Dean is my younger brother so naturally I wanted to be a part of his proposal. Becky and I get together every once and awhile for photos so it was easy to invite Dean to join us without letting Becky know anything was out of the norm. White Rock Overlook isn’t super crowded in the colder months so I hoped we would have the place to ourselves. After taking a few photos of Becky, I asked if I could take a few of them together before she changed. We she came back and they walked over to a different vantage point so I could give them some privacy to talk for a minute. I snuck over and caught them just at the right time. Becky had no inkling that was why we were all there. It was a perfect moody evening and I’m so so glad I was there to capture it!

Q: Becky, Let’s start at the beginning. How did you two first meet? 

A: I grew up in Germany and spent my eleventh grade here, in Arkansas. A school year abroad of sorts. And that's where I met Dean, in high school. Dean and I ended up in the same friend group. After I left a year later, I made sure to visit every other summer. It's funny- I had a crush on him back then- which, of course, he knew. Five years down the road, I decided to leave Germany again to work in the US for a little. We reconnected and everything just went from there. We've known each other for nine years now. 

Q: What makes your relationship special? Tell us some things that you both value in your time together. (example: pushing each other to new limits, love to travel, huge comic book fans, foodies, etc.) What makes your relationship unique? 

A: When Dean and I get into something together, like music genres, a franchise, or politics, we get almost obsessively into it. We're that annoying couple that'll finish each other's Game of Thrones quotes at a friend's gathering. But jokes aside; Dean balances out my anxiety with his pragmatism as I balance out his groundedness with enthusiasm. There's nothing unique about the way we work, but it's this strong bond that's so uniquely special to us individually. It runs like a machine. 

Q: How did you know your partner was the one? When did you first know this in your relationship?

A: It wasn't really a single moment. Dean and I have been incredibly durable since the start. We've both grown and changed in sync with each other and have taught each other so much throughout. Sometimes I think of it as two very weird looking, janky, puzzle pieces that, somehow, belong next to each other. That's what it feels like: it feels like we belong. He's probably known for a little bit longer than me, but not by much. 

Q: Give us all the details about the proposal. How and where did it happen? Was it a surprise? What was the planning process? 

A: Dean, his sister April, and I drove to a vista spot in the hills to take portrait photos. It was January, windy, and more than chilly when we drove up. The sun was just setting with cloud banks sprawled across a pastel pink sky. It was super romantic; kind of unusual for us, since we're not massive romantics. Still, Dean popped the question while April was shooting couples photos of us. I was pretty slow on the whole thing and it took him repeating himself until I understood what was going on. Quite a few profanities- that I'm glad weren't on tape- later, the ring was on my finger. He had planned it all with April; I truly had no idea it was going to happen. Perfection. The serenity and how harsh nature stood around us- the cold made it intense- all of it was absolutely more than I could have ever imagined for this special moment. He knows me well. 

Q: We’re all about the bling… Tell us all about that ring! 

A: April told me that Dean decided on the engagement ring at the first shop they tried. He's decisive in his nature. We hadn't talked about rings specifically, but he knew I was into classics and that I valued the symbolic gesture way more than the material. He believes the same, so he just picked the perfect ring. I still get surprised by how well he knows me. I'm not a person that wears jewelry. And if I do, it's simple. Meaningful. Dean could have proposed to me with a candy ring and I would have said yes- but this one is even better than that, haha. 

Q: Are you excited to start planning your wedding day? Do you have any ideas in mind yet? 

A: This is quite funny. Dean and I were planning our outside wedding for two years from the engagement. Then the pandemic hit our worlds and we weren't sure anymore what our future would look like in the United States. So we took a safety measure. We got married straight away. This would make it easier for Dean to immigrate in case we would want to leave for Germany.So we drove down to the courthouse, they took our temperature at the entrance, then Dean's best friend's dad, Jim, legally married us in his kitchen and we ordered our wedding bands online. We had a small cake, I wore a white blouse, Jim's wife, Pam, had picked Daffodils from her yard to bind together for a small bouquet. Jim and Pam threw quinoa as Dean and I exited their house. It was hilariously perfect and I loved every second of it.No matter what happens, we're feeling safe and happy to have each other in these trying times. But we're still planning on having a nature wedding down by the Buffalo river in a couple of years.