Engagement Shoot: Fields & Allen

Engagements

February 10, 2020

Event Info

Location: Middleburgh, NY, US
Event Date: Aug 27, 2019

Client Info

Client Orientation: Hetero
Client Names: Cait Fields & Ben Allen

Album Story

From the Bride:

Our love story…. to me our love story is just beginning. This is so much more story left to be written. The real story comes after they “live happily ever after.” I think in this day in age, one person can fall in love with many people. Most of us have likely fallen in love with at least two people at some point in their lives. I know I have. So what makes the person you are marrying different than the other you have “fallen” in love with before? What made Ben different than my high school love or my college love? That is easty to answer. Unlike the others, I stopped falling in love with Ben and started to realize that there was more to love than falling in love. That we was my friend, my confidant, my person. The one I trusted, the one I can talk to about anything. He is the one I text that I pooped today, which ironic considering we met while providing anesthesia for patients receiving colonoscopies. He is my home.

Ben and I did everything backwards and all wrong. We met at work. We started seeing each other while I was a student and he was a preceptor. We lived together before we would admit we were dating. We bought a house, adopted two dogs and a cat, and became each other beneficiaries all before we were engaged. The original proposal was spoil by a family member so the back up was less than smooth. which involved me asking “Why do you look SO gay?” ( I know not PC whatsoever but I really did say that) . Yet, in all is backwards wrongness it became right. It became the beginning of our story. A story I cannot wait to begin.

Vendors

Venue: Private Residence
Cinema and Video: Gardenhouse Films
Photographer: Gardenhouse Films

Q&A

Q1: Let’s start at the beginning. How did you two first meet?
A1: The better question is when did we first meet that we both remember. If you ask Ben and I, we have completely different answers. In fact if you were to map out myself and Bens’ life timelines you would find several moments before the “first” moment that we missed crossing paths by a couple weeks, days and in some instances even minutes. One meeting we can both agree on was when I was nurse anesthetist student and was sent into the operating room Ben was providing anesthesia in. After assisting him with caring for the patient, we started chatting about school and how tough the program could be. I had told him it was hard because I had recently broken up with my boyfriend at the time. He told me he understood because he went through a similar situation while he was in school. He continue to tell me that if I ever needed to talk and get a drink to just let him know. I wasn’t quite ready to get that drink so I never contacted him but remembered the interaction. Fast forward six months later and we are placed together again. In GI (aka colonoscopies and endoscopies). We bantered back and forth most of the day and the rest of the staff in the room found it hilarious. At the end of the day after we had just finished giving report on our last patient when Wanda, the nurse in the room, asked “Hey Cait are you seeing anyone?” While standing next to Ben I reply “No Wanda” in a puzzling but curious tone. Without any hesitation Wanda immediately looks at Ben, who is still standing right next to me and goes ” Ben, are youuuu seeing anyone?” in a jovial, teasing tone. Both Ben and I turned bright red and Ben replies ” No Wanda” while rolling his eyes. Wanda laughs as she response “Well I’m just saying….I’m just saying there is something there.” We both shrugged it off but on my way out of the hospital I texted Ben, thanking him for a great day. He texted me saying it was not a problem but if I ever wanted to get a drink to let him know. So jokingly I replied ” Wanna go now?” I will never admit this to my now husband but my heart was racing as I waited for a reply…”Sure,” quickly responded. We met at a local bar to get a drink which then turned into dinner followed by a movie at his house. All in all we spent 20 hours straight together that day. At the end of the night he walked to me my car. I gave Ben a hug and I gave Slash (Ben’s Dog) a big old smooch.

Q2: What makes your relationship special? Tell us some things that you both value in your time together. (example: pushing each other to new limits, love to travel, huge comic book fans, foodies, etc.) What makes your relationship unique?
A2: Our relationship is special because from day one we felt like best friends. There was really no “awkward” firsts. We just seemed to vibe from the beginning. One thing that make our relationship unique is that we are both Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA). For the many that do not know what that is, it is someone who administers anesthesia to a patient for a surgical procedure. We both work at the same hospital so we both can constantly relate and support each other. We can come home and tell the other about our day and we can listen and completely understand. In a high stress job like being a CRNA, having a partner who can listen, understand and then give his/her input makes our relationship special. We support each other at home and at work. We also do not take our relationship too seriously. We do not try and sell our relationship as this “great love story.” We joke and poke fun at each other. We know that we will not always get along, there will be fights and disagreements. That we may not always “like” each other but we will always love each other. We entertain friends and family with our playful “bickering” to get laughs. I think that is what makes our relationship special. We can laugh at each other and ourselves.

