When they first began talking, she was going to grad school in Lincoln, Nebraska and he was working in Columbus, Nebraska. “I remember him saying he was from Iowa and I couldn’t believe our home towns in Iowa were an hour apart!” Sara was really busy in grad school so they continued talking, but didn’t go on their first date for another two months. They ate at Applebee’s–both say it was the best restaurant option Columbus had–and then went back to his place to watch a movie because “my home theater system was better than the Columbus Theater,” Josh said. They discovered early on that they both love watching movies and still, five years later, say they do a lot of dinner-and-a-movie dates.

Since their first date, they have moved back to Iowa and call Pella home. I loved getting to hang out with them in downtown Pella before we traveled a few miles out to Lake Red Rock, a place I had honestly never heard of before, but have since found out that it’s actually Iowa’s largest lake!

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I‘ve been antsy to shoot out at the new Little Lights on the Lane (if you’re getting married there, I have a special venue-love discount off your photography with me!) and this styled shoot ended up being a perfect, fun, low-key way to be able to enjoy the space. Ever since I saw the plans for this beautiful space, I’ve been thrilled to see it come to life! It is so perfectly situated right on the Cedars Edge Golf Course with the most gorgeous established trees and views! Every little detail from the getting ready suites to the hidden sprinkler system to the bar that opens to both the inside and outside has been thought out and executed with such precision. It’s such a masterpiece of design and I’m so excited that it’s right here in our backyard!

This particular styled shoot was very last minute and I give Emily with Soiree so much credit for saying, “Yes!” and making it happen so quickly. Within moments of my original text to Emily, we had Allegra on board with paper goods, Every Bloomin’ Thing pitching in with the florals, and Jocelyn Taylor Bridal & Prom loaning us a gown! To round it all out, Eden Salon & Spa graciously provided hair, makeup, and nails and M.C. Ginsberg loaned us the jewelry. We needed some models and absolutely lucked out with the cutest couple who is both newly engaged and getting married in December! Thank you, Breana and Cole, for dressing up and playing wedding with us!

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Nicole and I first met last summer when she was a bridesmaid in another wedding I was photographing (hi, Kaitlin & Alec!) and, since that time, her and Matt have gotten engaged and moved from Iowa City to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Because of their busy work schedules and the travel arrangements they needed to make to come back here, we’ve had the date planned for a while for their engagement session. So when the forecast wouldn’t budge from the gloomy 80% rain, we made a last-minute plan to switch locations completely and try to shoot indoors. Matt, ever the optimist, was like, “It’s not going to rain; it’ll be fine.” And you know what? While it did rain, it also uncharacteristically passed over so we ditched the umbrella and were able to get shots I had given up hoping for! And honestly, even if it had rained the entire evening, I wouldn’t have minded because these two were so much fun and I knew the second we started that we were all going to make it the best we could given whatever we had to work with.

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They were getting ready to go to Italy when he sat her down and told her the proposal wasn’t going to happen on their vacation because he couldn’t get the ring done in time. “We went all week in Italy, having an amazing time and I never even thought about it because he had told me he didn’t want me waiting all of our vacation for an engagement that wasn’t going to happen [there] and we just needed to enjoy the trip,” Jessica says.

“The place I wanted to go in Italy was the Amalfi Coast. While we were at the Amalfi Coast, we took a walk up a hill that overlooked an amazing view. Chase asked me if I wanted one of those ‘Instagramable pictures’ with the pretty background and I joked, ‘Duh, I love pictures of myself.’ So I turned around and he posed me, told me where to place my hands, said he was waiting for the wind to blow my hair the right direction, and fixed my jacket. I was just taking it all in when he said he finally got it and I turned around he was down on one knee and asked me to marry him. I, like the child I am, jumped up and down in excitement and said yes. We celebrated at a local outdoor restaurant up the street a little bit with champagne!”

Jessica and Chase met back in 2009 and one of their first official dates was a concert at the Iowa State Fair. When he asked her out that night, she actually initially said no. “I thought we didn’t need a label; it was just going to be a summer fling. Whoops.” But that very same weekend, she realized he was the one. “We were supposed to go to his grandparent’s home in Missouri and I thought we should still go. We went and had a great time, however, I got a kidney stone and he had to take me to the emergency room. On the way there, I kept screaming in pain and he looked at me and said, ‘You probably have a kidney stone and if you puke from pain it’s okay.’ I claimed I wouldn’t do that, but within seconds, I threw up all over his new car.

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Neither of them can remember first meeting and this is a sweet result of growing up in the same school. They have just always known each other. Their first date was basically accidental. Greg was at his parent’s house and sent out a Snapchat inviting some people over to go four wheeling, not thinking anyone would actually come. But Natalie showed up. “I remember just having an attitude of ‘oh cool, I’m going over to my friend’s house and it might be weird but it might be really fun.’ It turned out to be really fun,” Natalie said.

Fast forward four years and Greg was setting up for his proposal. “I set it all up before I left to go to Texas for racing. On my [side-by-side vehicle], I have all of my sponsors, including now Hands Jewelers, the place that I had bought the ring at. We had our families get together for a good luck party,” Greg said.

“Before dinner,” Natalie added, “He asked if we could all go to the shed and get a picture with the SxS before it was all dirty and/or broken. I walked in and noticed a sponsor sticker that said ‘Hands Jewelers’. As I was acknowledging how cool it was that they had sponsored Greg, I slowly felt everyone’s eyes turn toward me. I heard my name called out and there was Greg on one knee with tears in his eyes asking me to be his partner for life. I ugly cried and said yes!”

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It was just a few weeks after they first met that they went on their first date. “It was beautiful, sunny day,” Bryn said. “It was one of those spring days that felt like the beginning of summer. We had been trying to find a time to meet at night, but me schedule was crazy with law school finals coming up and family events. Since we couldn’t find a weekend night that would work, we decided to meet up on a Saturday morning at a coffee shop instead. The date lasted over three hours, and I don’t think either of us wanted it to end! It was easily the best first date of my life.”

Jonathon said he knew Bryn was the one “when she first met my family. My nieces and nephews absolutely loved her and she was amazing with them. That was huge to me as they are an important part of my life. As well, my family immediately fell in love with her. So much so that sometimes I wondered if they actually like her more than me.”

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