As you all know I’ve been balancing sharing South Carolina weddings and engagements along with Texas weddings and engagements! It’s amazing to be a photographer in both states, and I truly love it – but today I’m focusing on an engagement session featuring an incredibly special couple in Greenville, South Carolina! Meghan and Keller chose to do their engagement session at Clemson University where they both studied. We were able to explore a bit and get to know each other better while capturing some fantastic moments. The best thing is that Meghan was a actually a bridesmaid at the wedding of a former bride I photographed, which is the absolute BEST compliment I can receive when someone books me! Needless to say, I already knew we were a fit, and loved working with this sweet couple.
I asked Meghan to share a few things about hers and Keller’s relationship to feature in this engagement session at Clemson University, so I’ll let her words take it from here!
How did you and Keller meet?
Keller and I attended the same high school and were in the same friend group. We both ended up going to Clemson for college but lost touch freshman year, with being at a new school and a new environment. We ended up running into each other at a football game our sophomore year. We then began spending a lot of time together and we became best friends and a few months later he asked me to be his girlfriend.
How did Keller propose?
Keller has always wanted to surprise me because I have never truly been surprised. He started convincing me that he wasn’t going to propose any time soon and that it wouldn’t be for at least another year. I had accepted that and let go of the idea of us getting engaged anytime soon.
The week he proposed he had just finished up finals and I was in Clemson that Saturday to visit him. He said he really wanted to go on a walk because he had been cooped up all week studying, so I agreed and we went to our favorite park in Clemson where it so happens he asked me to be his girlfriend 3 and a half years prior. We always go to the park on Lake Hartwell so I didn’t think anything of it. We sat down for a little while on one of the docks just talking about random things like the summer coming up and trips we had planned. He then got up and said lets go get some dinner, so I started walking towards land. He said wait I have something I want to show you. I turned around and said “your not going to throw me in are you?” he laughed and said no. He then got down on one knee. My initial thought was this is a joke because I was so convinced that he wouldn’t ask my any time soon. I said “get up, what are you doing?” He said, “Meghan, I’m serious, and this is happening. Meghan McDonald Coates, this has been the best 3 and a half years of my life…”
I don’t really remember the rest because I began crying. I couldn’t even speak the word “yes” because I was in such shock so I just nodded my head yes. He then put the ring on my finger and I was crying and shaking because I was so shocked by the surprise. On our way to dinner with our families he handed me a letter that he had written to my father who passed away when I was 13. The letter asked for his permission to marry me, and said that he would get the chance in heaven to ask him in person. That letter is one of the many reasons I love Keller. He made my father a part of one of the most important days of my life.
Tell me about some of the wedding details that get you most excited!
I am really excited about saying our own vows, It was important to me to make the ceremony really special to us and our relationship. I am also really excited about our diverse choices of cakes! we are having sweet potato cake which I am obsessed with and cheesecake which Keller is obsessed with and a couple others that our guests will enjoy too :)
What kind of look were you aiming for when dressing for your engagement session?
I really wanted our pictures to be a reflection of us and how we are everyday, from our outfits, our poses and the locations. We took all of our pictures outside around Clemson University campus because that’s where we began dating and he proposed.
Do you have any advice you wouldn’t mind sharing for couples who are about to have their engagement photos taken?
I would say to take into consideration of where you are taking pictures and what your clothes will look like with your location background. I preferred neutral colors so that the focus was not our clothes but the backgrounds and our emotions.
How was your overall session experience?
Keller and I had so much fun at our shoot, Emily made it so easy and natural that we didn’t feel like awkward or uncomfortable. It was very stress free and easy, and we ended up with the most amazing pictures that we are thrilled about!!
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