Today begins our feature posts on our five engagement shoot contest finalists. First up, let’s meet Amanda and Ryan! Their engagement shoot idea is flexible. They love 1940s style and hope to capture a feeling of early American glamour or a warm vintage vibe in their photographs. Their proposed shooting locations include Coney Island, an old New York theatre, and the Planting Fields Arboretum. To vote for Amanda and Ryan simply click here and write their names on the post in the comments section. Please only one vote per reader.

Be sure to check back in with us throughout the rest of February and early March to read more about our other finalists. We will feature each couple throughout the voting period, which ends Sunday, March 11. And don’t forget! Our winner will be announced Thursday, March 15!

*Photography in this post is not the work of Esvy Photography and was provided to Esvy by Amanda and Ryan.

How did you and your fiance meet?

My fiance and I met through our mutual best friend Cami. We were doing a production of a Motown themed variety show in the spring of 2006. Ryan played trombone and I was a dancer. Our initial meeting was awkward to say the least. Cami, Ryan, and I went out for dinner and he absolutely could not stand me. He later told me he thought I was gorgeous but completely lacked a personality. Turns out the reason I was acting so standoffish, is because I have a huge stomachache! Thankfully he gave me another chance. We began dating in May and would often have picnics in the park. We would talk for hours. That’s when we got to know each other and fell in love.

How did he propose?

Ryan proposed to me on May 18th 2011, exactly five years after that first date. He surprised me that day by showing up and taking me on a beautiful picnic he had planned at a park near my home. He suggested we go for a walk. As we walked over a bridge overlooking the lake he got down on one knee and he asked me if we could spend the rest of our lives together. I said yes. Whether life be a picnic or a storm, we are glad to be going on this journey together as husband and wife.

Why should readers vote for your idea?

I think readers should vote for our idea because I feel so strongly about both the concept of our shoot and my fiance. We have been through so much together these past 5+ years, and I would love to have beautiful photographs capturing our relationship the way we see it, a simple 1940’s kind of love.