Some love stories take time to bloom, and Mary and Michael’s is one of those treasures that grew stronger with each passing year. With laughter, love, and their golden retriever Harvey by their side, this intimate engagement shoot captures their connection perfectly, thanks to the incredible eye of Dan Evans Photography. Together, they’ve documented the moments that reflect their love for one another, celebrating their journey and all the little joys that have brought them to their engagement.

Their story began in 2016 when Mary and Michael met through their local footy club – but it would be a few more years before they officially got together. “We bonded over our common profession (teaching), our love of sport and music, and our enjoyment of nice wine and nice food,” shared Michael.

Since they both knew Harvey wasn’t going to be able to go to their wedding, Michael and Mary desperately wanted him included in their intimate engagement shoot. “We decided a mini’ engagement shoot’ was the way to go. It also meant we could practise getting comfortable in front of the camera before the wedding and use some of the shots on our ‘save the dates’! We were guided by Dan to a location that would look lovely but also be dog-friendly and wheelchair accessible – Victoria Park certainly was a winner!”

Mary loves that Michael is so generous with his time and how he knows each and every part of her and loves her all the more. “I also love that with him by my side, I feel I can conquer anything life throws at me.”

While Michael loves how Mary makes him laugh, whether she meant to or not. Just being in her presence is enough to fill Michael with happiness. “I love that loving her comes so naturally,” he continued.

Dan Evans Photography helped Mary and Michael capture their intimate engagement shoot with their adorable dog, Harvey! “What a legend! We had him picked out as our future wedding photographer well before we even got engaged after seeing him in action at a friend’s wedding. Not only are his photos epic, but he also has a great sense of humour and a fun vibe to match! We can’t wait to have him document our wedding next year too.”

One of life’s greatest joys is sharing inside jokes with our partner, and for Mary and Michael – it’s one of their favourite pastimes! “We feel we have plenty of silly inside jokes, but not anything in particular that others would find funny (we mainly just laugh at ourselves!),” Mary shared.

For their proposal, Michael set up a beautiful picnic at their local park for Mary and Harvey, their Golden Retriever. “Harvey had a tag on his collar that said “Will you marry me?”. It was thoughtful, intimate, and very ‘us’,.” she recalled. “This was not the end of the surprises, though, as Michael had organised for our immediate families and best friends to sneak into our house with balloons, bubbles and snacks while we were at the park. It was a huge surprise to see them all there and a lovely way to celebrate together.”

Mary and Michael are now in the lead-up to their Valentine’s Day wedding next year! Thanks to Dan Evans for capturing and submitting this intimate engagement shoot.