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February 11, 2014
Fan of the Month Giveaway : February • Central Missouri Based Fine Art Wedding Photographer
We are back from Mexico and so excited to really dive into the 2014 Wedding Season! To start things off, so excited to announce the Fan of the Month Giveaway February is now up!
This month we are featuring an amazing Fine Art Engagement Session for all those newly engaged couples that will be saying I DO over the next year or so! This session is a Fine Art session, or Film, so not only will you receive a beautiful engagement session but the majority of the session with be photographed in my personal favorite, Medium Format Film!
TO ENTER :
Simply head on over to Catherine Rhodes Photography on Facebook and LIKE our page if you haven’t done so already! Then you can do one of 3 things (or all 3 for extra entries!) below to officially enter :
1. SHARE the Giveaway photo on Facebook with your friends and family, everyone loves a giveaway!
2. LIKE the Fan of the Month Giveaway photo on Facebook!
3. COMMENT here on the blog with your engagement story!
Good luck and we can’t wait to hear your engagement stories! The Giveaway runs through February 28th and the winner will be announced first thing March 3rd!
© Catherine Rhodes Photography 2014 | Destination Wedding and Fine Art Wedding Photographer | Columbia, St. Louis, Kansas city and Destinations World Wide
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Never in my mind did think with only six short sweet months that my boyfriend Brad (now fiancé) and I had been together that he would have proposed. On new years eve, which also happens to be Brad’s birthday, I had an the most exciting night of my life. It all began as a big party to celebrate Brad’s birthday as he really never had a true birthday party due to the holiday. He kept telling me how I was gonna steal the spotlight from him that night and I guess I sure did. After all of our friends and Brad’s parents showed up he ended up turning off all the music in the house. He began to say a speech to thank everyone for coming to his birthday party and that he wanted everyone to see him open his last present. I was oblivious at this point to where I kept telling him you don’t have any more presents. He kept talking as his two best friends tried their hardest to get the iPad to play the song Marry you By Bruno Mars on the speakers throughout the house. Still oblivious I was so excited that my favorite song at the time(and still is) was playing. That’s when I then noticed that Brad who was nowhere near me a few minutes prior was now down one his one knee asking the most amazing question I have ever heard. “Katie Dianne Hinesly, will you do me the honor and be the best birthday present of my life and be my wife?” I was so speechless, but not after the fact I had asked if he asked for my dad’s permission first. I was in such shock that I couldn’t breathe and ended up having to sit on the floor as I was flooding with tears. He then had to ask me again. As I still hadn’t said yes yet, but how could I not say yes?!? The man of my dreams completely shook my world and I wouldn’t have it any other way. We then continued to have the party now as birthday, engagement and new years eve all together.
Five years ago, when i have just moved to United States and barely knew anyone, i went on a blind date with Justin that was setup my mom’s friend. I had very low expectations, and was just looking for an excuse to get out of the house and have some fun. Little did i know that i was going to meet the love of my life. Five very happy years together and we are finally engaged. For the past year, i secretly hoped he will pop the question every time we went for a fancy dinner, or whenever he made some plans for us. He completely took me by surprise when he asked me to marry him on a Friday night when we were completely in a “moment” talking, laughing and cuddling. Afterwards i said, “i did not expect to get engaged in my pajamas and without make up.” And he told me that’s when I’m the prettiest!
My now fiance and I have been together for 5 wonderful year’s. We knew very early on that we wanted to get married, we were perfect for eachother. No one else could ever complement my weirdness and no other woman could handle his ocd ticks. Haha. However early on in our relationship we became pregnant. After complications during out pregnancy our miracle child was born at 24 week’s. 16 week’s early weighing a mere 1 lb 2 ozs. we would have to go through the hardest time in our lives while our relationship was tested along with our strength. Fortunately after 7 LONG month’s in the nicu our miracle came home but the roller coaster ride was not over. We would have numerous drs and therapist appointments monthly and sometimes weekly. planning a wedding or even thinking about where the money would come from to have one was not even I’m our minds. After 3 years we took a family vacation to Michigan. While visiting macanak island (one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever witnessed) he took me to the highest point and got on one knee. I felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest while he told me how much he loved me and asked me to be his wife! Of course I said yes! Our son is now 4 and we are in full swing on planning our amazing day. We have been through more as a couple than most. Yet we have never left eachother sides. He is my soul mate, my best friend and my everything. It would mean the world to us to win an engagement session. As we want you to be our wedding photographer! You did our friends and we feel in love with your shoots!