Q3: How did you know your partner was the one? When did you first know this in your relationship? (these may often be the same moment, but aren’t always)
A3: When I ask Ben this question, he simply answers “Because you told me so.” He laughed out loud and responded to his first answer with “I don’t know. I don’t know, it just kinda happened.” ….Not very romantic but most likely the truth. This answer is my husband in a nutshell. Such a man. Ironically, I agree with his second statement. There was no Ah-ha moment. It was in all the little moments. It was the way he holds our 80 lb pit bull mix Slash like a baby. The way he always tells me “its going to be fine.” The way he will go pick up a Chinese food for me when I do not want to go out in the cold. How he tends to kiss me one the forehead because he is so tall. If I had to pick a moment though, I would say it was one random night of which the date I cannot recall… Ben and I bought a house together in the Summer of 2017. Everyone thought we were crazy. That it was going to be a disaster. To be honest I sometimes wondered this myself. He had growing pain moving into the house and had been arguing more than usual. I was reading a book called “Love the one You’re with,” by Emily Giffin. I had just read the following quote: “Maybe that’s what it all comes down to. Love, not as surge of passion, but as a choice to commit to something, someone, no matter what obstacles or temptations stand in the way. And maybe making that choice, again and again, day in and day our, year after year, says more about love than never having a choice to make at all.” As I looked up and pondered that phrase for a minute. In the warm light of our bedroom lamp, I realized I was surrounded by a fast asleep shirtless Ben and all three of our animals nestled up around both of us. It was in that quiet moment, that I realized we had created this little family. I felt so blessed and lucky and knew that this was the life I wanted and was so fortunate to have.

Q4: Give us all the details about the proposal. How and where did it happen? Was it a surprise? What was the planning process?
A4: Ben had a wonderful, well thought out, surprise proposal set up for me. Unfortunately, a couple weeks before the day, his dad let the secret slip during a conversation he was not aware he was on speaker phone for. No ones fault but still a bummer because his proposal was so sweet. He was going to propose where we went for our first date and then have our families surprise me for dinner at favorite dinner spot. However with the surprise spoiled, Ben was left to find an alternative way to surprise me…. In the hospital we can work long shifts. I was working a 14 hour shift in the middle of the week while Ben was only working 10 hours that day. After my shift I pulled into the garage, exhausted and looking like a “hot mess.” My hair was dirty, I was wearing sweatpants and a giant black parka with winter boots. It was 8:30 at night and I just wanted to take a shower and go to bed so that I could wake up and do it all again in the morning. As I opened the door into the house, I noticed the dimmed lights and rose petals. I quickly slammed the door shut and stood in the garage pondering why I never took the time to get my nails done on a regular basis. I composed myself and walked inside. The hot mess gremlin that I looked like found Ben standing in our screened in porch that he had covered with string lights and candle. It was January and he was standing there in khaki pants, button up shirt, barefoot and no belt. Not exactly put together but I gave him points for trying. I honestly don’t remember what Ben said but he started with “I love you very much and there is is nobody I’d rather have be a pain in my ass….I laughed and just gave him a hug. After that, if he asked me to marry him or not, neither of us can remember. All I do know if he put the ring on my finger. I must have said yes.

Q5: We’re all about the bling… Tell us all about that ring!
A5: I always thought I wanted a Rose Gold oval solitaire, but when I tried it on, the rose gold just did not suit my skin tone. Bewildered at what I wanted, Ben and I went to look at rings in NYC. I wanted him to like my ring as much as I did. After a while of searching and not finding the perfect ring, Ben looked at me, smiled and said “I think I know what you like. Will you just trust me and let me take it from here.” I smiled back and said “sure.” My ring is a beautiful. It has a beautiful oval center stone that sits in a basket setting with a pave band. Simple but very blingy! I love the oval diamond and I get a ton of compliments on my ring. Very classic but the oval shape gives it a little twist.

Q6: Are you excited to start planning your wedding day? Do you have any ideas in mind yet?
A6: Yes, I was excited to have a wedding and a beautiful day. However Ben and myself did not want the big price tag that too often comes with have your “dream” wedding these days….So on 9/14/19, surrounding by our friends and family, Ben and I got married in our own backyard and it was a “dream.” I planned every detail with the help of my amazing vendors, family and friends. For anyone who know us, knows we are not very fancy. We are the type of people who would rather be with friends on our boat in Lake George than having a fancy dinner with wine. We had BBQ and Pizza, signature drinks named after our three animals (Slash, Izzy and Duff), and my neighbors children came over to dance with us in their pajamas. It was homey, personal and perfect! Our dogs got to be part of every moment of our wedding. We got a shuttle to our favorite Buffalo bills backer bar in which we all partied until the wee hours of the morning.The barn door that Ben and my Dad set up still stands in our backyard and is decorated for every holiday so far.