I had the best time yesterday evening with Carla and Courtland! They came to Jefferson City for their session, and let me tell you, these two were something fierce. Carla and Courtland came dressed to impress. They looked immaculate in their elegant attire. The Missouri capitol provided the perfect neutral backdrop and Carla and Courtland shined throughout the entirety of their session. The weather was not in our favor. It was drizzling and very windy, but Carla and Courtland were absolute champions as they stuck out the not so great weather conditions. The results were flawless!
I kept telling these two all night long that they should be models. I love how Courtland can get Carla laughing the giddiest of laughs. Courtland is such a gentleman and the way he looks at Carla shows undeniable love. These two are quite literally the perfect pair! We ended the session at Binder Park in town. Who said overcast evenings can’t make for the perfect portraits. The clouds were dark and gray, but I love the outcome of these portraits. You’ll find me counting down the days for their fall wedding. I’ll be so excited to have these two back in front of my camera.
How They Met
Carla met Courtland when he was staying in Jefferson City and working at the nuclear plant in Fulton, MO. He travels for work and had been in Jefferson City for a month. Carla and Courtland’s first date was at the restaurant, First Watch, in Columbia. They decided to do it the day before Valentine’s Day so it wouldn’t be awkward. Once they got to the restaurant, they were notified that there was a wait of about an hour and a half. Instead of going somewhere else, Carla and Courtland decided to wait. The long wait, ended up being a blessing in disguise. To pass the time, Carla and Courtland decided to sit in the truck and get to know each other a little more. Carla remembers being so nervous but they found a lot to talk about, which made it easier throughout their first date. Carla and Courtland would make things official in June of 2021! Courtland knew early on that Carla was the one for him. It didn’t take him long before he began planning a proposal.
How He Asked
Courtland has a work best friend, Justin who met a girl in Jefferson City. One day about a week before Courtland would propose to Carla, he told her that his friend Justin wanted them to go check out the winery for him since Justin wanted to propose and was not in town to check it. Carla thought, “awe that’s cute!” The day of, as Carla was getting ready, her little sister asked what she was wearing, which she never does. But little did Carla know, that her WHOLE family knew about the plan.
Carla and Courtland headed out to Les Bourgeois Vineyards in Rocheport. Courtland was not very talkative throughout their drive, but Carla didn’t think anything of it. They got to the vineyard a little bit early, so they stayed in Courtland’s truck for a bit. Carla was asking all kinds of questions like, “who’s this guy that’s giving us a tour?” and “I wonder if the guys is ready.” Carla and Courtland headed to a beautiful spot on the venue property that overlooks the Missouri River. As they were walking there, Carla noticed a couple taking pictures of themselves and she remembers saying, “awe that’s so cute!” Carla and Courtland stood there looking at the beautiful view for a few minutes before Courtland said, “There’s a deer swimming across the river!” Carla said, “What??” And she kept looking across the river for the deer. When she turned around, there he was… Courtland was down on one knee with a ring!! Carla was in total shock! She heard people clapping from the patio as he put the ring on her left finger. Then Carla realized that the couple taking pictures of each other took pictures of them during the proposal. Courtland had hired a photographer to photograph the engagement!! How cute right? What a perfect day for these two love birds.
