I had misread the forecast and was expecting sunny-with-60-degree weather. Unfortunately, I was a day off and we were hit with overcast, gray skies and a chilly breeze. Thankfully, when I met Anne & Jim for their downtown Davenport engagement session, we managed to find some warmth indoors while still getting natural, outdoor light. They also straight-up braved the winds and tossed and rewrapped in coats in between shots.

I asked Anne & Jim how they met and was humored when they told me it was a 90s party at a mutual friend’s house. About six months into dating, Anne went to Las Vegas with some girl friends and she remembers some guys trying to hit on her. “I told them that I was going to marry the guy I was with. Jim was just unlike anyone I had ever dated before. He was kind, considerate, caring, and would seriously do anything for me without question.” 

When it came to the proposal, “I knew Him was going to propose when he asked me on a Tuesday if I wanted to go out to dinner on a Friday. We’re very casual people so planning ahead like that is not normal for us. Then on Friday, he texted me at work asking me where I wanted to go and what time. I don’t care!! Finally at home, I was laying in bed trying to catch up on television and he was bugging me get out of my sweatpants and actually take a shower…ugh. At dinner, he was acting totally weird. I remember that he looked at the menu ahead of time and picked out what he wanted. When we got there, they were all out of that and I was laughing at him when he couldn’t decide what else he wanted. He said, ‘I’m sorry, I was just committed to what I was going to order before.’ I knew he was going to propose for sure.”

It wasn’t until after dinner, when he suggested a walk in the park (“in the pitch black,” Anne says), that he proposed. They are planning a gorgeous wedding in August and I’m just so thrilled for them to be married. I selfishly am also looking forward to photographing them again because, just look at these two! Gorgeous!!

Downtown Davenport offers some amazing architecture! There’s definitely a lot of old character there and I was loving all of the bricks and windows! For this shot, I stepped into the middle of the street (thankfully, there wasn’t a car parked in this parallel spot!) during a red light.

I know that parking ramps and alleyways aren’t exactly glamorous in theory, but they work so well in real life!