HANNAH + JAKE : VOW RENEWAL

Their story began long ago when Hannah was attending college at Mckendree University where she lived with roommates, Olivia and Nicki. (who are now bridesmaids) Olivia was dating a boy named, Sean. (who is the best man). He knew that Hannah was having a difficult time in the dating scene and randomly mentioned that his best friend from high school was newly single and he thought they would be a perfect match.
They decided to go on a blind double date with Sean and Olivia to go bowling. Jake had just had knee surgery, so of course, bowling seemed like the best choice lol.  It was a frigid January night with more than likely either snow or ice on the ground, but he hobbled over on crutches to meet Hannah. They both went up to the food stand together where Jake bought them both Dr. Peppers and a pizza and from that moment on they were absolutely smitten.

They had been going on dates for three weeks when Hannah very impatiently asked Jake, “would you be my boyfriend already?” on Superbowl Sunday. After the first date when her roommates asked how it went and Hannah boldly stated, “Oh I’m going to marry that kid.” He knew quickly into dating he would propose to Hannah someday, and that someday came 4 years after their first date on a cold day in St.Louis. Jacob took Hannah to Peel (this girl loves pizza), then they walked through the Missouri Botanical Gardens and around the Art Museum for a while. He had the ring in his pocket and Hannah almost bumped into it several times. Afterward, Jake mentioned wanted to take Hannah to his favorite spot from when he was a runner at SLU. Jacob was soon to be deployed and mentioned a certain spot and he really wanted to enjoy it before leaving the next month. At the bottom of Art Hill at golden hour they stood in front of a little pond and fountains.  She was admiring the color of the sun reflecting off the ice and was just about to make a comment about it when Jake turned to her and said, “honey”. It was in that moment she knew he was about to propose. He got down on one knee and opened the little ring box with a ring that had her grandma’s diamond in it and asked her to be his wife.

They originally planned to be married at Pere Marquette Lodge in Grafton IL last June, but due to Covid the plans had to change.  They decided to get married in her mom’s backyard which used to be her grandma and grandpa’s land. They had already planned to be married on her grandma and grandpa’s 55th anniversary, with her grandma’s ring. Although COVID messed up a lot of plans, they truly believe that everything happened the way it was meant to.

While their 2020 wedding day was perfect, the two wanted to go forward with the celebration with all of their family and friends that they had dreamed about. One June 11, these two reaffirmed their promise to one another and finally had the day they’d waited so long for.  Enjoy the beautiful weddings day (take two) of Hannah and Jacob!

Maybe one of my favorite photos of all time.  Love the bond these two share.I cannot with this dessert bar. Like every best dessert you could dream of was on here. And of course this was about 3 weeks in to giving up sugar. But don’t think for one second that stopped me.Getting a chance to slip away for golden hour with the bride and groom is one of our favorite times of the day. Even if you have a ton of great photos of the day, the vibe is totally different and relaxed.  It’s the perfect way to end your photos of the day!