Brandi had the distinct pleasure and privilege of photographing the engagement session of the incredibly gorgeous Nikki and David! I asked them if they could separately answer a few questions for the blog and they agreed! Thank you again so much for taking the time to do this as well as for selecting La Brisa Photography for your engagement session! Congratulations again! =)
Tell us your engagement story
Nikki - David and I met when we were in 3rd grade. I wrote in my diary that I was in love with him after watching him on the playground (honest - I still have the diary! ha!). We were biology partners during our freshman year of high school. Junior year we did some fundraising together for prom and that led to a few dates. We started officially dating on November 30, 2007. Eventually, we graduated and came to K-State together. On October 29, 2009, David took me to dinner. As we were leaving he said that he wanted to play a game and I had to close my eyes. He led me by the hand and stopped suddenly. He asked if I remembered my trip to Floria. I was confused so I opened my eyes. I saw that he was holding a beautiful ring with my anklet that I had bought in Florida looped through it. I remembered that I had made a wish when I tied the anklet on and it was supposed to come true when it broke. I had wished to marry David. He told me how much I meant to him and then he asked me to marry him. It was perfect.
David - Nikki and I go way back. In 3rd grade, she wrote in her diary about how she loved me (I've seen it!). We grew up together in small town Paola, Kansas and started dating junior year in high school.
PLANNING - I had gone out a few weeks before with my two best friends, her brother and my roommate. After encountering every type of sales person and 'discount' we finally selected and bought a ring. I had my big plans for that night. My roommate had a very high quality camera, and we had it all planned out. He was going to come to the restaurant and take pictures of the proposal happening! The day before, we had drawn out diagrams of the parking lot to be sure he knew where to stand judged by where I was parked. After analyzing the Google Earth picture and going over numerous scenarios, we felt prepared. Part two of the plan was the way I was going to propose. Nikki had gone to Florida a year or so before on vacation with her family. She had bought an anklet as a souvenir. The legend behind it was you made a wish when you tied it on and the wish would come true when it broke off. She wished we would get married. It had already broken off about 8 or 9 months before we got engaged, but I still had it. I had the ring looped around the broken twine in my pocket, ready to propose and make the wish come true.
PROPOSAL - On the night we got engaged, it was seemingly just another ordinary date for Nikki and me. We went to Olive Garden, her favorite restaurant and had dinner with a movie expected to come. I left many times during the night to 'go to the bathroom'. I was a little nervous, but the main reason for this was to check on where my roommate was. We finished dinner early and she couldn't figure out why we couldn't leave. Finally, he arrived and gave me the go-ahead. I paid and we got up to go outside. I asked her to close her eyes and began to remind her of her anklet and the wish she made. As I led her outside, I continued to remind her and tell her how much I loved her. I got down on one knee and asked her to open her eyes as I pulled the ring out of my pocket and asked her if she would marry me. She was so excited, she almost forgot to say yes! Then she said yes! When we got into the car, she decided she didn't want to go to the moves anymore because all she wanted to do was go wedding dress shopping! Instead, we went out with our friends and celebrated!
What was the most important thing that you wanted from your engagement session?
Nikki - I wanted people to be able to look at the pictures and feel the love (cheesy, but true! ha!). I also grew up in the country and I really wanted them to have that natural Kansas feel. They are exactly what I wanted.
David - We wanted something contemporary, fun pictures to remember this time of our lives together. We wanted high quality, creative and unique. We got exactly what we wanted.
How did you feel after your engagement session?
Nikki - We felt like it was one of our best dates we had ever been on! It was so much fun to be together doing something out of the ordinary. We were so excited when we left. We couldn't wait to see them!
David - We felt happy. We had a great time with Brandi. It was relaxed, fun and perfect.
What made your engagement session really special?
Nikki - Brandi was awesome. She made us feel right at home. She never asked us to do anything that made us feel dorky. It was great to see that she really loved the work that she was doing.
David - The way our personalities were captured. It looks like us, but we all of the sudden became art as well!
Why did you choose the locations/outfits that you did?
Nikki - The Konza was the most beautiful location I could think of. We love the look of the tall grass and the open sky. It had a real Kansas feel. We chose our outfits because they complimented the location. As my mom would say, we looked like "country music stars." ha!
David - The first dress Nikki wore she picked out specifically for these pictures. The pink one is the one we got engaged in. I bought the shirt as something that would match her dress for the pictures.
Which is your favorite photo and why?
Nikki - My favorite photo is the one below. I love this one because I have a picture of my dad and I from when I was about five that looks almost identical to this. It is so great because when you are a little girl, your daddy is your whole world and I think it means a lot to see that same adoration for my future husband!
David - I love all of them. It's very hard to pick a favorite, but if I had to, I would say the one with us in a field with the landscape in the background and me looking at the camera.
And here are a few of my favorites from their session! =)
La Brisa Photography
I love the pictures and the western feel. I'm from Nebraska and I know there is something just so beautiful and awe-inspiring as the open sky and sprawling fields where you can see as far as the horizon! The couple's story is very cute as well, I can feel the love in their words and see it in their eyes. Congratulation and great work Brandi!
ReplyDeletei love the second image!!!!
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