A couple of weeks ago I had the joy of meeting and working with the sweetest couple, Ashleigh and Charlie. Despite the heat, we had the best time shooting their engagement session at the beautiful Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis. These two share a love that is so evident and fun to capture. I am so excited to shoot their wedding in September!

Keep reading for their story of finding each other states away after living in the same city for most of their lives. These stories of fate never cease to amaze me.

Mackenzie

“Charlie and I met on my first day of work at a firm in Atlanta. I knew his name sounded familiar, and we made the connection that we were both from Memphis and went to high schools just down the street from each other, only Charlie was one grade above. We had so many mutual friends we couldn’t believe we’d never crossed paths before.” – Ashleigh

“Charlie and I became close friends in the first year of working together and one day seemingly out of the blue – Charlie got up the courage to call and ask me out on a date. Being the rule follower I am, I was skeptical of mixing work and personal lives, but Charlie was definitely the exception. We had a first date that felt like a fiftieth date, and we have been pretty inseparable since!” – Ashleigh

“Well Ashleigh was hungover – and I made her go on a long walk down in Tom Lee Park. When I went to pick her up, she was dressed in nice clothes and I thought for sure she knew it was coming. I panicked and told her she was overdressed so she changed into workout clothes. We were walking for about half a mile, and I must have been nervous because Ashleigh kept commenting on how I was walking too fast and she couldn’t keep up. Eventually we got to the spot where my dad and sister had set up a picnic blanket and some flowers (they were hiding around the corner to take pictures), so i pulled out the box (almost dropped the ring), got on my knee, and luckily she said yes!” – Charlie

“We are getting married at Church of the Holy Communion. Little did we know, even after our first date, that both of our families attended this church. It was even the place that my parents got married and Charlie’s sister got married. It is probably the place we would have each picked, even if we weren’t marrying each other! Our reception will be at the Dixon Gallery & Gardens, which also coincidentally is basically in between both our parents’ houses here in town. All the connections are really meaningful to us since we just moved back to Memphis!” – Ashleigh

“After the wedding, we will be spending our honeymoon on the beaches of Mexico and relaxing after a really big year for us. Moving back to Memphis, getting married, and buying and renovating a home – we are ready to relax and enjoy rediscovering the city we both love!” – Ashleigh

Photographer: Mackenzie Rue | Venues: Dixon Gallery & Gardens ; Memphis Brooks Museum of Art