Colin and Ansley’s engagement session took place at Arrington Vinyards just outside of Nashville, TN.  It rained ALL weekend, but the rains cleared and made way for a beautiful evening!

Ansley was starting her last year of pharmacy school at the University of Kentucky.  She decided to spend her last year of the program doing the required didactic coursework in Louisville, Kentucky. After spending two years of undergrad and three years of pharmacy coursework at UK in Lexington, she felt that she needed a change so she moved to Louisville the summer of 2017.

Colin went to MTSU for a BS in political science and was in a master’s program there.  A former coworker encouraged him to transfer to the University of Louisville. He decided to transfer to follow this opportunity and moved to Louisville in 2016 to complete his Master’s in Higher Education Administration.

The summer of 2017 they were both in Louisville but hadn’t met just yet!  Her girlfriends had been encouraging her to try to meet new people and to be open to finding a relationship. In the spirit of being open to new experiences after her move, she downloaded a dating app for the first time. He was being encouraged to put himself out there by his coworkers and ended up on the dating app as well.

They “matched” right after his birthday (August 12th). They were both drawn to each other, they shared a common love of  pets (her cat Boo, his dog Frank) and quickly realized they both had a lot of common values in passion for their careers, public service, and love and importance of family.

Soon they made plans for their first date for Saturday August 19th!  Colin picked her up and they went to Brick House Tavern and Tap and had drinks on the covered patio.

They connected immediately!  Colin was sweet and was always looking for ways to show how he cared.

The moment Ansley knew she loved him was when he surprised her outside her apartment at 6am with Starbucks coffee and his pup Frank before an early morning shift.  Colin is not a morning person, and he was willing to go out of his way just to help her have a good day!

Colin says the moment he realized he loved Ansley was a few weeks after meeting, he was on a bachelor party trip to New Orlean and while he was there having fun, he missed being in Louisville with her!

Over the next few months and into the fall of 2017 they had to face the reality of their situation. They were interviewing for jobs because they were both graduating in May.  As their careers were an important part of their lives, it was hard to fathom giving up a good opportunity for a new relationship, even though they were already in love. They soon realized they didn’t want to live without each other!

Ansley accepted a position with Walgreens in northern Kentucky so she could live with her parents while Colin’s job search took him across the US.  After interviewing with universities in Arizona, Texas, Missouri, and many others, Colin found an opportunity in northern Kentucky! After considering his options, he decided to take a position at Northern Kentucky University. They found an apartment in Eastgate Ohio and moved in together in August 2018!

During this time, sadly Ansley’s grandfather Pappy lost his battle with Pancreatic cancer.  They were fortunate to spend time with him over the summer and were able to tell him of our intent to marry and received his blessing and love.

After his passing, Ansley’s grandmother gave them the engagement ring and wedding band she wore for many years.  They were so blessed and honored to have this gift, and their marriage had lasted a lifetime (over 50 years). After receiving the ring, Colin began working on his proposal.

He decided to propose at the restaurant where they had their first date in Louisville.  Knowing how much Ansley’s family and my friends mean to her, he knew they needed to be there.  He worked to find a day that everyone could travel from across the country to be there!

He asked if she could get off work on Saturday, November 3rd for an alumni event in Louisville.  She had been working overnights at Walgreens for the week leading up to that Saturday.  Colin gave her a gift card to get her nails done because he said she deserved it after having a long week.  He told her Friday night that the “alumni event” was at Brick House, where they had their first date!

When they arrived at the restaurant, he got down on one knee outside, asked her to marry him and she said “yes”!  It happen so quickly that no one was able to snap a picture of him on his knee!  Suddenly people were cheering and hollering from the covered patio where the shades were drawn.  She assumed it was strangers or people at the event, but then Colin told her it was their family and friends!  It was a perfect day and they celebrated through the night!

Today, they keep busy with their jobs and brindle pug puppy Louis (named after Louisville, where they met).  They enjoy traveling and seeing friends and family.  Colin is an avid Pred’s fan and they both love their Alma-mater football and basketball teams.

Colin and Ansley’s engagement session was in the perfect location for this wine loving pair.  They are set to wed on April 4, 2020 at ONE Historic Event Space in Nashville, TN.

If you loved Colin and Ansley’s engagement session here is another one you will love!