This past week, Collin gave Carsyn three big things – the adoption papers for his dog Titus, the flu, AND an engagement ring!! It was the running joke on Friday night as we celebrated their picture-perfect Lake Thunderbird proposal. If you’ve followed my blog at all, or are familiar with wedding photographers in the OKC area, then you know Carsyn! Genuine, relatable, endearing, and kind-hearted, she is one of the most beautiful people I know, truly both inside and out. I love the friendship we have developed over the last few years through trading headshots and chatting about our big senior photo seasons at OU! She is the first person I refer people to for photography, of course because of her talent, but also because of the love she has for serving people well with her gifts. She’s one of the best.

Carsyn and I got together right after the new year to do one of our biannual headshot swaps, and not more than 3 or 4 days later I got a text from Collin about the plans he had forming with Carsyn’s best friend for the big day! We got the date on the calendar, scheduled a location scout out at the lake, and everything else felt like it just fell right into place! He chose Lake Thunderbird to propose because Carsyn not only loves the lake, but it was also where they had their second date! The extra bonus to this was that since it’s still winter and everything is dead, it ended up being the perfect place to avoid dead trees and we caught the most beautiful winter golden hour light!!!

To get her to the lake without giving away any hints, Collin told Carsyn they were going to watch one of his friends land a sea plane on the water. Collin has his pilot’s license and has been telling Carsyn for a while that he wanted to learn how to land a sea plane, so this was not an unusual request. After being pretty sick all week, she thought for sure that he wouldn’t propose that weekend. We caught her by surprise and Collin pulled off the perfect (and sweetest) evening, with Titus playing a center stage role in the big moment.

There are so many things I loved about this one – it is so much fun to celebrate your friends, pull off a stellar surprise, photograph a beautiful setting, and the love these two have for each other with the Lord as their anchor. All the pieces were perfectly in place, and it was an honor to be the one to be there to capture it for the future Craytors!!! Check out how the evening played out below, and don’t miss Collin’s sweet words about his fiancé in between the photos!

How did y’all meet?

She came over to my house with a couple of mutual friends to unwind by playing with Titus, my dog, after a stressful week. We followed each other on social media, and I kept a lookout for this beautiful girl who thought she could just pop in and back out of my life. 😉

(Collin had pointed at the “plane” off in the distance and when she turned back around to him, he was down on one knee!) Immediate tears!! On our first date, I took Carsyn out to get coffee and donuts with Titus (of course). She had graduated from college, but I was in my last semester with finals… I actually had one final that would determine whether I graduated or not the next day… Thinking this would be a short, 2-hour, lunch/snack date that I could come home from and study afterward was a mistake. We walked around the dog park talking for 5 hours!!! As the sun was beginning to set, I finally caved in and told her that I needed to get back to study for my final in the morning. She was SO MAD. She held it in the best she could, but I could tell that she thought I was crazy. I just didn’t want to risk her turning me down, so I stuck with that time and place no matter what. Pure joy!!!!! I think I’m officially a golden light girl!!! AHHHHH! I LOVE this one!

What do you love about Carsyn?

I love Carsyn because of her incredible gift to keep me grounded in my faith. She continually encourages and believes in the man that I am, she matches my emotional intensity, and she loves me for who I am right now, not who I was yesterday or what may lie ahead. Her meek beauty reminds me to be gentle and kind every day. She cares for Titus and me all the time without me asking, without hesitation, and without expectation.