Amanda and Chad – A fun loving engagement at West Lafayette, Indiana’s oldest brewery

The world sure is a small place. Indiana is known as the crossroads of America for a reason. It seems like most people have been here at least once whether for a long time or a short one. Amanda and Chad are not Hoosier natives. They’re actually from New York state but their kindness, fondness for delicious beers, and their love for one another and family make it seem as if we’ve always been neighbors. I received an e-mail about a month and half back after I had transitioned into full time photography and they were curious about engagement sessions. From there, we met at Brokerage Brewery in West Lafayette, Indiana. It’s the oldest brewery in West Lafayette but that’s part of the running joke, since it was established a little over a year ago. Since their opening, they’ve seen an outpouring (pun intended) of support from the local community and craft beers that are creative, fun, and approachable for all types of beer drinkers. They also feature guest taps and wine on the menu. While they don’t offer food (yet!) they do allow their patrons to bring in food and thankfully there’s a delicious pizza restaurant just across the street that you can bring in slices or whole pies. Brokerage also hosts food trucks weekly–but since this blog isn’t about Brokerage, I’ll get back to our heroes, Amanda and Chad.

Amanda and Chad, like I’ve said before are New Yorkers. Not like big city New Yorkers with thick italian accents and sassy attitudes. No, these two are silly, fun loving, and definitely hard working. In fact, Amanda is in Indiana not just for a job, but because she’s currently enrolled and pursuing her Doctorate at Purdue University. While Amanda is teaching and working on research, Chad is in financial planning. The two are currently working on wedding planning from Indiana to New York. Their spare time, between their favorite breweries and winery visits, is spent travelling back home to visit their families and to find ways to settle on venues and local vendors for their wedding which they hope to take place in upstate New York, in the Fall of 2020.

But life isn’t all work for these two, Amanda and Chad have spent the last 4 years together and in that time they’ve visited 50 breweries across the states and enjoy sampling and sharing flights from these different places. They have a kitty named Luna that they enjoy spending their time with as well and they’ve enjoyed exploring Indiana and surrounding states a bit.

Their engagement story is sweet and well thought out. After seeking permission from Amanda’s parents to marry her, Chad planned out a special engagement that included her parents flying out from New York to witness the engagement secretly. Chad took Amanda to a local winery where they had shared a bottle of it before and then to their favorite local brewery Brokerage. Amanda shared that she didn’t have any idea of the proposal but was just enjoying a Saturday off with her favorite person. After Brokerage, he took her to a restaurant locally and out on the patio, in beautiful Indiana weather, asked Amanda to be his wife. She of course, said yes! She shared with Chad that she wished they had had a photographer present to photograph his proposal when he motioned toward the building and out walked Amanda’s parents, congratulating her on her engagement.

Wish these two love birds luck as they continue down their path to new adventure and to all the amazing times that marriage brings!

Thank you, Amanad and Chad for allowing me to capture these special moments.