Summer Engagement Session in Sterling New York

Kyleigh and Chris’s engagement session in Sterling, New York was a summer dream! All I knew about Sterling before I traveled there, was that it is the location of the most amazing Renaissance Fair around!

When I first arrived, Kyleigh and Chris were so welcoming! They looked STUNNING and were so excited to being the session! I would classify these two as an adventurous couple as we walked all around this beautiful spot, and even climbed up so steep rocks!

Continue scrolling to see some of my favorites from the session and to hear a little bit more about their love story!

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Tell us how you met!

Bride-to-be: So I used to be a bartender at a place called Greenes. I worked Wednesday nights and my friend Sam came up to me and somewhere along the line asked me to play a game of kill or marry (I’m sure most of you know the third option but I’m trying to be appropriate). She gives me three names and I killed Chris because I didn’t know him. Then she kept asking me why I wouldn’t go out with him and to be honest I never knew why I kept saying no! But he was persistent. He kept leaving his number on his receipts when he was drunk after every softball game he played, telling Sam he wanted to date me, and asking Sam about me. I think he thought Sam wasn’t going to tell me everything he said. Eventually we went out to dinner and then started dating from there.

Groom-to-be: “Love at First Sight”

I moved to Oswego, NY to start my career as an electrical engineer. Growing up in NJ, I was very far away from family and friends. In Oswego, I lived 5 minutes away from Greene’s Ale House, a bar which eventually brought Kyleigh and I together.

 I would often visit Greene’s with my friends to watch sports, eat chicken wings, play trivia, and drink beers. Greene’s soon became my watering hole and I became friends with the owner and some of the bartenders who worked there. 

I walked into Greene’s on a Wednesday, and the bartender had a Switchback Ale waiting for me as I sat down. However for the first time, my eyes weren’t focused on the beer; I was distracted by a beautiful waitress serving chicken wings to another table. 

I asked the bartender working who that waitress was because it was love at first sight. The bartender told me her name was Kyleigh and that she was a nice girl going to school at SUNY Oswego. I told the bartender that I was going to marry her without ever saying one word to her yet. So my next move was to sit at a table Kyleigh was serving so I could try and ask her out. That turned into me drinking too many beers and leaving my phone number on the receipt  saying, “Call me.”   Needless to say, Kyleigh did not call me. 

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Tell us about your first date!

Bride-to-be: To be honest I’m not sure what we would consider our first date because we hung out a lot as friends before we actually dated so it’s a bit of a jumble. I guess I remember going to dinner at Azteca’s right before I left for spring break. He introduced me to chori papas which is like the most delicious thing I have ever eaten. It’s part of the reason I gained so much weight dating him!!! (He’s a bad influence on me with food). I just remember laughing and goofing off a lot at dinner as well as ordering way too much food. It was this date that I remember thinking I wanted to officially date this guy. I remember going on spring break and I could not stop thinking about this date because it was so fun for me. 

Groom-to-be: I asked Kyleigh out for a dinner date three times before she finally accepted it. I later found out that it took a little convincing from her friends to go out with me. I think it was worth it now Kyleigh. 

I took her to a Mexican restaurant, Azteca, for half priced Margaritas. Kyleigh enjoys drinking as much as I do, so we started with 2 margaritas each.  We ordered Chori Papas because I told her it was the best appetizer on the menu. She loved it and we continue to order Chori papas every time we visit Azteca. I’ll always remember her dessert order though because she warned me she had a sweet tooth before the dinner started. 

So she’s looking over the dessert menu and asks the waiter for a recommendation because she couldn’t decide. He told her one of his favorite desserts and then Kyleigh proceed to order that AND three other desserts! She insisted to pay the bill because of this, however I was in love with her and said that she can pay next date

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Tell us about the proposal!

Bride-to-be: I’m still waiting for my surprise picnic! So it is actually funny how he ended up proposing. He claims he had this elaborate plan of a surprise picnic at the bluffs. I kept canceling on him because I had such horrible morning sickness at the time. On the day of, I cancelled the bluffs for about the fifth time and asked to stay home after work. So he leaves a pink gift bag just on the table which I walked past without noticing like 50 times. Eventually I asked him whose birthday it was when I noticed it. And he goes “oh that’s for you.” Obviously in my head there was no way he’d propose to me now. I thought he bought me cookies cause I had been craving them and begging for them all day. It wasn’t cookies it was a ring and I was shocked! I had known it was coming for a while but I did not think this would be the time. It was funny because I had to force him to actually ask me to marry him. I still laugh thinking about it because that is such a Chris Moore thing to do.

Groom-to-be: Let me start off by saying, Kyleigh was very surprised. We hit the grand slam of life last summer: engaged, bought a house and found out she was pregnant….but not in that order. 

Like I said previously, I knew from the moment I laid eyes on Kyleigh, I was going to marry her. We had been dating for 3 years now, already having a fur baby, Maggie and living together for 2 of these 3 wonderful years. I knew it was time to move to the next step.

A couple months passed by and I had to take a “random” trip to NJ for a “family party.” I actually went to NJ and bought a beautiful ring that would make Kyleigh melt. 

My plan was to propose to Kyleigh at the Bluffs, which is a romantic spot in Sterling NY, just outside of Oswego. She took me there previously to watch the sunset, so I knew it was the perfect spot to propose. However that’s not how it happened. 

July 15th I proposed to my future wife. That morning I asked Kyleigh if she wanted to go to the Bluffs because it was a beautiful day outside. Kyleigh had work that day and was in her first trimester with our now daughter, Lily; so she said if she was feeling good after work we would go. Perfect, so I get the ring ready so I can propose to her at the Bluffs. 

Kyleigh got back from work and was in no shape to go out because she was exhausted and sick from the pregnancy. Great, just my luck. So I quickly set the ring on our dining room table while Kyleigh is upstairs and tell her that I have a gift for her. She comes down into our living room, and sits on the couch, anxious for her gift. I give her the gift and I’ll never forget her reply, “Oh, you got me cookies?!” I thought to myself, “Cookies??…this is  a million times better than that!!”

I’m extremely nervous and she opens up the box with the ring in it, and starts crying. I sit on the couch and ask her to marry me and she responds “you’re not going to get down on one knee?” Chris you dumbass, she will never let you live this down. So I get down on one knee in our living Room and repeat myself and of course she said “Yes!” with the biggest smile, crying from joy. 

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Dear future spouse…

Bride-to-be: Dear future husband… I would like to start by saying that I am not the easiest person to love. I don’t handle stress well, I am way too critical of myself, I’m sensitive, and I have a tendency to act like a complete brat for no good reason. With that said, I cannot even put into words how much I love you. I am so fortunate to have such a kind, goofy, and calming man in my life. I cannot wait to have our 3 children (that’s right I said 3) to all come out looking like mini Chris’s. It also pleases me to say that I will continue to beat you at mini golf, monopoly, and every other game we play because I know just how much you love losing. You are much more than my future husband, you’re my best friend. You have stood by my side through every obstacle we have encountered. You are by no means a mind reader but, you always try your best to make me happy and I am so grateful for that. Thank you for making me laugh until it hurts, thank you for taking care of me, and thank you for introducing me to all of the great things this world has to offer. I cannot wait to move forward in this crazy adventure that we have started. Love you babe.

Groom-to-be: Dear Kyleigh,

You’re an amazing wife and mother and I am blessed to share my life with you. I love you more than anything and I’m excited to raise our family. I await the day I can truly call you my wife, even though I already do. Love you babe! 

Chris

XOXO,

P.S. Check out more engagements here!