Mary Liz and Rajit both work in the jewelry design field; they actually met while they were both students at the Gemological Institute of America in Carlsbad, California. Mary Liz remembers that they sat next to one another on the first day of class and found him intriguing, so she asked him to hang out with her and another classmate; when he asked her out for drinks and dinner on Superbowl Sunday, the ball really started to roll.
Rajit proposed while he and Mary Liz—along with their families—were in India to visit and explore. One day, Rajit came to Mary Liz’s room and told her to pack a bag. They drive a couple hours outside New Delhi to Neemrana Fort-Palace, which has been converted into a hotel, and they spent the day enjoying the food, drink, pool, and dancers. When they finally returned to their room at the end of the night, the balcony was covered in rose petals and tea lights. Rajit got down on one knee—checking with Mary Liz to make sure he was doing everything correctly (so sweet)—and popped the question. Mary Liz says she can’t remember much of what was said after that, and from my experience, that’s how true joy works—the particulars just get overwhelmed by the emotion.
I’d met Mary Liz before, at our consult, but I hadn’t met Rajit until the day of our engagement shoot. He’d just flown in from India to spend the last few weeks before the wedding with Mary Liz, and it was so nice to get a little time with them as a couple. Having the chance to learn about a couple before their wedding, and to watch them interact with one another, is such a luxury for me; that small dash of additional knowledge helps me immeasurably on the wedding day.
Because both Rajit and Mary Liz are inspired by art and architecture in their jewelry design, we decided to meet downtown and to use the city as a backdrop. We started at the Convention Center and slowly made our way past The Mint and The Bechtler, then finally ended up at Romare Bearden Park. One of the really nice bonuses to the shoot was that Rajit got to do a little exploring in a city that Mary Liz loves so much.
I can’t wait for their wedding in just a few short weeks. Loved getting to spend a little time with these two before their big day.
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