Morgan and Hayden joined me at The University of Missouri campus on Wednesday evening for a fun-filled session! Morgan wanted the photos to look like spring, so we ventured around campus stopping at all the pretty trees with gorgeous blooms present. Morgan Hayden filled the evening with lots of laughter and giggles. I loved their giddiness and the way they look at one another. These two really do share a very sweet connection. Morgan and Hayden were so much fun to work with and didn’t let the powerful wind gusts put a damper on their session. I think the photos speak for themselves. You can truly feel the love between this darling pair. Next, we went to a local park in town, Stephen’s Lake Park. There, we met Morgan and Hayden’s dog. He was such a good boy for the photos. I thought it was adorable as ever how he would tilt his head when we called his name.
How They Met
Morgan and Hayden knew each other through mutual friends Freshman year of high school, but they didn’t officially meet until their sophomore year. Morgan was a dancer at their high school and Hayden was on the football team. Morgan actually made the first move and started texting Hayden after his football games, and the rest is history. Morgan and Hayden would soon share a first date. The two would attend a Cole Swindell concert at the Blue Note on February 5th, 2014. Morgan and Hayden went sledding that afternoon and then went to the concert at night. They had been on a few group dates before, but this was the first one just the two of them. Hayden still remembers how beautiful Morgan looked and how nervous and excited they both were. Morgan and Hayden would begin officially dating each other just a few weeks later.
Hayden: “We were each other’s first boyfriend/girlfriend, and since we started dating so young it is tough to say exactly when I knew she was the one. We always had a lot in common and she was always so easy to talk to. I left to play football in college at the University of Arkansas, and she stayed in Columbia at the University of Missouri. During our first year of long distance, she made numerous trips to come visit me and see me play. The love and support she showed me during our first year of long distance really spoke to how committed she was in our relationship, and I remember finding myself falling in love all over again. I think that our Freshman year of college is when I knew that I wanted to marry her one day.”
Morgan: “Like Hayden said, because we started dating at such a young age, I don’t think there was one specific moment that I knew. But early into college, I realized that he was someone worth fighting for and continuing to pursue through long distance. Long distance wasn’t easy, but it ultimately made us stronger and I knew we could have a successful life together. We have always shared similar values, interests, and desires for the future and early in college was when I truly realized that he had everything that I wanted in a future husband.”
How He Asked
Hayden: “She had subtly given me hints about how she wanted to be proposed to over the years, so I found a way to combine her ideas into the perfect proposal. I used my moms photography studio next to our house and set up a backdrop with candles, rose petals, and floral arrangements to set the stage. I also put together strings of photos showing our time together. I planned to take her to dinner at Les Bourgeois before bringing her back to the studio to propose, but because it was her friend’s birthday she wanted to go to dinner with her and a few other friends, so to keep it a surprise I agreed and got her friends in on the plan. After dinner, I remember driving her to the studio and feeling like I was going to have a heart attack because I was so nervous. I brought her in to the studio, and began reading the speech that I had been rehearsing for days. After only getting the first few words out (because I was nervous) I went ahead and got down on one knee and proposed. After putting the ring on her finger and showing her the photos I had on display, I remember asking her whether she had said yes or not because I virtually blacked out while proposing. Her friend was hiding behind the corner recording the whole thing, and all of our friends and family came in to surprise her after I told them that she said yes. We then had a big celebration with all of our loved ones.”
Morgan: “I had been wanting it to happen for quite some time and had been sending him not so subtle hints for far too long. I was convinced it was going to happen sometime earlier in the summer and weekends just kept going by. I actually thought it would happen the night before he did it, but another night just passed. The day of was my best friend’s birthday and I didn’t even think twice about it happening that day. We spent the afternoon celebrating my friend and then “had to stop by his parents house afterwards”. He had a whole set up with candles, flowers, and photos from over the years. It was truly the most thoughtful and special moment. There was so much intention behind the whole set up and it was perfect. I was convinced that I was going to know when it was happening and it wouldn’t be a surprise, but he managed to pull it off in the best way!”
