Amie and Richard's sunset engagement session at Couchiching Beach Park in Orillia, Ontario

We're off to Couchiching Beach Park in beautiful downtown Orillia for a little pre-wedding engagement fun with Amie and Richard. It turned out to be a fitting place to come back to since this is where it all began for these two. I'll let them tell you how it all went down below...

HOW DID THEY MEET

Amie: Rich and I met at university in Orillia. We were in the same program although we didn’t talk much at first - Rich came to school with a broken jaw. His best friend Jesse, who is his best man had to do all his talking. It was quite funny at first. We had a break the ice day where our program was forced to go around the room and say certain things about themselves. The teacher got to Rich and he kind of tried to mumble something. Jesse started talking and the teacher got mad and said it wasn’t his turn yet.

There was another game we played where we walked around the room trying to cross people off a list of certain things. Needless to say Rich didn’t make a great first impression haha.There was a weekend where one of our classmates was having a big party. I was invited and actually showed up with another guy from our school. Rich and I had been talking but I wasn’t really sure he was interested. The guy I came with kept putting the moves on me but I wasn’t really interested. At one point the guy I came with was driving me crazy and drove me right into Rich’s arms and right into our first kiss!

Richard: We met in University. During the first month of school a bunch of my friends hosted the first party for all of our class mates and I told them all that she was mine... 8 years later, look at us now :)

WHAT DO THEY REMEMBER ABOUT THEIR FIRST DATE:

Amie: Rich and I didn’t really have a first date. After that party we started hanging out a lot and spending most of our time together. So we didn’t really officially have a first date. The one things I will never forget is the day Rich asked me to be his girlfriend though. We were at our last class before reading week and had talked about me coming to visit Rich at his house over the break. This was going to be a big deal because he would be at home and his family would be there.

We were in the parking lot after class saying goodbye and he said “Are you still planning to come visit me this week?” I said yes of course if you still want me to. He said I absolutely do want you to, but if you do I want you to come as my girlfriend. I obviously said yes and have never looked back. To me this was a very big deal because I know Rich had never really been in a relationship. It will always be a memory I cherish and always puts a huge smile on my face.

Richard: Didn't really have a first date. I remember on our first reading week I had been seeing this beautiful and wonderful girl and I invited her to come over to meet my parents for the first time. I pulled together all of my courage and told her I don't want you to come to my house as just some girl but as my girlfriend and what do you know she said yes.

WHEN THEY KNEW:

Amie: I don’t really think their was any BIG moment that made me realize I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him but a bunch of different things. One big thing is how well he meshes with my family. Family is a big thing for me and my family is very outgoing and loves to have fun. It was not instant with that as Rich used to be very shy, but over time he got to be a part of my family and I know everyone loves him and enjoys having him around.The other thing is all the ups and downs we have been through. We have always worked through our problems big and small and made the choice to do so and stay together through all the bad stuff. The amount of times I have heard from people not to get married is ridiculous. I have so much faith in Rich and I’s relationship and our commitment to each other. The one big moment that stands out is when Rich had an accident in 2012 and almost lost his life. The panic I felt was heartbreaking. We had only been together 2 years at this point but I was so hopelessly in love with him that I couldn’t imagine life if he didn’t make it. Needless to say it was one of the worst days of my life but he recovered and it brought us that much closer together. We both realized in that moment that we couldn’t get through life without the other.

Richard: I knew I couldn't live without her. Her smile, her laugh and just the way she looks at me is something I never wanted to let go. I surprisingly was the first one to say I love you. One night we were just hanging out laying in bed and I said I love you, she thought I said something completely different so I had to say it again. I played it off for a while though to keep her guessing and never wanted her to know when I would propose even though I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

THE PROPOSAL, HOW DID IT GO DOWN:

Amie:We were out in beautiful Kelowna BC visiting my sister with my whole family. Rich and I had just moved to Lindsay, Ontario and were looking at buying a house. We had talked about marriage and Rich kept saying we are buying a house so we weren’t getting married for awhile. I continued to bother him about it and that was always his response. We went out there and one day when it was kind of rainy and we were thinking of going to town to go shopping Rich asked me to go for a walk. We walked down to the water and were sitting on a dock. Rich had his arm around me and kept getting all awkward and telling me how much he loved me. I was like ya I love you too…

He eventually stood up and was like pacing and doing circles. I was confused and didn’t know what he was doing. He asked me to stand up and then got down on one knee and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him. With the Okanagan and the beautiful mountains of Kelowna in the background he made me the happiest girl in the world. It was such a memorable day and the best vacation of my life. We enjoyed the moment for a while longer and then started our walk back to the cottage. Half way there I couldn’t contain my excitement and asked if we could run the rest of the way. I went into the cottage screaming and was so excited to share the news with my family. It meant so much to have them all there. He really planned the perfect proposal.

Richard: We were on vacation in BC. Amie’s whole family went to visit her sister. I told Amie over and over again I wasn't ready to get married yet but that was because I was getting her ring made at a local jeweler in my hometown where my sister also got her ring. I asked both Amie's parents for their approval. Amie's dad brought the ring over to BC so that Amie wouldn't have any idea that it was coming.After a beautiful day at the beach with Amie’s whole family I decided to go for a walk with her down to the water. We were on a dock overlooking the beautiful mountains in Kelowna. Butterflies in my stomach, holding Amie's hand telling her how much I love her. I got down on one knee and asked the love of my life to marry me.

ONE THING THEY LOVE ABOUT ONE ANOTHER:

Amie: His ability to make me smile and laugh no matter what. He is my safe place. I know if I’ve had a bad shift at work or just a bad day I can come home and he will listen and hug me. He will always be my safe place.

Richard: Her smile and her laugh. Her laugh is so infectious and her smile lights up every room she walks in to.

WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FORWARD TO AT THE WEDDING:

Amie: Spending the day with all our families and friends and making so many memories to cherish forever. I also can’t wait to see Rich’s face when I walk down the aisle.

Richard: Being with friends and family on the biggest day of my life. And seeing Amie in her wedding dress.

Engagement Photos at Couchiching Beach Park