30 seconds into our session, Haley & Devin were my new favorite, young people.  They were both super nervous about being photographed. But honestly, I have no idea why.  They pulled it off like the rockstars they are.

Their very first date was a coffee date, so it seemed fitting that we would start at Sugar Bean Coffee and Cream in Galveston.

Is it ok if I hurry up and get to their story because it’s the BEST.

Haley had finished undergrad at Texas A&M and started medical school at UTMB in Galveston.  She started attending a church there and discovered a pretty great guy named Devin.  Devin had grown up in Galveston and was attending the Texas A&M Maritime Academy.  (So they totally have a Maroon & Orange thing going.) Anyway…

They had been friends for a while. As they started to like each other more, they decided to not start a relationship because they didn’t feel they were ready.  Eventually, Devin asked Haley to be his girlfriend.  She said yes.  And, even though the timing might have been a bit off, 2 months later he asked her to be his fiancé.  She said yes to that one, too.

These two love to just set up their Eno and watch the waves.  Not a bad life.

Remember how I mentioned earlier the timing on Devin’s proposal was a bit off?  The reason was because right after he proposed, Haley left for the Philippines to deliver babies for 4 months. (Like you do.)  And don’t worry. Before you get all like, “Haley is such a great person. How could anyone be better than her?” Devin headed to Greece for a month to serve in refugee camps.
So yeah.  Best. Humans. Ever.

Haley told me that the thing that she loves most about Devin is how vulnerable he is when talking to people.  I experienced that first hand. I saw just how real and honest he is right after first meeting him.  That is so comforting to hear because the thing that Danielle and I have found in 14 and 5/12th months of marriage, is that the more open and honest you are, and the more you communicate, the better off your relationships will be.

Devin went on and on about how great Haley is at listening.  “She’s so easy to talk to,” he said.

But then… then it turned to gold because he added that, “She is full of wisdom and gives great advice.”

Too many times one parter will be the talker and the other one the listener.  (Guess which one I am.)

Again, over time, I have learned that my wife is FULL of wisdom and advice. But I need to give her the space and time to share it.  Devin has already figured this out about his bride, and I know their marriage will be stronger for it.

Thank you guys for an amazing afternoon at the beach.  Devin, thanks for opening up.  Haley, thanks for listening to me and giving me great advice on where to park. ;)

Hello, I want you to meet Morgan, Trevor and their doghter Lexi.

These two both went to Texas aTm, didn’t know each other, and then went on to Baylor law where they met.  I love that we came back here where their story started without them even knowing it.

My favorite part of their story is how they were friends and knew each other in law school but were not dating, Trevor had invited her and other friends out to his parent’s lake house but Morgan had elected to not go.  She woke up one day to find he had changed his Facebook profile picture to one of JUST him and after some Nancy Drew type investigating Morgan figured out that Trevor and his girlfriend were no longer together.  BOOM. She called him up and said I’m heading to the lake. :)

Trevor is a big dude, he could beat me up.  I LOVED him getting attacked by this branch.

Thank you guys for romping all over campus with me.

Hannah & Rob are the very reason I think I have one of the best jobs in the world. They were such a joy to get to know and I left their session with a full full heart.

(We also took photographs.)

Hannah is a residential and commercial architect so naturally we started at the Cullen Sculpture Garden in Houston.

I asked Hannah what first attracted her to Rob and she instantly started gushing about his sense of humor.  She loves how random and quirky he is.

About 30 minutes into their first date they were crossing the street and he turns to her and asks:
Do you like chicken?
She said yes, to which he stuck out his arm and said,
“Grab a wing”.

Game. Set. Match.
That’s how it’s done folks.

Another thing I love about their story is that they met the old fashion way. Online dating.
And, AND, 6 months into it Hannah knew this was legit and began the process of growing her hair out for her wedding.  That is some legit planning on her part. #rapunzel

Rob told me that during their first date he was training for a triathlon and he had already had a big lunch and was not eating much at dinner.

That did not however deter Hannah, she went on to order a full plate of Bar-B-Q.

He talked about how much he LOVED that she was willing to be herself regardless of how that might “appear” or look.  Spoiler Alert: Hannah is a human.  She eats food.

A word to all you other ladies out there looking for love:
Real men are attracted to women who are not afraid to be themselves.
Real men are not “put off” by a confident woman.
Real men are attracted to a woman who is secure in her self and opinions.

Especially when those options are “I think I’ll have some more brisket.”

111 year old architecture for the win! Thanks St. Paul United Methodist Church.

One last note, all throughout our session we kept seeing these little caterpillars.
We loved them, I hope you do too.

Garden

Anni & Kip met back when they lived in the same apartment complex. They kept bumping into each other when they walked their humans.  Little by little Anni would take more walks just so she could run into Kip and eventually, their humans caught on and decided they, too, should fall in love.

After they felt comfortable enough with me, Anni & Kip let me take their humans out for photos of just the two of them.

Kathrine & Josh took me to the greatest used book store in the world.  You should absolutely go to Recycled Books & Records.

Right away I fell in love with just how opposite these two are.  Josh is this quiet guy with super great jokes and observations that he mumbles under his breath.  Kathrine is basically Joy from Inside Out.  She was Laughing SO LOUD in the book store.  It was wonderful.

Sometimes the photos find you.

Quick change and off to the courthouse we went.

Why yes. Yes, we would like to share stories about basketball and life, over chocolate milk and coffee at West Oak Coffee

Thank you guys for sharing your morning with me.  I loved your story and how full of life you guys are.  I love that you already knew each others Love Languages.  I love that your story reminded me of 101 Dalmatians.

Can’t wait for your wedding.

One of my favorite things to do when shooting an engagement session is to make the photo relevant.  Not just for a save the date card, but relevant for your grandkids.  I love the idea of documenting a couple in their everyday life and space.  Telling a story of this very real season of life.  Not an imaginary, made-up, stylized season that you kinda feel out of place in.

Kally & Kishan love to cook and they were so generous to invite me into their home to tell this little story.
(Bentley was also very nice to me.)

While we waited for the pizza, they did what every couple does while waiting on the pizza they just made…

They went out onto the porch and drank coffee.

PIZZA TIME! Cowabunga!

One of the things I loved about these two is how expressive they both are.  Kishan is great at saying and asking just the right questions, and Kally’s facial expressions are the best.

These two met at a pharmaceutical conference while in school.  One evening, they were in a group hanging out and everybody had “paired up” and was talking to someone.  Kally was very eager to pair up with and talk to Kishan; so she made her move.

“OK. Everybody rotate!” she yelled, as she instructed people to move in the direction that would partner her up with Kishan.  It seems to have worked because here they are all these years later still partnered up.

I had them whisper the generic names of meds into each others ears.  It was both super funny and slightly uncomfortable as Kally started to enjoy the process a bit too much.

You couples at home, feel free to steal this idea.
Next time you are alone, slowly walk up behind your spouse and whisper acetaminophen.

(You can thank me later.)

Thank you guys for sharing your day (and pizza) with me.
Thank you Kally for letting Kishan wear his super cool Apple watch.
Thank you Kishan for remembering to shut the cabinet doors.

And a HUGE thank you to both of you for sitting on that bench and talking marriage with me for 10 minutes.  It was my favorite part of your session.  The fact that you guys are ALREADY actively working on your marriage fills my heart.

Because many, many years from now, no one will care that you had pizza for your engagement session or how beautiful your wedding was.

All that will be left is your marriage.

(Well, your marriage and a bottle of sildenafil citrate.)