We're Getting Married!

After Covid-19 shut down our county in April, we both found ourselves on an app called United Young: a new Christian app run by a married couple. After connecting, Hayes reached out to Bree with his opening line, "Hey Bree! Are you a photographer? :)" After that, we started getting to know each other!

After Bree took a chance and flew across the country to meet the boy she FaceTimed every day, Hayes knew he wanted to be intentional in their relationship and ask her to be his girl. On Coronado Island, he took her on a long walk down the beach, hand in hand, and sat down for sunset. Once the sun was behind the mountains, he told her he had an important question to ask her: To be his girlfriend! She happily said yes!

From June through November, Hayes and Bree took turns flying back and forth to meet each others' family and friends and see each other. Every night apart ended in a FaceTime call and prayer, sometimes leaving the call on all night long. Every goodbye was emotional, but knowing they'd see each other again soon made it all worth it. During Hayes's trip to Ohio in early October, he asked Bree's mom and sister for their permission to marry her, then convinced Bree he wasn't asking them this trip, and it would be the next time...

Many conversations about marriage later, Hayes had convinced Bree that their engagement "by the end of the year" would be in December, but his real plan was much different. He planned a photoshoot for their businesses with her sister, Ashley, so that Bree would be all done up, and told her he had a pose idea he wanted to capture. Grabbing his phone, he pulled up the "pose" which was actually a video filled of their favorite times together. Bree was so surprised she said, "No you are not!" twenty times. He got down on one knee, telling her how much he loved her, and before he could even finish his sentence, she said "YES!" Bree's best friend, Andrea, and her then fiancé, Matt, also surprised her in that moment. Following the proposal was a surprise engagement party filled with close family and friends!