“Brayden and I met in October of 2021. On our first date, we went to a haunted house with a group of friends, and we had so much fun. After the haunted house, we ended up going to watch scary movies with those friends until like 1 in the morning, and we just didn’t want the night to end. It was so easy to talk to each other and being together just felt so familiar and comfortable. We decided to go back to my house to grab some snacks and ended up talking for a couple of hours. Around 3 in the morning, I got a notification that reminded me to check into a flight I had booked for 5 am that same morning. And I don’t know how but I had completely forgotten about it. He was so confused and was thinking holy cow this girl is crazy, but being the gentleman he is, he waited with me and took me to the airport. I think I definitely made an interesting first impression because when I got back two weeks later, he asked me out again right away. I feel like our first date is a good representation of the general theme of our relationship. He still thinks I’m crazy and I still think he’s a gentleman, and together we just deal with all the crazy and unpredicted events of our wild and awesome life. The way he proposed to me was so sweet and I never even saw it coming! It was on his mom’s 50th birthday and there was so much going on that day, we went bowling and had dinner and went to a dance recital for his cousin and planned a surprise party for his mom. I had no idea, but he had set up all the activities throughout the day as a distraction for me, and it worked so well. Later that night, his brother and sister-in-law left the recital early to set up their mom’s “surprise birthday party” and then Brayden and I left shortly after the recital ended. He drove me to the river in front of the LDS temple in Idaho Falls and said that we were going to help set up the birthday party before his mom got there. As we were walking, I was so confused because I wasn’t seeing any of his family there, then he led me around the corner and I saw a beautiful picnic set up with candles and roses, and a sign that said ‘will you marry me?’ I cried my eyes out and said yes about a thousand times, and he just held me and kissed me, and he made it so intimate and special. I never saw it coming! His brother and sister-in-law did such a good job setting it up. After, we went back to his mom’s house, and to my surprise again they were all in on it, and his mom was so excited and said that it was the best birthday ever! I just love him and his family so much, and I’m so excited to be called Mr. and Mrs. Cook. On August 19, 2023, Brayden and I are getting married in the same Idaho Falls Temple he proposed in front of, for all time and all eternity.”
-Karsen, bride to be
“Karsen and Brayden’s engagement photos were so stunning and unique! We started with a thirty-minute hike to an alpine lake in Grand Teton National Park. Water levels were high, and there were amazing reflections that evening. As we were ending the session, I asked them if they wanted to get in the water. It was early summer, and this was a lake fed by snowmelt, but they said yes! After a few minutes of them walking in the water and splashing, they came back out. Karsen then tentatively asked me if they could get in the water again, this time ALL THE WAY in the water and reenact the famous rain scene from The Notebook. I was 100% on board and they absolutely crushed it! Drenched in freezing alpine water, the last rays of the evening broke over the mountains creating the most romantic and beautiful light. Seriously dreamy engagement photos! My advice to other couples—when in doubt, be adventurous, you won’t regret it!”
-Wyoming Wedding Photographer, Madison Webb Photography
Previous Post
