A couple from Connecticut spiced up their engagement photo shoot.
When it came time to choose a location for their portrait, Michelle Fleming and Michael Ford returned to the place where their love story began: Friendly’s.
The pair of ice cream lovers, who started dating in 2016, not only had their first date there, but also their second, third and fourth.
Michelle Fleming and Michael Ford.
David and Shayna Photography LLC
“When Michelle suggested we take pictures at Friendly’s, we both immediately fell in love with the idea,” Ford, 27, tells PEOPLE. “Our relationship is so unique and we wanted our images to be personal to us and a symbol of the love we have — starting at a Friendly’s booth seven years ago.”
They also knew Friendly’s would provide the nostalgic charm they wanted for their engagement photos. “It’s reminiscent of going out for ice cream with your parents when you were a kid,” Fleming, 29, says of the chain’s retro decor and ambiance.
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The couple posed for shots both outside the restaurant and inside, while perusing the menu from their booth and sharing milkshakes.
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Michelle Fleming and Michael Ford.
David and Shayna Photography LLC
“The pictures are focused on all the different Friendly’s ice cream offerings because that was our main meal [while dating]”, notes Ford. “We’ve tried everything from Fribbles to the iconic Monster Mash.”
Ford’s favorite photo from the shoot is the one where he dips Fleming in for a kiss in front of the Friendly’s sign outside. “It looks like something out of an old magazine, and the retro look is visually appealing and fun,” he tells PEOPLE.
Fleming likes the shot of the couple kissing across their booth with a banana split between them. “That’s the picture we used for our get ready dates,” she says, jokingly adding, “I think it’s a classier version of what we looked like on our first date.”
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Michelle Fleming and Michael Ford.
David and Shayna Photography LLC
Their family and friends love the photos as much as the couple. “They had heard the story of our first date many times and thought it was a really creative way to personalize our engagement shoot,” says Fleming. “Our parents pointed out in the pictures how genuinely happy we are, especially when the ice cream is in front of us.”
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Fleming and Ford first met at Western Connecticut State University, where she was a student at the time. Ford was there visiting a friend, who introduced him to his future fiancée.
The pair struck up a friendship before Ford invited Fleming a few months later. On their first date, they had ice cream together — Reese’s Friend-Z peanut butter for him and Jim Dandy ice cream for her — and ended up talking for four hours.
“After that we decided it was our place and continued to go on dates there for the rest of the year before Michelle went to study in Europe for six months,” Ford recalls. “We spent countless nights sitting in a booth or getting takeout and driving around just talking and getting to know each other.”
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Michelle Fleming and Michael Ford.
David and Shayna Photography LLC
Seven years later, on October 20, 2023, Ford popped the question one morning as the couple prepared for a weekend trip to Baltimore to see the Ravens play, their annual tradition.
“Although we talked about getting engaged in the near future, I assured Michelle that it would happen in 2024. While I was packing, I surprised Michelle by getting down on one knee in our living room and asking her to marry me.” , recounts Ford.
“We celebrated with family in Washington, DC for two days and then continued to Baltimore to watch our favorite football team win,” adds Fleming.
The couple is set to marry Nov. 2 in a church ceremony, followed by a reception at a castle in central Connecticut. And of course, there will be ice cream for them and their guests.
“We plan to honor Friendly’s by doing an ice cream bar at the end of our reception,” says Ford. “We’ll be sure to have Reese’s peanut butter cups and all the Jim Dandy toppings available for our guests!”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education