Do you remember that HUGE giveaway I hosted last year? The one where I gave away a full wedding package complete with an engagement session? Well, I’m happy to say that I’ve finally been blessed with the opportunity to get the winning couple in front of my camera, and boy, was it an amazing session! I’m THRILLED for you all to meet the winners, Jake and Victoria, who met me for their engagement photos at White Rock Lake! We had a blast capturing some amazing photos together! We laughed, got to know one another better, and then wondered where the time had gone once the sun began to set at White Rock Lake. Jake even admitted himself how much he has come to love engagement sessions, because (as a friend had hinted at in advance), he learned he was basically given a free pass to kiss and “be sweet” on his girl the entire time! LOVE IT!

A little about the couple: Jake and Victoria met through mutual friends from their church in College Station. Jake had his eyes on the gorgeous Victoria for a little while and had made a point of inviting her friends two-stepping, always in the hopes that she would be there. When his plan worked and she made an appearance, he excitedly moved in and offered to teach her a few steps. Being known as one of the stronger dancers of the group, Jake then brought her to the main floor thinking he’d for sure have the opportunity to sweep Victoria off of her feet. As they wrapped up, Victoria looked a bit dazed and admitted that she was a little dizzy from all of the spinning. Jake’s reply? “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it after you build up some stamina.” Ha!

Between Victoria taking every chance she could to continue working on two-stepping, and Jake feeling off-put that Victoria didn’t immediately swoon into his arms, it was awhile before their paths aligned again on the dance floor. After all, Victoria wasn’t exactly sure what to make of Jake’s previous comment, and Jake had convinced himself that she wasn’t interested in him. It took some time for him to work up the courage to ask her to dance, and when he finally did, Victoria’s reply was a sweet-spirited BUT ULTIMATELY somewhat tired “no.” She turned him down once more the following night, which was the final straw for Jake who had rarely received a denial to a dance. So, he convinced himself in his heart that he wasn’t interested in her any longer – but little did Jake know that Victoria was beginning to fall in love with two-stepping!

Eventually, a night came where Victoria was the only girl without a partner, and Jake’s favorite song was on. There was no avoiding one another this time. Jake swallowed his pride and asked Victoria to dance – to which she finally agreed! At this point, Victoria fell head over heels, truly being “swept off her feet” in love with her newly found dance partner as they spun across the dance floor. Victoria made a point to go out dancing whenever she knew Jake would be present, and soon enough no other girl was able to get a dance in because Jake was falling deeply for her, as well. From there, the relationship truly blossomed, and the rest is history!

Victoria has mentioned that Jake is quite the sweet talker and such a romantic, which totally makes sense hearing about their proposal! Victoria shared that Jake “planned an elaborate scheme, which involved my own family being so sneaky. We were in Florida on a family vacation and I thought we were going to a family dinner that night. When we arrived to the restaurant I went to the back deck where I was meeting them (which was right on the ocean), and looked out on the beach to find Jake standing there with a table set for two in a pile of rose petals. He proposed and we had an incredible meal just the two of us on the beach as the sunset!” SO DREAMY!

Victoria wore the cutest gold romper and a black lace dress, while Jake wore a suit and then changed into jeans and a button up. The two looked incredible together and really made a point to not only suit up, but also dress like themselves. They wanted a look that “showed who we as a couple are. So we did a little bit crazy, fun and romantic.” Nailed. It.

I asked Jake and Victoria what kind of advice they have for couples who are in the midst of preparing for their engagement session. Their best recommendation was “to just have fun, it’s really about capturing your love with one another. It’s hard to do that when you aren’t being yourself with your partner. Emily did a great job of making us remember to just be ourselves.“

Isn’t that what it’s all about at the end of the day? Celebrating your uniqueness as a couple and capturing the true spirit of your relationship? I sure think so! One thing is for sure – Jake and Victoria are truly one of the kindest, sweetest couples I have ever had the privilege of photographing. I feel so incredibly lucky!

Jake and Victoria, I am SO excited to capture your big day at The McKinney Flour Mill this June! Thank you for being awesome and trusting me with documenting your love!

Are you looking for a wedding and engagement photographer in Dallas? I would love to hear from you about photographing your special day, no matter in which part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex you are getting married! I am a Dallas Wedding Photographer and specializing in modern wedding photography across the DFW area. I also serve Plano, Allen, and McKinney weddings. If you love what you see, hop on over to my website, contact me, and let’s start dreaming up the biggest celebration of your life!