University of Illinois Campus + Alice Campbell Alumni Center Fountain, Champaign, IL

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Fun love. It’s hard to come by sometimes, but Dallas and Courtney both hit the jackpot. I’ve known Dallas for years and he’s always been a big goofball. In addition to that, he’s kind, smart, strong, and hard working. In fact, Dallas was in my wedding years ago! Then I met Courtney. Sweet, shy, kind Courtney. I believe the first time I met her was for a mutual friends’ 21st celebration at a local campus bar, and she was a little reserved being in a room full of mostly strangers but I could tell Dallas was head over heels for her. Now here we are, some time later, and these two are getting married and I got to help plan their engagement session! We discussed visiting Dallas’ family farm for photos, but ultimately decided that since they first met on the campus of the University of Illinois, that it would be sweet to re-visit some of their favorite spots. It was so much fun and I got so many goofy looks out of Dallas that these two are going to have an entire “outtakes” folder. We started at the place Dallas proposed, the front steps of St. John’s Catholic Newman Center. It was sweet hearing Dallas tell the story of how he asked Courtney to be his wife. After visiting the quad for a few photos, we went over to our second location, the Illidell frat house, where Dallas lived throughout college. Then, the one place Courtney insisted upon was the fountain right next to the Alice Campbell Alumni Center over by the Admissions and Records building. When I asked her why it was such a special spot she responded with, “Dallas threw me in the fountain on our first date.”

You read that right.

On their FIRST date, Dallas (being the goofball that he is) THREW Courtney into the fountain!

AND SHE STUCK AROUND PEOPLE. What a gal. I can’t say I would have done the same! So, to end our session, we went back to wear it all started, that fountain, and as the fun loving people they both are, they volunteered to jump back in! I can honestly say that’s a first for one of my sessions, but it was so fun that it hopefully won’t be the last!

Thanks to Sage Ihrke for Courtney’s makeup and the LookAfter Hair Company for her hair. She looked beautiful!

PS – Yes, her ring is on her right hand! It’s an old catholic tradition that it stay on the right hand until the wedding day, when switched over to the left to accompany the wedding band!