A Sweet One North Broad Engagement Photo Session
The groom-to-be wore socks with their dog, Bentley, on them.
Alexis Gartner and Zach Dennis at their One North Broad engagement photo session / Photography by RayLynn Photography
March 20th is National Proposal Day, and we’re celebrating in a number of ways. First, we’re ramping up for our Bubbly Ball on April 2nd — a great event for newly engaged folks to meet with local vendors and find inspiration. (Click here for more details and to buy your tickets.) Second, we’re sharing a recent engagement-photo session at One North Broad at the Masonic Temple. The couple chose the building because they loved its architecture and aesthetic. See their photos, snapped by RayLynn Photography, below. And for more proposal stories and engagement sessions, click here.
The couple: Alexis Gartner, 27, and Zach Dennis, 27, both of Bucks County
How they met: Alexis and Zach met at Gwynedd Mercy University in 2017. She was a pitcher on the softball team; he was a pitcher on the baseball team. They started Snapchatting, then started dating over summer break. Zach asked Alexis to be his girlfriend over Olive Garden soup, salad, and breadsticks.
The proposal story: They dated for six years before Zach popped the question over their dating anniversary, on August 9, 2023, while the couple was on vacation with Alexis’s family in Virginia Beach. He worked with a local picnic company to set the scene, where he pulled out the ring and proposed. (He hid the ring in a Ziploc bag because he knew Alexis would see a ring box.) Zach and his mother picked out the ring at John S. Cryan Jewelers in Southampton, where his grandmother worked. “Almost all of the women in his family have received their engagement rings from [there], so it is very special to me,” says Alexis.
The engagement-session approach: The couple knew they didn’t want their engagement photos outside in the summer — too hot! — so they went in search of beautiful architecture and museums. They landed on One North Broad at the Masonic Temple and fell in love with the aesthetic. “We really enjoyed seeing the historic paintings, statues, and stained-glass windows, all while celebrating our engagement,” says Alexis. “We will have these photos for the rest of our lives, and the Masonic Temple will hold a special place in our hearts.”
The attire: Their first look featured a white dress for Alexis and a suit for Zach, a more formal vibe fitting of the majestic building. And for the second? Something more casual that they wear regularly. “One thing about us is that we are usually wearing a pair of white Vans, so we knew we had to incorporate them into the shoot,” says Alexis.
A special touch: The duo wanted to incorporate their pup, Bentley, into their photos. So Zach donned a pair of socks with his face on them.
The wedding details: Alexis and Zach plan to say “I do” in October at Pen Ryn Estate in Bensalem.
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