Susan and Gary are simply brilliant, in every sense of the word. They’re intellectually brilliant, Gary as an engineer and Susan as an architect. (Eileen and I a bit nerdy ourselves, and we always appreciate people’s “brainy” side.) They’re also brilliantly funny, fun-loving, and just plain great to be around. Although, come to think of it, they don’t radiate any sort of light from their bodies; so I guess they aren’t really “brilliant” in every sense of the word after all. Oh well! Forget that.

The point is, you can’t help but like them. And for us, it’s awesome to see how perfect they are for one another. We first met Susan during a portrait shoot we did with her family and friends. It’s exciting to think we knew her “before Gary,” and that this is just the beginning of a beautiful, life-long adventure for them.

We share a love for architecture and skylines with these two, which of course had to figure into this shoot! Piedmont Park was the site of their first date as well; so it couldn’t have been more perfect. We think Susan got a pretty good guy; I’m pleased to know I’m not the only one who prefers to escort bugs outside the house rather than squish them. Although Gary may have taken it a little far when he tried to save a bug from a spider web. (The circle of life, man!) 😉 Well, read on. The story of how it all began is below. I’ll let these two speak for themselves…

How did you two meet?
“We met through a mutual friend, Rob. Rob was one of Gary’s best friends from undergrad and ended up working with Susan at a summer internship in China while in grad school. One evening not long after Susan returned from China (the beginning of Susan’s second year in grad school and Gary’s second semester), a group of Susan’s grad school friends met up at Cypress, a bar near Georgia Tech, and Rob brought Gary along. Gary and Susan only talked a little this time, and Susan ended up leaving early to catch up on sleep. But a few days later we all ended up going to Cosmo Lava, a club in Midtown, where we ended up talking most of the night, despite having to yell over the music. Susan was not supposed to be there that night since it was her brother’s birthday, but her sister-in-law was sick and his birthday was postponed; so she went with the group after all. It’s kind of ironic that this is where we hit it off because I don’t recall either of us going anywhere similar since then, as we both dislike noisy clubs. A few days after that, we went on our first date to Ecco and Piedmont Park and started spending nearly all our time together almost immediately. About four months later, Gary took a 6-month internship in Rhode Island and Susan remained in Atlanta to finish her Master’s degree. So we traveled back and forth at least once a month. Afterwards, Gary returned to Atlanta to finish his Master’s degree, but a year later received a job in Ohio and we have been living in two different states again for the past two years. We visit as often as possible, but we are really looking forward to being married and living in the same city.

Susan, give us the low down on Gary. How would you describe him?
“Gary truly feels compassion for people — and animals. I remember one time when I intended to squash a bug in my apartment, Gary stopped me and told me the bug was “a nice guy” and proceeded to pick him up with his hands and carry him outside. He has also tried, sometimes unsuccessfully, to rescue small creatures from my cats’ paws, and one time even freed a bug from a spider web. I am constantly amazed at how he can care so much about the smallest creature. Gary is also extremely analytical and intelligent and in many ways has a true ‘engineer’ personality. He wants to know how everything works and is endlessly fascinated by science and natural history museums. In order to complete a research project in undergrad, he devised a method of computer simulation using an engineering software and thought it would be a good idea to write it down. 800 pages and a year later, he was getting emails from engineers at NASA asking to purchase the book. Despite his hard-working side, he is always looking for an opportunity to make a pun or a silly joke, and we always end up having fun, even if other people don’t always understand why.”

Gary, how would you describe your bride-to-be?
“Susan is a warm and loving person. She is genuine and kind and a pleasure to be around. She is also very hardworking, and intelligent. Susan is fond of animals, and we love going to zoos together.  She has a good eye for art and architecture and we enjoy visiting art museums and buildings designed by famous architects. She likes to travel and is a great travel companion. But she is just as comfortable sitting at home and watching television with me. Susan is great to be around, and is adored by everyone who knows her. She will make a great wife and also a great mom one day. ”

We’re so excited about your upcoming wedding, guys! Congrats again! (Be sure to wish them well in the comments below, folks.)

View and order prints from Susan and Gary’s online gallery. Or, view their engagement slideshow below.