Victoria and Mason | A Styled Engagement Session Turned Surprise Proposal at Oakdale in Richmond, VA

Ahh y’all… do I have a Friday treat for you or what! I cannot wait to share the story behind today’s styled engagement session with a HUGE surprise! If you read the title, I definitely ruined the surprise for you already, but you’ll let that slide for me just this once, right?

Now… the backstory! Back over the SUMMER (Yes, we’ve been planning for that long!!) my sweet Insta turned real life friend, Jordan, reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in photographing a styled engagement session that she was dreaming up! Of course, I was IN! As we were working on finding the perfect pair to model for the session, Jordan mentioned that a guy she knew from work (Hi Mason!!) wanted to propose to his girlfriend in the fall. She asked if I was interested in turning our engagement session into a surprise proposal, and I don’t think I could have said YES fast enough!

Fast forward a few months, and Jordan worked so hard to put together an incredible team for this styled engagement session! I was so excited that the day was finally HERE, so I loaded up my car and drove down towards Richmond. I was so incredibly excited to see our venue, Oakdale, for the very first time! I wasn’t sure what to expect because it is a brand new space, and y’all… I cannot even BEGIN to tell you how incredible this venue is! I am obsessed with the charming white barn exterior, and the indoor space is equal parts rustic and modern with a gorgeous WHITE bridal suite (my dream!!!)! There are a few spots on the property for ceremonies and an infinite number of gorgeous locations for portraits! AHH I can’t wait to get back here! If you’re planning an event here now or in the future, I may or may not know a rockstar photography, makeup, hair, floral and planning team that will take great care of you 😉

Now… a little more about these two! When I arrived, Victoria was in hair and makeup (and still didn’t know about the proposal!). Mason was sitting in the corner, and I could tell he was a little nervous. I was trying SO hard to play it cool to keep our true plans a surprise for Victoria, but we had really been Instagram messaging all week, planning the exact moment he would be proposing to Victoria! Victoria and Mason met back in high school through their church. They were on a field trip to Kings Dominion where they somehow were the only two in the group that was soaked by the log flume ride. It was the middle of October which meant that they were COLD, so this lead to them having to trek over to the family laundry area to dry their clothes. This gave these two the perfect opportunity to get to know each other, and fast forward a few years, and well… you’ll just have to scroll to see how their love story continues!

It was such an incredible honor to work with these two during such a sweet moment in their lives. I can’t wait another second for you to get a sneak peek into our time out in Richmond!

A huge thank you to the team that made this styled session possible:

Photography: Cait Kramer Photography | Makeup and Planning: Jordan Simpson Makeup Artistry | Hair: A Beautiful Darling | Venue: Oakdale RVA | Bouquet: Amy Marie Events

I arrived to Oakdale to find this incredibly talented beauty team doing their thang! Jordan and Sarah are as sweet as they are talented! I told you… Oakdale is just stunning! Amy brought over the most stunning fall bouquet for Victoria to hold during the session… love these fall colors! We “practiced” a few poses before Mason proposed… these two were rocking it right out of the gate! I asked Mason if he was ready to try some “advanced posing” (our cue for him to pop the question!), and he couldn’t have said yes fast enough! He was SO ready to ask Victoria to marry him! So many happy tears for these two! Can we talk about this gorgeous ring?! Officially ENGAGED! I love a good black and white image! AHH these two are so beyond sweet. If y’all are looking for a gorgeous space to host your wedding… Oakdale RVA has it all! A stunning indoor space, gorgeous white exterior, AND so many gorgeous spots for portraits. I can’t wait to photograph a wedding here someday!