John + Lauren // engaged

Today is a day dedicated to love, so what better day to gush about John and Lauren’s engagement?!

I’ve known Johnny his entire life. He’s my brother, related by love.  The younger brother of my best friend, I’ve watched him grow up…even though he was taller than me by the time he was 12.

John is definitely his father’s son. He is happiest on the lake and is always working on re-wiring, building or blowing something up.  Anyone who knows him is shocked that he still has all of his fingers, toes and eyebrows intact.

The youngest of five kids, John has also always navigated life on his terms.  I mean literally, at age 2, he was climbing the (very high up) top pantry shelf by himself…  Whatever John has done in life, he’s done with determination and kindness; two amazing traits if you ask me.

When Lauren came into John’s life, it felt like she had been there all along. She just fit. She was family long before they were ever engaged… So to say we were ecstatic when John proposed, is an understatement.

For their engagement photos, we spent a cold, rainy winter afternoon inside a conservatory in upstate New York; the perfect backdrop for Lauren’s personality – because above all, Lauren is warm and loving. She loves her family, her friends and if she could save all the animals, plants and rocks of the world, she absolutely would.

Lauren and John have built a life together that encompasses who they both are individually and together.  Their love is easy, much like a calm, sweet summer afternoon on the lake. They balance each other out and never take each other too seriously. I can’t wait to watch them say I do.