As Emily and I set up the engagement photo shoot, we discussed locations or settings that would be unique to her and Brian as a couple. She told me that she is “not very creative”, yet her very next email suggested doing some shots near Kinnick stadium or on the tailgating hill where they first met and later got engaged. Ah, now we’re talking. So as we shot away, I got the deets on their love story.

Emily and Brian met through mutual friends. Emily’s best friend’s brother’s best friend is Brian. Get it? So back in 2005, when Emily was finishing up at the University, she hosted a tailgate party. She and her best friend invited her best friend’s brother and told him to bring friends along as well. He brought along several guys, one of whom was Brian. Emily thought, “Ooooh, he’s really cute!” but nothing happened. They didn’t see each other much after that until the next year when they re-met at another tailgate. The stars aligned and they had their first date on December 5, 2006.

Emily had early on told Brian that she had always wanted to be proposed to in a hot air balloon. Brian made it clear that wasn’t going to happen because he doesn’t like heights. Fast forward several years.

One evening, Brian told Emily that he had several friends he wanted her to meet. After work, they hurried to get ready and started heading to Cedar Rapids to meet the group. On the way there, Brian got a call saying they couldn’t hang out that night after all; something had come up. Since they were all dressed up anyway, they decided to make it a date night. They went to one of their regular spots, the old tailgating place where they had first met, and Brian said that he had a confession to make. He had arranged for them to go on a hot air balloon right that night, but the call he got was about how the balloon wouldn’t be going up because of inclement weather on the horizon.

As he was saying this, Emily was thinking through how he had planned a hot air balloon ride, but he doesn’t like heights, but she had always wanted to be proposed in a hot air balloon so does that mean…is he proposing?! And then when he popped the question, Emily doesn’t really remember what she said because her mind was spinning, but Brian says that she kept saying, “I can’t believe this is actually happening!”

(To get a larger view of the gallery below, just click on a photo. Use the arrows on either side to scroll through the album.)

Emily and Brian, I am so looking forward to your wedding! And yes, Emily, it’s actually happening!