I’d taken portraits for them before. A year earlier, we’d walked around downtown Denver, catching shots along brick walls and cool doorways. I barricaded myself against the single-digit temperatures as they braved the weather for a good shot or two.

We found some fun rock outcroppings and urban steps and street lamps. Real in/the-city stuff.

As I edited the photos, I could tell that they looked happy. Like, genuinely happy together.

I could tell that this was going to be a forever thing.

A few months later, they got engaged.

And, when they asked me to take their engagement photos in Nashville, I didn’t hesitate.

We showed up at an old farm, a spot that used to grow food and raise horses (and make their own berry wine). The old house remained intact, as did the fields and store house and stables.

Recently, the old farm started making whiskey. Barrels lined the exterior brick walls of the distillery, providing a rustic backdrop for a quick photo stop.

We wandered around the old property, finding horses and history as the newly engaged couple found backdrop after scenic backdrop. They laughed and laughed and smiled.

When the wedding invitation arrived in the mail, one picture graced the front, while another adorned the back. A prelude to a beautiful wedding. A prelude to a joyful marriage.