for our wedding is highly focused on flowers and greenery, with a bit of a rustic vibe so there was no better place than Elizabeth Park to have it. Alina’s dress is from Lulu’s and was intended to be a good compliment to the florals in the Park. Gary’s outfit provided a nice contrast to the colors and, overall, we are so happy with how Tonya from Par La Mer Photography captured this fun day!

Have you started planning your wedding? What is your wedding date?

Our wedding was originally scheduled for April 2020 but due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it was rescheduled to August 2020. Most of our planning is complete at this point and we are hoping that we are able to go through with our new August date!

Event Credits

Groom’s ShirtBanana Republic
Groom’s AttireZara
Bride’s ShoesTOMS
Engagement RingJames Allen
Groom’s ShoesBanana Republic