Their Love Story
Erika and Marcus are the sweetest pair! When I met them back in the winter, I knew instantly that we were a perfect fit. From then, I couldn’t wait to get these two in front of my camera. I just knew their genuine connection would shine through in each and every image. Boy was I right about these love birds!! We had their session scheduled for June, but unfortunately the weather wasn’t in our favor and we were forced to pick a new date. I’m not going to lie, when we scheduled the new date, I was a little worried about it being in the end of July. We were super hopeful that the weather would be great! And it was just that! For a session at the end of July, it was much cooler than we originally anticipated! I was one happy photographer!!
Marcus and Riki are the cutest and together, they perfectly compliment one another. They both look at each other like they are the only two people in this world. Their adorable personalities are contagious and we just loved being around them! We enjoyed strolling around the University of Missouri Campus, where they both attended college, but never actually met. It wasn’t until one fateful day in January years later they would meet. Marcus took his car into Jiffy Lube for car repair. Inside the store, he recalls three giggling girls getting their car checked for a weekend of fun in Kansas City. Marcus knew one of the girls from college and immediately struck a conversation with them. He asked the three women sitting there if any of them would like some of the shop coffee, to which one replied, “no that coffee is not very good.” He replied, “then maybe you would like to get a nicer cup of coffee with me later?” This was one of the most bold and smooth comebacks he had ever had in his life. After some serious giggles, they left and Marcus was there by himself waiting for his car to be repaired. Not long after the girls had left, Marcus received a message from his mutual friend telling him that in fact yes, the women he spoke to would indeed like to get a coffee with him. Who w0uld have guessed a Jiffy Lube would be the place where you would meet your forever. That fateful day lead Marcus to “his person!” Riki and Marcus began dating shortly after.
For their engagement session, we went down memory lane and took the darling pair back to where it all began. For their first date Marcus planned to meet Riki for dinner on a Monday night at Kampai Sushi. After twenty minutes of waiting for his date to arrive, Marcus thought he was being stood up. Finally, Riki walked into the restaurant and he could breath a sigh of relief! At the end of the night, they both left feeling that there was something very real between them and they were both eager to see each other again.
How He Asked
The two vacationed to Glacier National Park where they would spend about a week there before heading to Banff in Canada. Both with a love for outdoors, it seemed like the perfect way to enjoy a fun trip! On one of their more anticipated hikes to Grinnell Glacier, they took their time enjoying the breathtaking scenery and beautiful weather. When they got to the bottom of the glacier at the top of the mountain, they took off their gear to rest, eat lunch, and take in the view before they had to head back down the mountain. There they were, sitting at the bottom of this glacier, in a lush mountain valley, listening to the sounds of nature feeling the sun on their faces, breathing in the wild air. It was a pretty perfect scene so Marcus decided it was time to ask Riki a very important question. He asked a women if she would be willing to take their photo and she politely obliged. After the woman took a couple of shots, Marcus got down on one knee and asked Riki “if she would…” She interrupted him with a chorus of “yes’s.” They hugged and kissed and some of the people who were there clapped for them. It wasn’t until later when they were looking at the pictures that they noticed the lady taking their picture was actually taking a video. Pretty serendipitous that she captured the proposal in real time!!
Congratulations Riki and Marcus! We couldn’t be more excited for the two of you!! Enjoy some of our favorites from the session. We cannot wait for December!
