Cheyanne + Nate – a West Valley Engagement Story

Cheyanne & Nate are one of those couples you just love to love. And I feel incredibly lucky that I got to witness that during their engagement session!

I try to always meet my couples or brides before our session, if it’s possible, because I think it’s so important for them to get to know me and vice versa. When we can each see and hear one another it allows for a different level of relaxation on the day of because we’ve already gotten the “getting-to-know-you’s” out of the way. When I first met Cheyanne, her sweet spirit just radiated off of her, and I knew right then, if she was this sweet then Nate had to be as well!

She shared with me that they met back when she was in high school and part of FFA. Secretly, I got a little excited because I didn’t know that FFA existed in Arizona! She was showing her pig at the fair and he was in the ring helping out the showmen by opening the gates. When it came to be her turn, she had to close the gate herself and so that started the teasing from her to Nate about how come he didn’t do that for her! He says that was the first thing he noticed about her, was her sass – but that he thought it was pretty cute! And she loved that he could handle her sass, but that she noticed his bright blue eyes, and his adorable freckles!

Cheyanne & Nate share a very special engagement story. You see, they’d been talking about getting married for a while, and Cheyanne, maybe not so patiently, would text Nate a bunch of ring emoji’s as well as send him every ring she liked on Instagram. Nate kept telling her to be patient, and that he had a plan coming together. All the while, Cheyanne’s momma had been fighting cancer for over a year, and in the hospital. There came a point when her momma wasn’t doing well any longer, and they knew that she wouldn’t be with them anymore and they both wanted her momma to know what the future held for her eldest baby girl. So, Nate asked Cheyanne’s father’s permission to marry her, and thereafter carried around the ring for a whole night at the hospital waiting for the right time. Her momma wasn’t doing well that evening, and had a lot of visitors, and so he didn’t propose that evening. The next day, as they were on the way to the hospital, Nate made Cheyanne close her eyes and he slipped the ring on her finger to “try it on” but wouldn’t let her look at it, and quickly put it back in the box when he knew it was the right fit. When they got to the hospital he asked if now was a good time, and she happily agreed. He got out of the truck, walked around and opened up her door, and got down on one knee. They had the opportunity to walk up to her momma’s room together that day and celebrate with her, and that is a moment they will always cherish. Her momma stayed with them long enough to see her daughter become engaged to the love of her life; she went to Heaven to be with Jesus less than a week later.

Together, Nate & Cheyanne really are a pair of goofballs who love being together and having as much fun as possible! I can honestly say that I was just in awe of them, and their relationship through the whole engagement session just watching them be together. They have the type of relationship that people work hard for many, many years to accomplish — and they’re just beginning out their lives together like this!

And for a pair who love to be together as much as possible, they’ve spent a good portion of their relationship long distance. Cheyanne currently lives in the East Valley and is in her senior year at U of A studying Physiology with plans to become a Pediatric Anesthesiologist and Nate is currently living in the West Valley, working on his family farm as well as helping his family’s outfitting business, Schulz Outfitters. And for those of you who are about as savvy as I am (ie, not savvy) an outfitter is someone who helps others hunt! They set up the entire process for their clients, but what that means for Nate is that he spends about 6 months out of the year all over the state with people, helping them track down their hunts!

I know that their wedding couldn’t come fast enough for the both of them, as they look forward to being able to be together each & every day thereafter.

Cheyanne & Nate: thank you for allowing me the opportunity to not only capture your engagement season but to also be with you on your wedding day next February. I’m not going to lie, if you catching me hiding behind my camera it’s because I’m crying, because as much as you two are in love, I’m in love with your love!

Help me congratulate these two and stay tuned for their wedding photos in just a few short months!