Getting engaged has always been exciting because of what it means. It means you get to start preparing for a marriage. It means you get to dive head first into planning a wedding and a life together. Getting these two back in front of my camera less than a month after their surprise proposal and seeing all of those dreams already coming to life was so surreal.

Hearing them talk about their wedding plans and getting everything lined up was exciting, but honestly, it wasn’t because of the wedding itself. It was because of the little ways they’re already planning to honor the people who taught them how to love. That is the foundation of this marriage, and that’s why I’m so grateful to be a part of it.

When Taylor got out of the truck, I immediately was obsessed with her outfit. I think the first thing I said was, “Your dress!”

And that’s when she told me about her grandma.

Her grandma’s favorite color was orange, which is why Taylor chose the dress and shoes that she did. She showed me her grandma’s watch, the same one I remember her wearing when Brennan proposed. She was already telling me about the jewelry and shoes she wants to wear on her wedding day to incorporate her grandma, too.

And I just kept thinking about how that’s the why behind all of this.

The wedding planning. The little details. The things you choose to wear and include.

Because the legacy that came before us, the people who taught us how to love, is woven into every piece of who we are. And then, when we fall in love and begin building a life of our own, we get to carry those things with us.

Taylor & Brennan’s wedding day won’t just be a celebration of the two of them. It will be a celebration of all the love that brought them here. And I think that’s one of the sweetest parts of getting to photograph an engagement. You get to see the very beginning of a marriage, before the wedding day ever arrives.

Taylor & Brennan,

Your love shines through every time I see you guys. I’m so grateful you chased the sunrise with me for these, and I’m even more grateful that I get to be there for all the things that come next.

I hope every sunrise you see from here on out lights the sky up orange.

I hope you hold onto the love you’ve learned from your families and the love you’ve already built together. I hope you keep finding little ways to carry the people who shaped you into the life you’re creating together.

These pictures are a little piece of the beginning of your marriage, and I hope years from now, when you’re looking back at them, you remember exactly what this season felt like.

Just know I’ll always be cheering you on.