It may have been COVID times, but these two weren’t afraid to get out and have a little adventure. We met Erika and Joe initially over zoom, so when we met them for their engagement session at McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte, it was the first time we ever met them in real life. Erika heard about us through a friend who had been at a wedding that we worked in Raleigh and was the recently married wife of someone Jess knew from high school. It’s crazy how people find us sometimes! But hey, we’re not mad about it because these two are AWESOME!

Speaking of crazy ways to meet, these two have a fun story. Erika and Joe both volunteered as EMTs and were introduced by a mutual friend in the back of a crash truck during a Christmas parade. They got engaged this past July in the Grand Tetons while spending a week exploring there and Yellowstone. They are adventurers and have traveled a bunch, so we had lots and lots to talk about during their session as we wandered around Charlotte’s McAlpine Creek Park. Erika and Joe are also new to the area, so we were eager to share all of our favorite things to do and places to eat.

It is absolutely adorable how these two interact. Just by the way they talk and hold each other, you can feel the support, respect, and appreciation that they have for one another. Being EMTs, you ca be sure they’ve seen some stuff. But at the end of the day they’ve got each other’s backs. We are so excited to photograph their wedding next October at Vesuvius Vineyards.