Madison and Shane came up from College Station and we shot their Parker Rose Garden engagement session earlier this year before the summer sweat settled in too harshly. I’ve known Madison for six years now, and shooting her engagement photos and wedding has been a special memory for me. I first met Madison when she was a high school senior at a small school outside of Austin. I had just launched my photography business and I put out a “model” call, looking for a couple seniors who still needed their senior portraits done. Both Madison and her childhood best friend Kasey chose to have me shoot their senior photos.

Fast forward four years, and when both the girls graduated from college, they hired me to come down to A&M and do college graduation photos for them. We spent the day running around the college campus and I have to admit, I loved getting some great photos of two beautiful girls. Since then, I’ve stayed connected to both girls via social media and love getting to see the path their lives are taking.

Late last year, I noticed Madison made an announcement on Facebook with photos of a gorgeous new engagement ring on her finger. I was ecstatic for her and of course, congratulated her, Shane, and both their families. Then I quietly held back my excitement, not wanting to be pushy… I just wanted them to enjoy being engaged for awhile before having to jump in with wedding planning.

On New Year’s Day, I got a text from Madison asking if she could pick my brain with a couple questions. The first thing she texted was a photo of a camera with the message “Will you follow us around all day long?” I died. That was the BEST way I’ve ever been asked to shoot someone’s wedding!

I am always honored when couples choose me to work with them for their wedding, but instances like this are doubly meaningful for me. I had to forewarn Madison and her mom to not be shocked if I start bawling behind my camera watching Madison walk down the aisle on her wedding day.

Madison wanted an outdoor, natural, country feel for their engagement photos, so the Parker Rose Garden was perfect for their session. We were able to incorporate some items of special significance for Shane and Madison… like the dream catcher that had special meaning for Madison since it was made from materials that belonged to her grandmother. Shane is also in the military so it was important to incorporate his military uniform in some of the photos as well.

This one below is my favorite. Sometimes when I feel connected to a particular photo, I’ll look for a quote that “fits”. For this, I added “And I would choose you; in a hundred lifetimes; in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I’d find you and I’d choose you.” ~The Chaos of Stars

(I heard afterward that when both mom’s saw this, they both cried.)