Having the ring made, making plans to ask… Seems simple enough. But Michelle is a clever woman, and doing something behind her back will arouse suspicion because we share everything. And since she can tell when I’m not saying what is on my mind, a surprise proposal was one of the more difficult things I have orchestrated. It took two months leading up to February 15th to plan asking her at Les Bourgais Vineyards, where we had spent several dates. That Saturday was supposed to be nice… So the plan became too ask her at the overlook down from the A-Frame. My excuse was a dinner at the Bistro, and my desire to get a Valentine’s Day picture with the sunset. Of course, the weather forecast soured and when we got to the vineyard, there was ice and snow all the way from the top of the hill to the deck. I couldn’t change plans at this point! So we trekked along the treacherously slick and step grade, her in leggings and heels, in 25 degree weather, to get to where I planned to bend knee and ask her. She was such a great sport, believing I was only seeking to have a picture. I thought she’d call the idea mad and turn us around! But she didn’t turn us around. And she did accept my ring when I asked for her hand!! There were a few students having drinks within sight of us. They cheered! It was lovely. I carried my fiancé about half way up the hill when they came to intercept us… Offering us a congratulatory bottle of Merlot. How sweet of them! Despite the challenges, our proposal was amazing.
Andrew, an engineer, and I, a graphic designer, met through friends when I moved to Columbia in 2010 for work. He was on my roommate’s trivia team, and we met when I joined the team. We bonded over our shared love of music, film and nerdy trivia, and soon started making excuses to meet for coffee at Kaldi’s to work on a crossword puzzle before trivia. We’ve been together for about three years, and he has always been there for me. This man is as practical as they come, but also makes the sweetest gestures. Our engagement story requires just a little background. In December, I was driving back from northern Illinois late at night and hit an ice storm outside of Springfield. I ended up totaling my old, yet mostly dependable, car in an accident that closely resembled bumper cars on ice. Andrew drove all the way from Columbia in the middle of the night to collect me from the ER and make sure I was ok. It was definitely a “knight in shining armor” moment when he walked in. Now, I was most definitely not prepared to buy a new vehicle, and he could tell how worried I was about coming up with a down payment. He graciously offered to put down part of the money he had saved for an engagement ring as a down payment on a new car for me. He explained that he would rather I be safer in a newer, more dependable car. Stubborn as I am when help is offered, I was so blown away by this loving gesture, I couldn’t help but accept. The night before we were to go purchase my new car, Andrew took me out to a nice dinner and was acting rather lovey-dovey. I knew something was up, haha! When we got home, a package was waiting for me. He asked me to open it, and inside was a giant diamond ring shaped keyring. An engagement keyring! He got down on one knee and asked me to marry him, and I said yes through giggles and tears. I am so excited to spend the rest of my life with this nerdy, practical, and wonderful man. I know I will always be loved and cared for, and am so happy to do the same for him.
4 years ago i met the love of my life he was a voluniteer for the fire deptment we hit off right then and there. We had our ups and downs and to this day still do. We broke up for a year and that year on new years i had gotten a hotel room with friends and where partying i got stood up by my date so i called edward (soon to be groom) and was upset told him i was going to come to him so i can get my mindnight kiss when i got to where he was it was 12:01 but still got my new years kiss and to this day i dont live that moment down. He is the love of my life and i would not know where i would be without him. I was not expecting to come home after work one night to find a 12 pack of dr.peper (my all time favorite drink) on the kitchen table and inside that 12 pack was a ring. I cant wait to spend the rest of my life with him on august 16,2014 10 days after out 5 year anniversary.
Im recently engaged after a short 7 months, never did I think i would be in love with a man this much, after a bad marriage, i thought it would be so hard to love again, but my now fiance is amazing hes done so much for me and my kids. I can not wait for us to get married when ever we can afford it. My first wedding was a court house wedding so i want a nice wedding this time, I want it to be so beautiful. The way he purposed wasnt romantic or fancy but he asked my oldest daughter if him and i should get married she told him yea and at the moment he purposed to me we ordered my ring and now we are engaged looking for a place to start our lives together..
We had been dating for almost a year and had talked about how we wanted to get married. Blake (my fiancé) is a real gentleman and is old fashion so I knew he’d ask my dads permission first. Well my dad cannot keep severest from my mom and I thought my mom couldn’t keep secrets from me so I kept bothering her about it on chirstmas eve if he was gonna propose or not and she kept saying no. Well Christmas morning came around and we were going to Christmas dinner at both our families houses so I being my girlie self had to make sure I looked cute to open presents. Blake kept trying to get me out in the living room to open presents first and I told him we would open them after I got ready. Usually he would sit with me when I’m gettin ready and talk to me but this mornin was different…he was really quiet and acting different. Finally I finished getting ready and we went out to the living room. We exchanged stockings first and then he proceeds to hand me this great big box. I opened up the box and look in the bottom, there say a single piece of notebook paper. I pulled the paper out and began to read the words…He explained how much he loves me and how he wanted to grow old with me and have babies together. As I get to the bottom of the page the end words say TURN ME OVER…I turn the paper over and on the back it said PLEASE STAND UP as I stood up Blake stood up and wrapped me in his arms and said you know I love you more than anything righr Samantha I told him I loved him to…he held on to me for what seemed like forever I guess tryin to get the nerve up to ask me…finally he pulls a rig out of his pocket gets down on one knees and says Samantha will you marry me! I could do nothing but cry and ruin my makeup I had just finished! He said he told me we should have opened present before I got ready!
