Stone Avenue in Greenville, SC is home to a lot of beautiful murals, thanks to local artists and the Stone Mural Project. As soon as I saw Joseph Bradley Studio's "Goldfinches" mural going up on the side of Westone, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for it to be completed so I could photograph it! Fortunately, this bride-to-be, Marlowe, is an artist herself, so she and her fiance, Viktor, were definitely game to do some photos there. Even more fortunately, this Stone Mural Project piece was completed the exact same day our session was planned, so we got to be the first people over there!

For those of you who enjoy photography, you'll understand the difficulties around shooting in harsh, bright light. This mural faces west, though, so we used the high contrast sunshine to our advantage, and I love how it turned out!

Marlowe and Viktor met on St Patrick's Day 2016 at Connelly's in downtown Greenville. He had only moved here from Germany the year before to work at Bosch, and Marlowe had been here for about two years, working at the Greenville Center for Creative Arts. His dance moves at Connelly's are what impressed her the most at first, and as you can see from the photos, they still enjoy dancing as much as possible.

This couple's first dates were in Falls Park, so after we left Westone, we headed over that way! They are the cutest couple, and bonded over volleyball, being outside, and music -- he plays ukelele while she sings, which she does beautifully.

Marlowe and Viktor love spending time together walking through Falls Park, so it was very fitting that he proposed to her in this very spot, where Liberty Bridge swoops out over the falls. He even arranged for them to meet for dinner with her parents immediately afterward! I completely melted when I heard the whole story -- after all, she's my "baby" sister! Watching Marlowe the potter and Viktor the engineer laugh and dance together made this Greenville engagement session so much fun. I'm a very proud big sister and we're SUPER excited to add Viktor to our family!

In addition to practicing their dancing, this couple spends time helping each other learn their native language. While Marlowe has been learning German, Viktor has been honing his Southern skills, and he's getting pretty good!

Needless to say, I'm super thankful that Marlowe and Viktor are allowing me to document their story. I can't wait to photograph their wedding and watch these two share a last name and continue their adventure!