Karla & Nathan’s German Village engagement (with a dash of the Short North) in Columbus, Ohio is definitely one of my recent favorites!  These two are so visibly in love.  From the way they hug each other, to the way they touch each other, to the sweet giggles and smiles, it’s obvious that they are crazy about each other.

How They Met

They only met in the best way possible….at a dance party!  Anyone who knows me knows that dance parties are my ish.  Whether I’m dancing around my living room, in my car, or at the studio, dance parties find their way into my world pretty regularly.  When they told me they first met at a dance party, I knew we were meant to work together.

The Proposal Story

Karla & Nathan have a pretty unique proposal story.  Here’s how it went down, according to Nathan…

Originally I had planned to propose to Karla on a cross-country road trip, substituting a ring (temporarily) with something fun and charming found on the road. Our first over-night stop was the Grand Canyon.

We were going to be there two nights. The first night was for getting settled and deciding what to spend the whole next day doing. We chose a nice hike into the canyon to a bluff with a secret cave. It was mysterious and beautiful, and to me, it sounded like the perfect time to ask Karla to marry me.

So we set out that day on a leisurely hike full of jaw-dropping scenery. The plan was to go down a few miles and then back up. My hope was to get back to the top, watch the sun set over the canyon, and then pop the question. Instead, by the end of the day we were nearly care-flighted out of the canyon and severely dehydrated.

It turns out, that when you’re hiking into the Grand Canyon, water is really important. More important than almost anywhere you might choose to hike in more moderate climates. The farther into it you get, the hotter it gets, the more you sweat, and the more demanding the hike back up will be.

By the time we got to the bottom of our hike our water was depleted and the sure signs of dehydration had begun to take effect. As we made our way back up things started to get scary. We both began to shake and become ill. Other hikers expressed extreme concern and sent for help. And at the last moment, when it seemed like we might have to be care-flighted off the side of a canyon wall, an old man with lots of water and Powerade helped us make the slow trip back up. Just thankful to be alive, we limped (literally) back to our campsite and tried our best to recover.

Unfortunately, my proposal was thoroughly ruined. And we never did fully recover from our ordeal while on our road-trip. Instead, on the last day of the trip (after having waited for every possible other opportunity that might present itself) I confessed my intentions to Karla in defeat. We decided to look at rings together when we got home and pick something out together.

The actual proposal came about much more casually than originally intended. After finding a ring style we both liked I ordered it without Karla knowing. One day she came home from work with the whole apartment cleaned, her favorite candies on the counter, dinner (steak) on the stove, and a ring box waiting for her to open. She said yes!

Pretty unique, right?!  I think we can all say we love Nathan’s unique intentions and are so happy that they made it home safely and the real proposal was just perfect.  Needless to say, I’ll be snagging some tips from these two for my upcoming Grand Canyon trip!

The Session

Considering Karla & Nathan’s first date included strolling through a park in German Village AND one of their favorite things to do together is to get lost in The Book Loft, I couldn’t resist planning a German Village engagement session for them!  We started by snuggling up in the beautiful gardens of The Book Loft and enjoying the sunshine, which has been pretty non-existent here in Columbus for awhile.  After spending some time wandering through The Book Loft, we headed north to the Short North, another area that Karla & Nathan like to frequent.  These two locations together created the perfect backdrop to showcase Karla & Nathan’s love for each other and for Columbus.

Here are some of my favorites from their session!