Natalie and Steven invited me out to Steven’s ranch for their engagement session.  This location holds a very special place in both of their hearts.  Not only is this the property that Steven farms, it is also the exact location where Steven proposed to Natalie.  As a farmer’s wife, I understand their lifestyle and know exactly what it is like to be in rice harvest.  I will be honest, after their session, I feel like I need to update our family at rice harvest pictures.  If you have never been out to rice harvest, hug a farmer, and climb on the harvester.  It is an incredible experience.

How They Met

Natalie and Steven met through social media. Steven asked to follow Natalie on Instagram. Natalie immediately hopped over to Facebook to stalk Steven a little bit.  She learned that they had one mutual friend that was a farmer. Natalie figured that since Steven was a farmer, he could not be too bad, right?  Natalie knew that in the worst-case scenario, she could always unfriend and block Steven.

For their first date, Steven took Natalie to dinner at Granzella’s, and then they got some ice cream for dessert.  The mosquitoes were out in full force, so they took a drive through the rice fields and ate their ice cream.  For their second date, they went to a River Cats game.  They did a double date with Steven’s sister and his brother-in-law.  Natalie remembers the conversation going so smoothly that it felt like she already knew them.  They needed to grab some more chairs for the baseball game, so they ended up swinging by Stephen parents’ house; and Natalie bumped into Steven‘s parents!  She had the same exact feeling; that they already felt like family.

The Proposal 

Steven convinced Natalie to meet him in Woodland before they drove up the mountain to the family cabin for shrimp tacos.  Steven sprung on Natalie that he needed to run through the rice fields to check the water.  (I know this situation well!)  Natalie really did not want to miss dinner; she loves her mom’s shrimp tacos.  Steven kept taking her around the rice fields and finally coaxed her out of the truck by trying to show her turtles that were in the water.  She reluctantly followed him out to the water, all to learn that the turtles had disappeared.  Steven turned to face her, and he dropped down to one knee.  He started to confess his love for her.  Steven had a whole speech prepared, but none of those words came out of his mouth.  Whatever he said was perfect because Natalie said yes!  Immediately after, she heard cheering.  When Natalie turned, she saw that her whole family was celebrating their engagement.  Natalie was slightly bummed though. There really were no shrimp tacos that evening, and she holds a grudge about it today.

Natalie and Steven, what an adventure you had on your engagement session!  It was wonderful to see the variety of crops all in the Knight’s Landing area.  You two are so lucky to have this in your backyard.  I love that Steven had locations in mind that he wanted to be sure you two captured together.  It truly was wonderful to spend the evening with you two, driving around with Bella, hearing you two talk “shop”, and to witness you interact together.  There is nothing quite like unexpectedly stepping into a tractor tire rut in the rice field to learn that your wedged heel is covered in mud!  Steven was a kind gentleman and helped get as much mud off of Natalie’s shoe as possible.  You two are so sweet to each other, and I can tell how much you two truly enjoy being in the company of one another.  I am so excited for you to see some of my many favorites from your engagement session!  Enjoy this season of life, because it will change again with a wedding in March.

Would you like to see more?  You can view engagement sessions here.