In high school, she got a part-time job at Fareway, a grocery store. He was working there full-time, on the path to becoming a store manager. They became quick friends and ended up working a lot of shifts together. One Saturday morning in November, she walked back to clock in to start her shift and she saw Ted dropping off an invoice near the time clock. She told him good morning, clocked in, then asked him what he was doing that night. He said he didn’t have anything planned so she asked if he wanted to go out to eat pizza with her family. He had a big grin on his face as he replied, “Yes!” Later that day, he drove over to her apartment and they went to her parent’s home. From there, they drove to meet her aunt, uncle, and cousins for dinner. “He was meeting the whole family on our first date,” she recalls. “He fit right in and those two little boys [cousins] wanted to draw with Ted the whole night.”

Ted is an artist and, in fact, Shannon says the best gift she’s ever been given was a large pencil portrait of Walt Disney and her favorite Disney character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, that Ted drew for her for Christmas a few years ago. “It was so thoughtful and perfect, I cried when I saw it. The drawing has been hung up since and we get to look at it every day.”

Disney has played a big part in their love story as Ted proposed when they were at Disney World last fall! “We had planned our trip to Disney World with my parents before Ted and I moved to Kansas City in October,” Shannon says. “I was at work on Thursday and Ted had some flowers delivered with Disney elements in them saying how excited he was for our trip the next day. Our plane landed Friday evening and when Ted and I got to our room there was a beautiful bouquet of roses with a poem about making wishes come true. I was just so excited to be in magical Disney World I didn’t think anything of it!

“We got up early on Saturday morning since we had breakfast reservations with Winnie the Pooh and friends at Crystal Palace before the park opened so we could get in and take some pictures on Main Street, USA before the crowds showed up. I was so excited to be at Disney that once we got in the gates, I just wanted to make it to the castle. The anxiety was building because we had to wait for my mom to get through security since she brought her purse. [Side note: her mom, unknown to Shannon, was carrying the ring into the park for Ted.] Once we were ready to go, I made a break for the castle. Behind me, Ted and my parents were telling me to pick out spots for pictures. We stopped for a few photographs before making it to the statue of Walt and Mickey right in front of the castle. As we made our way to where the Disney photographer told us stand, Ted asked, ‘Is this a dream come true, sweetheart?’ I nodded, smiling, getting ready for a picture. Then, as he got down on one knee, he said, ‘How about now?’

“I don’t remember what he said, but he pulled out the cutest little wooden box with Mickey on it and when he opened it, I saw the most beautiful, sparkly ring I have ever seen with the question ‘Marry Me?’ on the inside of the box. It all felt like a dream! The day was so magical and I was on cloud nine.” 

It was the first date, that family pizza dinner, that solidified everything for Shannon. “I remember Ted leaving my apartment that night and I couldn’t wait to see him again. The way he was with my family and how well he interacted with everyone melted my heart. We had been friends for a while before our first date and so we new a lot about each other and enjoyed every minute we were together. The Monday after that first date, one of my friends texted me and asked how it went. I told her, ‘I think I found my soul mate.’ I still can’t believe how accurate that statement is.”

Shannon & Ted live in Kansas City now, but they were back in town for a busy weekend and we got lucky with some amazing weather for their session!

Shannon says that one of the things she most admires about Ted is that he’s always himself, no matter what they are doing or who they are with. He can always make people around him laugh. And Ted says that he loves Shannon’s love for animals and how important family is to her.

Shannon has the most gorgeous freckles!!! <3!

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Styling: Rhiannon Morris

Ring: Herteen & Stocker

Shannon’s Hair & Makeup: Skin Deep Salon & Spa

Ted’s Hair: Thompson & Co

Ring Box: Crafty Witches Decor

Wand: Walt Disney World

Buttons: Mickeys Buttons