I met Hanna and Neil at the Commonwealth Brewing Company to start their engagement portraits earlier this week. Hanna and I originally met through the hiking group that I founded, Her Hike Collective, and I was overjoyed when she told me that Neil had proposed to her! We planned for their engagement session when he would be in town over the holiday weekend. They both wanted their engagement portraits to truly reflect the two of them, so they came up with ALL of their ideas.

First we went to Commonwealth Brewing Company and they got to relax and have a beer together. Then after waiting out a quick thunderstorm we went to First Landing State Park, where their outdoorsy and adventurous side was showcased! You need to get all the way to the end of this blog post to see what they did and WHY they did it!

Fun fact is that Neil is 6’6″ and Hanna is 6’1″! Needless to say I brought along a collapsible stool to the second part of their engagement session and I am so glad that I did! In case you didn’t know, I am 5’4″ :), but that didn’t prevent any obstacles for their portraits because I was prepared! They also got a lot of good laughs because seeing me in the sand, on a stool that was sinking was great entertainment for them!

I am looking forward to next year when I travel to Missouri to photograph their wedding day at Neil’s father’s farm! I have been told about the gorgeous rolling hills on his property and I cannot wait!

 At the end of Hanna and Neil’s engagement session they wanted to show their adventurous side even more! To show everyone the greatest adventure that they already had started together, they held each other’s hands and RAN off of the dock! Taking the plunge they completely submerged into the water! They did all of this to tell their family and friends that they have officially already “taken the plunge”! You read that right, Hanna and Neil got married at the courthouse, they just could not wait after Neil proposed over the summer! They will still be having a ceremony in a local church in Missouri and celebrate with their family and friends on Neil’s fathers farm next May! Congratulations to the newlyweds!