Carnival rides led to love | A Kenosha Engagement Session

Written by Amber -

Nick and Angela have one of the most adorable relationship stories. It is one of laughter, long walks together and carnival rides, but they admit they have definitely put in a fair amount of work to make it the long lasting relationship it is today. Chad and I enjoyed getting to know these two as we did their Engagement Session this past winter. (Plus, you'd never guess how C-O-L-D it was during this shoot...they were such troopers!) We think their images turned out to be beautiful. 

As you read their story, I hope you enjoy these Session highlights...

"Our favorite thing about each other is that we make a good team," Angela said. "We have a lot of differences which help keep our relationship pretty balanced and we can keep each other in check. We love to make each other happy." Angela smiled, "Nick loves when he can make me laugh. And I love laughing, it’s perfect."

The first time they met, Nick and Angela were at a Relay for Life event in Kenosha. They were introduced by Angela's Mom and sister (who worked with Nick), but they didn't talk much that night, but Angela said it was enough to know that she was interested in him! She didn't think she'd see him again.

Since Angela didn't have Nick's number, one night when she, her sister and some of their friends were getting together, Angela asked her sister to invite him to come. To Angela's surprise, Nick came! "That night we did more talking and we were both having a really good time with each other's company," Angela remembers. "But he left and I still didn't have his number! I thought that was really it, and that it wouldn't go much further." To her surprise again, Nick found Angela on Facebook and promptly asked for her number.

Angela lived right by the YMCA where Nick worked out every morning, so some mornings before she would lifeguard, he would stop by her house and they would go on long walks together. They would just talk and enjoy each other's company. "It was the best way to start my days!" Angela said.

Angela was so excited the day Nick asked her out on their first date. "We went to the Wisconsin State Fair and he took me on carnival rides, which was my first time ever going on them because my mom always told me they were too dangerous," Angela said. "We rode almost every single one! And I was really nervous because they were dangerous! On one ride the guy who was operating it had to manually stop the ride himself," she laughed. "Some had duct tape that looked like it was holding the ride together. It was the best date that I'd been on though! And from there came a second date."

I asked the two what they like to do together. "We like to be outside! Go on walks, go to some garage sales, and we still love carnivals and fairs to remind us of our first date." The two very much enjoy hanging out together because they have a lot in common. "Just recently we started to go hunting together," Angela told me. "I never thought it would be interesting to me, but it actually is. We’ve learned new things from being together—I took in some of his interests and he took in some of mine."

"When we first started dating, I don’t remember exactly how the topic came up, but we were talking about the moon and I had made a comment about how the moon glows," Angela said.  Nick's reaction was priceless. "He just laughed and told me how the moon itself doesn’t glow, but that the sun makes it look like its glowing." They both broke into laughter. Angela admitted to him that literally her whole life she thought the moon glowed on its own. Nick still thinks it's hilarious and to this day, they still joke about it. 

It's not all laughter and fun, though. "The LOVE part we definitely had to work at," Angela said honestly. "We were obviously attracted to each other when we first saw each other and that’s kind of what got things started, but no one can really love someone just at the first sight. How silly. Of course we worked up to it! That’s what makes it so much more valuable."

"What we think keeps our relationship alive is talking through problems, and Nicks favorite—never going to bed angry. We tell each other how we appreciate each other, and also cuddle time and date nights certainly help!"

"My number one advice for other couples is actually to not take too much advice from other people," Angela shared. "Just like every person is different, so is every relationship. Something that might work for someone else might not work for you. That’s what you two in the relationship need to figure out and talk through. It might be a little difficult at first but definitely worth it when you get it right."

The proposal happened on Christmas Eve right before they went to church.  Angela was finishing getting ready and Nick carefully hid a video camera in the Christmas tree to capture the event that was about to unfold. When Angela opened up the ring, he popped the question and she said yes! Their secret camera footage ended up only capturing part of Angela's leg, but it was the thought that counted, right? Super cute. I'm betting the audio on there is totally worth it.

The only mishap with the proposal was the ring... Unfortunately they had to return it because it didn't fit. Based on the way the diamonds were fixed, they couldn’t resize it. Even this became a point of laughter for them, though. Angela said, "I'd tease him and ask if he still wanted to marry me or if that was his way of taking it back. It was months later that we actually returned it and I got the new one I have now. But I love it!" 

Nick and Angela's wedding ceremony will be at their church in Racine, First Evangelical Lutheran Church. The reception will be held at the Kenosha Country Club. "It’s a medium sized wedding, bigger than we originally planned though," Angela described. They're still deciding if they'd like to make some of the wedding decor themselves, but one thing is for sure: the theme is princess / fairytale, and there will be lots of sparkle!

Nick and Angela both agree that marriage won’t be that much different than their relationship now. "It’s not like it’s a new relationship—we're still the same people. The only thing is insurance and things like that that will change, so I guess I’m looking forward to health insurance?" Angela laughed. For their honeymoon, they are planning to go to Florida a couple months after the wedding, but they like going down there that time of the year. 

Nick and Angela, we're so happy for you two! We love you, we love your story, and we can't wait to capture the events as they unfold at your wedding—the first chapter of your married love story. How exciting!

To see more of this Engagement Session, view their full gallery here »