If this post could have an alternate title, it would be: Old Ellicott City: A Love Story.
I know that’s how Molly and Josh feel about each other, but I’m also fairly certain that’s how all three of us feel about living in this gem of a historic town in Maryland.
Molly and Josh just happen to be my neighbors. They even live on the same street as me!
We moved to OEC, as the locals call it, right around the same time, and Molly and I became walking buddies. Molly and Josh have traveled the world together, but they felt right at home on these city streets.
What can I tell you about Ellicott City that would translate well enough to show you how special this historic mill town is to live in?
Maybe it's because its history goes all the way back to before the US was a country, or the fact that it was among the first transportation hubs and now has the oldest passenger train station in America, but Old Ellicott City seems to collect the best people.
Artists, entrepreneurs, dreamers, and community-builders are drawn here, and they sink their roots in and start creating something beautiful.
You can see it in the carefully crafted buildings from centuries past, in lovingly refurbished facades and painstaking coats of paint, and in the businesses they establish and sculpt to be an organic part of the city, and not set apart from it.
I told you, this could be a love story, right?
Molly and Josh’s love story just so happens to coincide with this one.
My friends finally got married in the Fall of 2022, after a few long pandemic years of being bounced around and wedding dates having to be postponed. But, they eventually got their happily ever after.
Unfortunately, that also means a blissful new house right outside of town, and my same-street neighbors will become a car ride away instead.
To commemorate their last few days as proper city residents, we decided a photo session in their favorite spots was in order so they could decorate their new home with some Ellicott City wall art.
On an insanely cold morning at 7am, we ventured out into our beloved neighborhood and hit our favorite plant shop, Gottefni, lived it up with the OEC bridge, and wandered lovingly around the quaint streets and shops that were just waking up for the day.
My favorite photos, though, may be all the indoor ones where we ended up in their apartment, happy in the warmth and comfort of a well lived-in home.
Give me cushions and stacks of books, coffee cups, and windows that get thrown open to the sounds of the city.
Molly and Josh love this place just as much as I do, and they’re as sad as I am that they won’t be my neighbors anymore, but I was so just so happy I got to capture this beautiful love letter for them.
If you’re in the market for an engagement session, I might have just the spot for you…
Hey look, that's me!
If you're ready to explore Ellicott City with me or any other awesome spot for an engagement shoot, give me a shout!