“Don’t you love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.”

Joe Fox knew what he was talking about. That line from one of the best-loved movies in cinematic history perfectly describes the reason the #pure7fam headed to the Big Apple last fall for an adventure-filled engagement shoot with Ben and Randi.

Randi is the first to admit that she didn’t want to do engagement photos, initially. She didn’t even want to date Ben, initially. Luckily, everyone’s persistence paid off. He got the girl and, after assuring her that we really do love to travel, so did we. We packed our gear and met them in the city where they fell in love.

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From the corner bistro where they had their first date to the newsstand below their apartment and the flower shop down the street, we spent a whirlwind week in New York capturing all the places that brought their story to life – a story that almost wasn’t written, thanks to the infamous Friend Zone.

The Friend Zone is where Ben languished for a year and a half while Randi played hard-to-get. Then came the weekend he texted her while she was out of town for her best friend’s wedding, a wedding in which she was maid of honor. Her friend saw the text and asked, “Why are you being so stubborn?” Randi realized her friend was the one about to walk happily down the aisle while she stood off to the side, literally and figuratively. So she took a chance and, when she got home, met Ben at one of those charming burger-and-beer joints that make cities famous. And so it began.

They spent the next three years eating their way through the best restaurants in the city, enjoying summers at a share house in the Hamptons, and hanging out at their favorite bars in the west village. Though they now make their home in Atlanta, Randi said they are always planning their next trip north because, as Billy Joel so perfectly stated, they are always in a New York state of mind.

With their wedding coming up in less than a month, we thought we’d brighten up a rainy afternoon in the South with a few shots from this fun big city adventure. If you’re getting married soon, call us or message us and let’s chat about engagement photos. Take it from Randi – you’ll be glad you did!

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