I met Kelsay and Christian on a beautiful fall evening at Capen Park in Columbia, Missouri for the most perfect engagement session! The fall foliage is really beginning to look amazing with the brilliant golden and orange colors. Kelsay and Christian are such an adorable pair and made my job so easy and fun! These two balance each other out perfectly and bring out the best in one another. It’s adorable to see Kelsay and Christian interacting because their connection is undeniable. It’s evident that their love is genuine and we admired Christian’s chivalrous ways. Kelsay and Christian and their endearing love, matched with the vibrant fall backdrops around the parks made for some beautiful portraits! We loved getting to know these two more and cannot wait to photograph their wedding next year!
How They Met
Kelsay and Christian had their first date in October of 2018. They met up at Christian’s house in Troy to head to dinner which was a surprise. Christian took Kelsay to Olive Garden because they had bonded so much talking about their love of endless salad and breadsticks, and the awkward silence waiting to say “when” while they grate the cheese. After dinner, the two ventured off to a haunted house which gave Christian in his words, “the perfect opportunity to make a move and hold hands.” After the haunted house, they went back to Christian’s house and watched some of the corniest scary movies to be found in the depths of Hulu until 2 o’clock in the morning!
Christian knew Kelsay was the one after only a few months of dating. In their first few months of dating, they had Thanksgiving and Christmas. Christian has a big family that can sometimes be intimidating especially when you have to meet and spend the holidays with so many new people. It could be a difficult for some people, but Kelsay didn’t let it phase her and fit right in! After spending New Years together and meeting Christian’s crazy friends, he knew she was the one and could handle anything. New Years was also when Christian first told Kelsay he loved her
Kelsay knew Christian was the one pretty early on. One of the most distinct times was when she was coming back from Indianapolis on a school trip (Kelsay is a high school teacher) and she got back around 5pm and drove home, dropped off her bags and then drove to spend a few hours with Christian. Kelsay just didn’t like spending time away from him! She also knew Christian was the one when he was able to third wheel with Kelsay and her best friend Erica, yes, he was the third wheel!
How He Asked
For Christmas, Christian and Kelsay received a gift certificate to a bed and breakfast in Hermann. They had planned to go the last weekend in April but because of covid quarantine, they had to reschedule their trip multiple times. When they finally got to go on May 30th, it was the absolute best day to to go to Hermann. The weather was beautiful and the sun was out and Kelsay and Christian were happy to get away and be able to finally use their gift certificate. The two started the afternoon at OakGlenn Winery, which had the most amazing view. Kelsay and Christian spent some of the early afternoon there before they left to head to Adam Puchta Winery. There, they were able to eat lunch and enjoy some wine slushees (YUM). But it was very, very busy at Adam Puchta, so Christian wanted to head back to OakGlenn so they could enjoy the live band they had there. Once Kelsay and Christian got back to OakGlenn, they shared a bottle of white wine before Christian wanted to go get a picture together with the pretty view in the background. They were standing there in the grass to take a picture together and before Kelsay knew it, Christian got down on one knee and asked her to marry him! The entire winery watched it happen and cheered and clapped for them. How exciting!
Kelsay and Christian are truly a fun pair and we feel so luck for the opportunity to serve them during this special season! Congratulations you two! Now that you’re pros at taking photos, your wedding day is going to be an absolute blast! Enjoy some of my favorites from the session.
