I had the joy of meeting Sabrina and John for the first time when I captured their Bartram’s Garden Engagement Session in Philadelphia, PA. This historic botanical garden was the perfect setting for engagement photos.
The beauty of the natural setting provides a stunning backdrop and a touch of romance and elegance. Bartram’s Garden is located close to the inner city of Philadelphia, PA. According to their website, it is the oldest botanical garden in the country!
Bartram’s Garden Engagement Session
I had the best time exploring the grounds of Bartram’s Garden with Sabrina + John! There was so much to see! While I loved the historic stone buildings and rustic brick details, the path through the garden was my favorite place of the day. The walking path is lined with gorgeous flowers on either side, creating an idyllic fairytale-like setting. I loved when John picked up Sabrina in the garden! From where I was standing on the curved path, the flowers framed them perfectly.
Sabrina wore a lovely white dress that not only complimented her fiancé’s outfit, but the outdoor natural setting beautifully. All the colors popped against her dress, and it was beautiful against the old architecture!
The charming stone buildings were a wonderful addition to the lovely garden setting on the grounds. While Sabrina and John engagement photos don’t show off the Philadelphia skyline, the breathtaking view is visible from certain spots on the grounds.
Their Love Story
I love getting to know couples and hearing about their love story. They shared with me that they met during college at an intramural flag football team at West Virginia University, and have been together ever since!
How did you know You found the one?
John: “The moment or moments that I realized that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Sabrina was when we were living in Atlanta, GA with her family. We both found internships in a possible after college living location which happened to be the suburbs outside of Atlanta. We took so many trips that summer to travel around Georgia, Florida, Tennessee. The entire summer made me realize that I wanted her and I wanted the travel all the time life style for the rest of my life.”
The Proposal
“The proposal took place on North Myrtle Beach at sunrise. John later told me his first idea was to propose on a mountain while we were in Italy. However, due to COVID, our trip to Italy was cancelled and his proposal plans needed to change. John and I went to North Myrtle Beach to take a nice long walk to watch the sunrise. Once we finished our walk and began walking to the truck, John asked for me to turn around and take a picture. When I turned back to him, John was on one knee.”
What do you love most about each other?
We both love the drive and support to do better each day in our lives through our relationship, careers, being dog parents, and traveling the world. We are huge on traveling.
I hope you enjoyed John + Sabrina’s dreamy Bartram’s Garden Engagement Session. Here are a few other romantic, engagement sessions:
Belmar Marina + Beach Engagement Session, Pennsylvania Longwood Gardens Engagement + NJ Bay Head Beach Engagement Session.
Jocelyn Cruz Photography is based in South New Jersey and serves the surrounding areas of PA and NJ. Please contact me if you want more information about our wedding photography!