It was a cloudy, yet beautifully refreshing evening by the beach in Newport, Rhode Island where Danielle and Ryan decided to capture their love. Newport is a place so near and dear to their hearts, so it was fitting for them to drive in from NY for their engagement session. They met back in October of 2012, while at a mutual friend’s house as they were getting ready to go to a Halloween party. Ryan decided to wear a “tongue-in-cheek” costume poking fun at their college, Ithaca College. Danielle thought his costume was hilarious, so she decided to introduce herself. They really got to know each other over the course of the year, but it wasn’t until May when Ryan expressed that he had a little crush on her. Unfortunately, she was seeing someone else at the time, so nothing ever came of it. They both stayed in contact over the summer and began hanging out more often once they returned to school in the fall. Shortly after the semester began, Ryan asked her out and they officially started dating in October of 2013.

On one of their first dates was when they went hiking up a small trail behind their campus and remembered running into what seemed to be a million deer prancing around. Danielle was not used to being so close to wild animals and completely freaked out. Ryan on the other hand, was calm, cool, and collected, and was very amused by her reaction to all the deer. One of their absolute favorite dates together occurred in March of 2015, where Danielle went to London to visit Ryan while he was studying abroad for a semester. Ryan had planned to take her to the outskirts of London; he had mapped out a walk along the River Thames that would lead them back to Center London. He had even planned their lunch and dinner stops along the way. Once they got to their starting spot, they began walking and chatting away about life. About two and a half hours in, they started to get hungry, and then realized they could no longer see the London skyline! They realized they had done something wrong and Ryan, thankfully, was able to quickly figure out they had been walking in the opposite direction and were about 4 hours outside of London! They calculated where they would be if they had gone the right way, and they would have been in Chelsea by that time. They decided to walk another hour to the nearest tube station and rode the train to Chelsea. At that point, they weren’t too far from home, and were utterly exhausted. They decided to scrap the rest of the walk and go for some American-Style pizza instead. Even though the date Ryan had so carefully planned went totally awry, it was one of the best days they had ever had. 

Ryan is currently studying to get his MS in Cyber Security at Fordham University and Danielle works for an event agency based in NYC. Danielle loves Ryan’s ability to make up lyrics relatable to any situation on the spot. She loves how incredibly selfless he is, always putting the people he loves before himself. She also just appreciates his unwavering support for her, no matter what crazy decision she decides to make. Ryan loves how Danielle can find the fun in the most mundane tasks and adores her bubbly attitude, and amazing sense of humor. He appreciates how she makes Ryan always feel supported, no matter what. This fun-loving couple loves to entertain, travel the globe, and go on adventures together.

On October 25th, 2020, Ryan decided to take Danielle on a trip to Newport, RI to celebrate their 7th year anniversary. They had been talking about marriage for quite sometime before the trip, and Danielle had been convinced he was going to propose every time they went anywhere for about 3 months prior, and this trip was no exception! The night before they were supposed to drive down to RI, they FaceTimed with his family and they had absolutely no idea they were traveling. It totally threw Danielle off, since she was so sure he would have told them if he planned to propose. We got to Newport and spent the first day walking around town; first to one of their favorite restaurants, hiking along the Cliff Walk, and still no proposal. By day 2, Danielle was admittedly a little moody and she had accepted the proposal wasn’t going to happen, so she was not thrilled by that realization yet was still trying to enjoy the special weekend he had planned. Little did she know, the ring was in his pocket, and had been in his pocket for about a week! He was trying to find the perfect time and that time came as they took a stroll around the Goat Island Marina. They came to a little park, sat on the cement fence overlooking the sunset. He started talking about their life together, their future together, all the wonderful adventures they have had so far, and all the ones he hoped to have in the future. When she looked at him, he was down on one knee with the ring! Danielle was in complete shock because she didn’t think it was possible for him to surprise her, but he sure did! 

Danielle and Ryan are so excited to finally have all of their family and friends together, from near and far! Danielle says “It’ll be amazing to have our families around us, and hopefully covid will be a distant nightmare by that point,” especially since she has many family members who live abroad. This sweet couple sometimes feels like they have been married for years already and are so excited to start a family together too! They are beyond eager for their wedding day and will be coming back to celebrate and exchange vows in Newport next year!

Just so sweet.

I absolutely love their genuine connection.

Danielle, you are gorgeous!

The ocean was the perfect backdrop.

I couldn’t believe the beautiful detail inside of her engagement ring! So sweet that Ryan had engraved, “My Other Half.”

Something about the emotion in black & whites.

Then we headed down a path as the sun was setting, after they slipped into a different outfit.

That joy! So precious.

Danielle and Ryan,

Thank you so much for such an amazing time with you two in Newport together! I am so glad the rain withheld this time and we were able to capture your love. You looked so effortlessly perfect together and so comfortable. Praying you two get to soak up every moment of being engaged and just enjoy each new season together. I cannot wait to document your special day and meet your amazing families next year!!!

Much joy,

Charity Hope