Outdoor engagement session at High Falls State Park in Georgia

April and Kenzi both love the outdoors, so an engagement session in High Falls State Park in Jackson, Georgia, was the perfect way to celebrate their upcoming wedding.

Let’s start at the beginning. How did you two first meet?

We met in 2011 at Valdosta State University where we both attended college.

What makes your relationship special? Tell us some things that you both value in your time together. What makes your relationship unique?

April and I are both fitness junkies. We are currently exploring CrossFit and looking at competing in our first competition very soon! When we aren’t working out, we are working. We both just so happen to teach elementary school and get summers off together. It’s the best! With all that time off, you just have to explore new places. We can’t get enough of the outdoors and camping. Over the summer, we took a two-and-a-half-week camping trip without our three fur babies through Texas, Arizona, and Colorado. Next summer we hope to visit California!

How did you know your partner was the one? When did you first know this in your relationship?

We both knew from the moment we met each other that there was something extra special about one another. We know it’s cliche, but it was totally love at first sight! It does exist. We were friends first for about two years and both hiding our feelings for each other because we had no idea how the other felt. One all-nighter and sunset later, our relationship grew more intense and we knew we wanted to do this. We haven’t looked back.

Give us all the details about the proposal. How and where did it happen? Was it a surprise? What was the planning process?

I (Kenzi) planned the first proposal. It took a good couple of months to make sure it was just perfect. I planned to propose on my own birthday weekend because I knew April would be so wrapped up in making my birthday extra special for me that she wouldn’t suspect a thing. Fall was perfect timing because we have so many happy memories together during that time of the year. Before we were together we had the traditions of carving a shared pumpkin every year. I just knew that had to be part of it.

The night before I proposed, April threw me a surprise birthday party. It was epic! The next morning we went to brunch in downtown Macon with our closest friends. Later, we ended up at Lane’s Packing where we planned to meet all our friends to grab a pumpkin for carving by the bonfire with a bowl of my infamous taco soup and to complete the new corn maze. We are both super competitive so I knew it would be easy to split us into a winning and a losing team. The plan was for the two teams to go in and time how long it took them to complete. Shortest time wins! We gave them a pity head start.

Little did April know, my team was never going in. I strategically had our best friend on her team and memorize the quickest way out of the maze. At the end, April found a huge surprise. She ended the maze to find a white pumpkin with the words “Marry me?” and a very nervous but excited Kenzi. I got down on one knee and she said YES! It was the best early birthday present I could have ever received. I hired a photographer to capture memories of the entire thing and to have a mini photoshoot with us and our friends on that happy day. It was the best day of my life!

I (April) planned to propose to Kenzi during a camping trip to Helen, Georgia. The whole trip was a surprise to Kenzi. She didn’t know the location, where we were staying, or even what we were doing while we were there. When Kenzi was younger she rode horses, so for our first day there, I planned a sunset horseback ride through the mountains in Helen. This was such a big deal because I’d never ridden a horse before. I’ll have to admit that I was terrified to ride a horse and even more nervous to ask. Even though I knew she would say yes, I wanted everything to be as perfect as it was for me when she asked.

About halfway through the ride, we stopped to climb up on a tower to look out over the mountains, watch the sunset, and have a picnic. When we got to the top of the tower and started looking out at the gorgeous sunset lit mountains, I got down on my knee and popped the question. It was definitely a special moment, and I was so glad to officially ask Kenzi to be my future wife. We ended the night with blinged out pony selfies, s’mores, and a bottle of champagne gifted to us from Kenzi’s proposal. The good outdoors will always hold a special place in our hearts.

Tell us all about that ring!

Kenzi’s ring is a 2.5-carat solitaire diamond with a diamond covered halo and band. April’s ring a vintage halo style with a 2.5-carat diamond. It is covered in tiny diamonds.

Are you excited to start planning your wedding day? Do you have any ideas in mind yet?

We are getting married on November 17, 2018, in Downton Macon. The planning process has been the most fun thing we’ve ever done and undeniably overwhelming all wrapped into one. The more we plan, the more ready we are for our special day to come. We say that with the most love for our wedding as possible, but, seriously, can we stop planning now?