They say, “when you know, you know.” Sean and I would have to agree, seeing as he popped the question 14 months after our first date. We had spent just over a year learning, loving, & laughing with each other as we explored the world around us with a spirited kind of wonder – the kind that only comes with new (or true) love. After visiting dozens of state parks, backpacking through the Boundary Waters to the Canadian border, & one very special camping trip long the shores of Lake Michigan, we decided to plan a vacation to South Dakota. We had a full itinerary: Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore, Crazy horse; the whole nine yards. We when passed a sign for Badlands National Park and decided to detour on our way I figured it was just another stop on our tour of South Dakota. Little did I know it would become the place I’d say “Yes!“ to my future husband. We arrived at the Badlands and spent a good hour walking trails and enjoying the scenery before we decided to head back to the car. On the way, Sean motioned his head to a wooden walkway and said “Let’s do one more.” We walked the short trail to the end of a beautiful panoramic view of the Badlands. Sean said my name & I turned around & he was on one knee! It was the perfect proposal and gave us the whole vacation to celebrate while we ventured around SD! Our adventurous spirit lead us to plan a destination wedding in Colorado & ultimately finding Katie. Our engagement photos capture our love and the beauty of Boulder during winter perfectly! I can’t wait to see the magic she creates in January for our wedding
– Bride-to-be, Kelsy
About the Day
Kelsy and Sean road-tripped out to Boulder from Minnesota to check out how their wedding venue will look during the winter. I’m so glad they’re used to extreme cold since their trip coincided with an intense cold snap. Our weather app said our location was 0 but felt like -11! My tears even froze to the camera! Kelsy is in social work and Sean is in the National Guard. It was important to me to spoil such a deserving couple with a fun shoot to celebrate this time in their lives even though Colorado weather had turned harsh. We shot at my favorite Boulder location, Lost Gulch Overlook. Even in a complete whiteout, this location and couple were completely stunning.
