Let’s be honest. Winter in Texas isn’t all that grand. The trees die, it get’s colder than most non-Texans realize, and there’s hardly ever a beautiful blanket of snow to cover up all the ugly.

But these two… these two cuties somehow made the dead of winter look absolutely magical at Arbor Hills Nature Preserve. Maybe it was their killer outfits. Maybe it was her sparkling ring. Maybe it was the lighting. Or maybe it was their love for each other… I believe it was the latter.

Destany and Suleiman are one of the sweetest couples I’ve met. (Shout out to Trinity High School, and fate, for crossing Suleiman’s and my path all those years ago!) Their love for each other is so true, you can just see it. You can see it in the way they move, the way they talk to each other, and the way they look at each other. It made my job capturing their incredible engagement almost too easy.

Let’s not forget that this whole thing was made even sweeter by their 3-year-old daughter sitting in her stroller watching Paw Patrol right next to me the entire time. Little Ellie is quite possibly the cutest and sweetest 3-year-old I’ve ever seen. She sat there for 2 hours completely content with her YouTube findings… for the most part. I caught her staring at me and her parents multiple times wondering what on earth we were doing. I just couldn’t get over how sweet and precious she was. Although, Destany insisted that the reason she was being so sweet was that they bribed her with candy and sushi.

It was a rare and beautiful day in February. The sun was shining, and the high was near 70 degrees. I wasn’t worried about a thing! Until the sun started to go down…. And we were a mile deep in the never-ending maze of trails at Arbor Hills (this place is massive). I have to say, Destany and Suleiman were troopers. They climbed up and down rocks and trails, held poses while waiting for crowds of people in the background to pass, walked at least a mile, and froze their tootsies off… all for the sake of the shot.

Destany and Suleiman, you two are incredible. You’re such an inspiration for what a loving relationship should look like. You’re doing a truly amazing job raising Ellie. And I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate your wedding with you in November.  Thank you so much trusting me on this adventure! I am so, so honored to be the one to capture this huge milestone for you guys. You’re the reason I feel so blessed to do what I do. Congratulations!! Now let’s get you married!!