Last week we joined Tristyn and Cody at one of our very favorite parks in Columbia. Capen Park has so much to offer and we wasted know time strolling around and taking in all the gorgeous views. Fall is definitely in the air and leaves are beginning to change into their vibrant shades of autumn, and we are here for it! This is always our favorite time of year because we love photographing sweet love stories weekly! Tristyn and Cody share a beautiful love that is so apparent when you’re in their presence! Hand in hand, the adorable pair spent the evening giggling and laughing the time away! It’s always such a treat getting to know a couple on a more personal level, and we loved having these two in front of our lens. They truly blossomed and their undeniable connection shined throughout the entire session! We love how adventurous Tristyn and Cody are! No matter where we suggested to go during the session, they were up for anything! Whether we were in a park setting or the downtown urban areas in Columbia, Tristyn and Cody were such naturals and truly let their love show! We are counting down the days until their fall wedding next year!
Their Love Story
Cody and Tristyn are from the same small town, but never knew each other existed because of their age difference– almost 7 years. When the YMCA in Ashland opened, Tristyn started to go there daily. After awhile of going to the Y, she noticed a really cute guy that had just joined. Enter Cody! Tristyn just kind of thought he was cute and kept doing her thing. It eventually got to the point where she was trying to find out how old Cody was or if he was single or not. Before too long, Tristyn’s best friend Kelsey would text her and say “Hey that guy you like is at the gym, so you better get up here!” One day, Kelsey, Gus (a friend and YMCA employee at the time), and Nathan “Woody” (another friend and fellow YMCA member) decided they were going to tell Cody what Tristyn thought about him. As Cody was leaving the gym that night, he left his number at the desk with Gus to give to Tristyn after he left. Tristyn thought it was a mean joke when Woody and Gus handed her the sticky note. So, being the girl she is, she waited a couple hours to text Cody… she didn’t want to seem desperate or anything! After a few hours went by, Tristyn finally decided to send a text to Cody that said something like “so how much did they have to pay you to give me your number?” The most shocking part….CODY NEVER REPLIED! Tristyn was bummed, honestly. So, the next week at the gym, Kelsey called Cody out and asked him why he had not replied to her friend Tristyn. His response was “I never got her text!” To this day she gives him crap about if he really got her text or not, but Cody still swears he didn’t! The two finally got in touch with each other and got to know one another!
Their first official date was at Texas Roadhouse in Columbia in the summer of 2016. Tristyn remembers being very nervous about it, but excited as well. This would be their first time talking and hanging out outside of texting or seeing each other at the gym. It went great and lead to their second date, a Cole Swindell concert in downtown Columbia (they are obsessed with Cole and wish he would release a first dance song for them to use!) Fingers crossed Cole grants their wish! Tristyn knew Cody was the one when they both decided that they were wanting something serious and began to talk about their future together. On new years eve of 2016, Cody first told Tristyn he loved her! That moment made her feel so special and she knew she wanted Cody to be around forever!
How He Asked
Cody and Tristyn planned a trip to Mexico in July of 2018. Tristyn was working full time for the summer and had some extra cash and told Cody, “Hey, lets do a big trip together next summer since we have the extra money right now to book it!” Cody was hesitant because he isn’t the biggest fan of traveling, but ultimately agreed! Little did Tristyn know, this trip would be one she would never forget! In March of 2019, Cody surprised her with a date to look at rings. They had talked about marriage and knew they wanted to be together forever, but she was still in nursing school and they just weren’t ready for that yet. Tristyn picked out a ring that she loved, and then they left the ring shop. She kind of figured nothing would happen until after graduation and tried not to bring up “the ring” topic because she didn’t want to put anymore pressure on Cody. Fast forward to the summer time and the vacation had finally arrived! Tristyn had just graduated nursing school two days before, so they hopped on a plane and headed to Mexico. People asked her if she thought he would pop the question while we were there but Tristyn honestly didn’t think he would. Lets face it, taking a very expensive ring to a foreign country is risky.
On the second night of vacay, Tristyn and Cody were about to get ready to head to dinner. Cody was on the balcony and she was at the sink getting ready. Cody was being extra lovey dovey and telling Tristyn how much he loved her over and over again. She was slightly annoyed because Cody wouldn’t leave her alone to get ready. HAHA! All of the sudden, Cody called her over to the other side of the room and gave her a hug and a kiss and told Tristyn how much he loved her. She went to walk away after that to grab something and Cody said “babe!” Tristyn turned around and Cody was on one knee asking her to be his wife with the same beautiful ring she had picked out just months before! She immediately became emotional and started to cry and of course, her answer was YES! She was in so much shock and not expecting it to happen that way at all! The rest of the vacation was perfect celebrating the life they were about to live together forever as the future Mr. & Mrs!
Tristyn and Cody, Congratulations on this exciting new journey! We adored documenting your love and we look forward to your watching your love story unfold on the wedding day! Enjoy some of our favorites from the beautiful fall engagement session.
