Tony + Natalie’s downtown Indianapolis Spring Engagement Session
Tony and Natalie are getting married this fall in Bloomington, they wanted to have their engagement session in Indianapolis where they reside. Their session started with coffee which was a great way to warm up. After some caffeine, we headed downtown to the canal. There were early signs of buds and blossoms in the trees. These two were a pleasure to get to know and work with. I’m really looking forward to their fall wedding in a few months!
Q + A with Tony and Natalie:
How did you two meet?
– We met in college at the University of Missouri. Our first meeting is a mystery! Tony lived on the same floor as some of my friends freshman year. Our paths definitely crossed at some point that year but neither of us distinctly remember meeting one another. We share a lot of memories from football tailgates, birthday parties to dinner pitch ins from our time at school but we didn’t get to know each other well until senior year when our close friends, Erin and Logan, started playing matchmaker.
What was your first date?
– Tony and I disagree on our first date! In my opinion, our true first date was a 6-hour drive from Indy to Columbia, Missouri for Mizzou’s Homecoming. Tony seemed to think it made more sense for him to drive from Chicago to Indy, pick me up, and then together we drive to Columbia. I liked him too much to mention his plan added 3+ hours to the drive. Conversation came so easy during the drive and he never once complained about my Taylor Swift playlist! I knew there was something special between us after our road trip.
In Tony’s mind, our first date is when I invited him to spend the weekend at my parents’ lake house. We had an incredible time and did not want it to end. Despite living in separate cities at the time, it was after this weekend that we decided to pursue a long-distance relationship until Tony found his way from Chicago to Indianapolis within the following year!
How did he propose?
– Tony had a company holiday party in downtown Chicago. We decided to make a long weekend out of it and visit some of our favorite spots from his time living in Chicago. Tony and I had talked about getting engaged but he had intentionally been throwing me off. On the drive to Chicago that weekend he specifically said we should consider ring shopping sometime in the Spring. Little did I know, he’d had the ring for over a month! I was thinking we’d get engaged in March at the earliest, maybe closer to the summer. Needless to say, December was not on my radar at all!
In Chicago, Tony proposed first thing in the morning in the privacy of our hotel room. I was absolutely shocked. I couldn’t believe he pulled off the surprise so perfectly, without me having an ounce of suspicion! Tony thought through the entire day and planned for us to do all our favorite things in Chicago, including a trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo. The best surprise of all was later in the day when Tony and I turned a corner in the hotel lobby and our parents were there waiting to join us for dinner. Tony coordinated getting my parents to Chicago so they could celebrate with us on our special day. It was the best surprise to have them there with us.
Wedding plans?
– Our ceremony and reception will be at The Woolery Mill in Bloomington, Indiana this October. We are extremely excited to celebrate with our family and friends!