By Jade
Annie & Cole
On June 5, 2026, I met Annie and Cole outside Villisca, Iowa for an engagement session that was equal parts romantic, relaxed, and true to them. With open country, a family barn, and the place they’ll someday build their home as our backdrop, there really couldn’t have been a more meaningful location.
From a Lunch Date to Forever
Annie and Cole’s story started through a connection to Annie’s college roommate. They met up for lunch one day, hit it off, and the rest unfolded from there.After two and a half years together, Cole proposed in December 2025 at Christmas lights, bringing their story back to something that had been part of one of their very first dates. Full-circle moments always get me. Their relationship also has a wonderfully spontaneous side. At one point, Annie simply mentioned that she wanted to visit the Georgia Aquarium. By the next day, the two had planned an entire week-long trip for the following week, complete with a stop in Nashville on the way home. It became their first big vacation and road trip together. That sense of adventure fits them. They’re happiest outside and doing something together, whether that means golfing, working in the yard, taking a drive, or deciding on a whim that it’s time for a road trip.
Engagement Photos With a Little More Meaning
The location for their session wasn’t chosen just because it was beautiful.
This property is where Annie and Cole plan to build their house, and the barn has been in Cole’s family for generations. Someday, these photographs won’t only show what their engagement season looked like. They’ll show the beginning of their life on a piece of land that will continue to be part of their family story. As a photographer, those are the locations I love most. Give me a place with history, meaning, and a glimpse of what’s still to come.
Cowboy Formal, but Make It Fun
Annie described the vision for their engagement photos as “cowboy formal, but still fun and whimsical,” which fit the setting perfectly. She brought a flowy white dress along with a more casual jeans-and-white-tank look, while Cole kept things classic in jeans and a button-up. Instead of filling the session with stiff poses, we focused on movement, interaction, and letting the two of them settle into being themselves. They had warned me that they felt awkward posing, so naturally, the solution was not to make them pose all night. Walking, laughing, moving, getting close, and giving them things to do allowed the photographs to feel natural while still making sure we captured those important images where you can actually see both of their faces. Save-the-date material: secured.
A Beginning Worth Remembering
There’s something special about photographing two people in a place that hasn’t fully become home yet.
Right now, it’s a family property and a generations-old barn. In a few years, it may be the view outside their windows, the yard they work in together, and the place where countless ordinary days become their life. Annie and Cole, thank you for trusting me to photograph this chapter before the next one begins. I hope someday you look back at these images hanging inside the home you built here and remember exactly what it felt like when so much of your story was still ahead of you.
