We spent a lovely evening at one of our favorite locations in Jefferson City with an adorable couple and their cute pup! Lesley and Joe had perfect weather for their beautiful fall session. All of the fall leaves are beginning to show their pretty colors of magnificent gold and orange. With a sweet couple, their adorable doggo, and a colorful fall backdrop, it was impossible to take a bad photo. We enjoyed strolling around with Lesley and Joe during our time with them and we quickly realized these two are quite the match for each other. They both share a great sense of humor and we love how they aren’t afraid to be goofy around one another. It’s easy to see these two are sweet as can be! Lesley and Joe were able to relax and just have fun for their session. No matter what we asked of them, they did it with no hesitation. When these two are around each other, they just light up. Lesley wore the brightest smile every time Joe would make her laugh. Our evening with them quickly passed because they were so effortless. We ended the night at the perfect spot downtown with beautiful golden light streaming through the trees.
Their Love Story
Lesley and Joe were both in Greek organizations in college and met at one of the many socials that was held. Lesley immediately thought Joe was charming with his quick response when they met and he initially told her his name was “Leviticus Goldberg”. Joe ended up walking her home that night and they talked into the wee hours of the morning. Unfortunately, they were both in some sort of relationship so they could not further their own relationship at the time. Summer rolled around and just when Lesley thought she got Joe out of her mind, he sent her a short text…and the rest, as they would say, is history!
Their first date was not your typical romantic candlelit dinner, but we think it sounds pretty cute! It was actually Lesley’s first time visiting and meeting his family in St. Louis. They still hadn’t made their relationship official at this point so it was a little scary. They ended up going to the St. Louis Zoo with Joe’s brother. Lesley specifically remembers Joe’s brother referring to her as Joe’s girlfriend and Joe replying “she’s not my girlfriend.” Lesley began to question why she visited Joe and his family in St. Louis if it wasn’t going to lead anywhere. They continued the day visiting animals, especially penguins which are Lesley’s favorite! It wasn’t until that evening that Joe and Lesley went on a walk on his family’s property when he asked her to truly be his girlfriend! Joe gave a long elaborate speech about why they should be together, and Lesley immediately agreed that being with her would be in his best interest! The most romantic part of the evening was still to happen! Lesley saw her first shooting star after he asked her to officially be his. How special is that!?
How He Asked
Fast forward about three and a half years, many episodes of Bob’s Burgers while in college, realizing they were the characters in the show, and both sharing a great sense of humor, it was only inevitable that Joe would soon pop the question. Joe called Lesley several weeks before Christmas to let her know she needed to come down a certain weekend because he was giving her a Christmas present. Her mind immediately went to proposal and she got onto him about not keeping secrets. Joe assured her that it wasn’t what she thought it was, and Lesley was truly at a loss for what this “gift” was.
When the day rolled around, Lesley was dreading going to this surprised because she thought he wanted to take her to play laser tag (side note: Joe had recently found a love for playing laser tag at the time!) Lesley woke up that morning and got dressed about 5 minutes before they had to leave because she really didn’t want to go. As they drove there, she made a few guesses and Joe denied all of them. Eventually, Lesley saw the big ZOO letters and knew they must be going to see her favorite animal, penguins. This was significant to them because they shared their first official date there. Joe’s brother and sister also tagged along at the zoo so it really threw her off. Joe took Lesley to a behind the scenes penguin tour where they showed off their penguin knowledge to everyone in the room. Finally, when the tour guide said that penguins mate for life and if there were any other questions, Joe said, “I have a question…” he got down on one knee and explained that he brought her there not only because it would bring her joy but because it was where they had our first date. Lesley said yes and they finished the tour on cloud nine! If this isn’t the cutest proposal ever, I don’t know what is!
We couldn’t be any happier for this sweet couple and we cannot wait to capture them on the wedding day as their love story officially takes on forever! Enjoy scrolling through their pretty session on a beautiful fall day!