I am not your typical farm girl nor am I your typical city girl, I am the kinda girl that likes to dress nicely but I can get down and dirty when I need too. My fience and I enjoy working on trucks together. On February 13th I was coming home from a Mary Kay event (told you I could dress up) and he was waiting for me to help him with the transmission he had pull the night before. As I walk in the door he tells me what exactly he wants me to do and that was to watch very close as he took the top cover off. As he pulled to top cover off I noticed that there was a bag in the transmission and I knew it wasn’t suppose to be there. (By this time I had not noticed Ethan had gotten down on one knee). When I looked at him he had already went to reach for the bag and opened it up and asked me to marry him and be his for the rest of my life. I said yes!! I can’t wait to marry the love of my life!
Ryan and I met and talked for months just trying to learn about each other & feel each other out. I was extremely guarded, a 100% single mom, and he is younger than me, all of which pushed me in my hesitation. But Ryan was patient and always present (not pushy or over persistent). After a couple of months, we started dating. After a few dates, I knew I loved him. About 6 weeks later, on black Friday of this past year, Ryan received a call from one of his younger siblings that his father had been killed in a head on collision. Going through that extremely dark season of life with him showed us both that not only could we not imagine life without each other, we never wanted to go through it without the other standing by our side. Before we lost Tim, he said he knew Ryan had met the one God had made for him and he was so thankful we had found one another. A few months have passed since the accident and on February 15th, the man of my dreams proposed to me . Obviously, I accepted with an overjoyed and beyond grateful heart. He loves me and my son with no limits or conditions and we love him and his son equally. Everyone’s love story is beautiful, but ours is my favorite. This engagement session would be a huge gift for us and would be the first part of reality to this awesome dream of marrying the love of my life (which is November 8th!!). Thanks for letting me share our story!
This is the story of me and Grant Sherwood! Where it all began was hyvee. Grant has worked at hyvee since he was pretty young. I have been to hyvee many many times and never did I think I would find the man I would spend the rest of my life with there. I went into hyvee one day and was talking with one of my friends. I looked up and saw Grant and whispered to my friend, “Is that kid even old enough to work here? He looks 14?” She goes “umm Lindsay he is older than you are.” I was like “really? oops!” well a few months later he and I started talking and got close and ended up dating May 16, 2011. His friends would always call me his wife. I was like ” There isn’t a ring on my finger so I can’t be his wife.” A few weeks later I came up with an idea to print off a paper ring and put it in a real ring box. I “proposed” in Wal-Mart’s parking lot. He said “Yes.” Well come Christmas 2013 Grant brings me my stocking. When I look inside I pull out that same ring box I gave him. Open it up only to find it was that same paper ring I gave him! I was like haha funny joke not! And brushed it off. Well a few presents later he brings me this heavy one! When I opened it up it was a laptop! I was super excited because I really needed one! He got all anxious and tells me to open! I didnt understand what the rush was cuz in a hour we needed to get to his Grandma’s but opened it anyway-(this computer looked like it had never been opened or even set up cuz it was taken apart like brand new) Grant told me though he had already put software on it. I was like okay cool. He gave me the password and all that stuff. “I was like oh cool you put pictures on it!” When I click on it this huge picture of he and I pops up and it read Will you marry me? By the time I could comprehend what I was reading I looked up and there he was down on one knee with a beautiful ring! I said “Are you serious!” With tears in my eyes and the biggest smile on my face I said “YES!” Now May 30th 2015 I plan to marry not only the man of my dreams but my bestfriend!! 🙂
The weekend that my fiancé James proposed to me was one of the best weekends of my life! We went to a little bed and breakfast for the weekend to celebrate our three year anniversary. Our first evening was spent exploring the small town’s restaurants, learning to dance from a DVD he got me for my birthday (I always want to dance but we usually don’t at other peoples weddings and events) and spending time in our jacuzzi that was in our room! It was super romantic to say the least. The next day brought us a relaxing day just spending quality time together without the distractions of being home with school, work, and friends. We also received a couples massage that day that was one of the most relaxing hours of my life. The evening came with a full 6 course meal in the private dining room, where James eventually proposed. The whole thing was so romantic. We had the whole room to ourselves with our table set up with a fireplace and romantic music. While I had an idea he might propose sometime this weekend, the fact that we made it into the last night of our trip and had just finished our 5th course of dinner, I figured he was waiting for a less obvious time to propose. Prior to our 6th course however, James did a toast, told me how much he loved me and a lot of other wonderful things, got down on one knee and proposed. Of course I cried, said yes, hugged and kissed him, all before even looking at the ring, which was perfect by the way. Could not have asked for a better proposal, a better weekend, or a better guy to spend the rest of my life with.