When Frank Battaglia met Jessica Fu, he thought she was cute—but they were working for the same law firm, and he wanted to avoid a workplace relationship. Jessica, sensing they had a special connection, was not as quick to shake off the possibility of something deeper. Determined to at least become friends, she made a point of swinging by his office on a regular basis to say hello. “It became part of my routine to stop by his office at the end of the day and chat a little bit,” says Jessica, now a legal assistant. “I guess I finally wore him down; eventually he asked if I wanted to go see a movie with him.” Soon after, their friendship blossomed into romance.
After a three-and-a-half-year courtship, Frank, now a software developer, surprised Jessica by proposing in their condo, into which the couple had moved just the week prior. Jessica came home after work to find Frank had decorated the Christmas tree, set the table, and cooked her a nice dinner. “I was still clueless and just thought he was being extra sweet and giving me an early Christmas present,” says Jessica. “Then he opened the drapes to our terrace to reveal a dozen Christmas trees he set up outside. Ultimately, he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. It was amazing.”
For their engagement photos the couple, who will marry this spring at Sunset Crest Manor in Chantilly, Virginia, opted for a fun, nontraditional brunch shoot at home, captured by Astrid Woltering.
