Working with Hannah and Mason was a dream! It’s so apparent these two are best friends and it makes photographing their connection easy as can be. I met these two at Capen Park in Columbia to begin the session. They were both giddy as ever as they were strolling hand in hand at the park. As soon as I began photographing them, I knew right away that Hannah and Mason were going to be naturals in front of the camera. They have such a sweet dynamic! We covered all the pretty spots that Capen has to offer, before heading to Nifong Park in Columbia. The majority of their session was overcast, so I was pleasantly surprised and happy when we were greeted by the golden sunshine when we arrived to our next location! We took advantage of that little bit of sunshine in the evening and ended up photographing some of my favorites of the night then. Hannah and Mason couldn’t have chosen two more perfect locations. Their engagement gallery truly has it all!
How They Met
Hannah and Mason are high school sweethearts! Hannah and Mason met officially during her freshman year of high school. Mason was a junior at the time. They both played three sports in high school so Hannah knew of Mason, but they never really talked to each other until track started in the spring. Both Hannah and Mason participated in the same track events, so they quickly started spending everyday together! Mason liked track and all, but he really just wanted to go to practice to impress Hannah everyday. Mason thinks that Hannah may have gotten the hint when he gave her probably the most awkward hug after their last track meet of the year together.
Mason says that he knew very quickly that he liked Hannah. In fact, during track season he had tried to make several moves to get Hannah’s attention. However, Hannah was COMPLETELY oblivious to all of his hints and thought he was just a super nice guy. It wasn’t until the start of Hannah’s sophomore year where Mason officially asked her on a date. Mason romantically slid into her Instagram DMs and asked her if she wanted to go to the Mizzou football game that weekend. Mason figured she would come up with an excuse to not go to the game, but much to his surprise, Hannah said yes to the date! That immediately sent Mason into a spiral. He just knew he had to make this the best date ever for this beautiful girl!
Everything that could have gone wrong, did, and it was the hottest game of the year. Mason remembers being drenched in sweat and nervous as all get out. Hannah didn’t care though. Mason was so much fun to be around that the day ended up being perfect! Mason though Hannah was an amazing girl and he wanted to ensure she was having a great time. He thought he made a bad impression, however he held on to hope that she would like to go on a second date.
The One
Hannah: “I knew pretty early on Mason was the one. Loving Mason is easy. When we’re together I feel at home with him. Everyday over the last 8 years, Mason has always made me feel safe and loved. Both of my sisters have special needs, so it was important for me to find someone who accepted them and loved them as much as I do. I knew Mason was the one when I watched him worry over the Christmas presents he had bought my sisters because he wanted them to like him so bad!”
Mason: “Might sound cheesy, but I knew from the beginning that Hannah was the one! She is beautiful, has a great sense of humor, caring and is really dedicated to everything she does. Also, she got barbeque ribs on our first dinner date together. I mean how can I not love that? I knew from the beginning, because I felt comfortable around her and felt loved. Hannah brings a lot of happiness and joy to my life!”
How He Asked
Hannah: “I knew Mason was wanting to propose after I graduated from college. He kept pressing the issue of going on this hot air balloon ride and I knew that was when he was going to propose. This man is afraid of heights and was going to be super nervous so it blew my mind that was what he was planning. I ended up telling him I knew what he was planning and he responded that he hadn’t even thought about proposing soon. A couple weeks later, I came home from helping a friend move and Mason had redecorated our living room. I noticed all these new photos on the wall. When I went over to look at them, I quickly noticed that they were pictures of Mason in a sunflower field spelling out “Will you marry me?”. I turn around and Mason was on one knee!”
Mason: “I waited to propose for a long time and knew once Hannah graduated college it would not be long until I did. I wanted it to be a grand gesture, because of course I think she deserves something like that. My first and main idea was to propose on a hot air balloon ride. In passing at some point Hannah mentioned it would be a fun thing to do, so I was set on that. However, I am not good with heights, I would likely be really nervous and probably really hot. So, maybe not the best idea. The more we talked about proposals and such it was clear Hannah was not a fan of that idea, wanted something small just to ourselves. So, after that, I came up with an idea to finally hang up some pictures that we have been meaning to do for months at this time. In those pictures I will put pictures of me holding signs that say “Will you marry me?” The day of Hannah was away and I told my family that today was the day and we went and got pictures done, got them all printed off and hung nicely on the wall. Once Hannah came home, she didn’t even notice them right away. However, when she start looking at the pictures, I got down on one knee behind her and asked her to marry me! I of course was a nerve wreck, and sobbing but it was the best decision I have made in my life!”
