Michaela + Maria
Michaela and Maria matched on not one but two different dating apps. Clearly, the universe was trying to make a point! After meeting online, they fell for each other fast.
The first year of their relationship was long distance, as Maria finished college. Maria’s graduation weekend proved to be a milestone for more than one reason!
A story of two proposals, as told by Maria
“Each of us proposed separately. We had discussed it almost a year beforehand, but neither of us knew how the other was going to do it.
We made rules, and Michaela broke two of them! It had to be after graduation. I couldn’t do it unless Michaela’s closest family members were there, and I had to propose first.
The day before my graduation, Michaela drove to Iowa City to spend the day with me. We went to lunch at Which Wich, and she proposed before we started eating because she had been getting antsy.
She had crocheted me a stuffed owl and embroidered the stomach with the words “Marry me?” and I loved it.
The next day, immediately after my graduation ceremony, I met my family and Michaela outside the stadium and did it right there under the shade.
I had the ring box under my robes the entire ceremony, and I don’t know if I was more excited to propose or to graduate!”
“She would do anything to see a smile on my face.” – Michaela
They each designed custom engagement rings for each other. Michaela designed the perfect band for Maria online at Manly Bands. After a couple of revisions and more than a couple of emails, she saw her vision for Maria’s ring come to life.
Maria designed Michaela’s ring at Herteen & Stocker in Iowa City. Maria used the diamond from her Mom’s engagement ring as the center stone. *Be still my sentimental heart!* After looking at about 20 different bands, she found the perfect one. She said, “I picked the final band for a lot of reasons, but my favorite is the way the arches holding the diamond come together and make an “M” on both sides.” How cool is that?!
Michaela & Maria’s Scott County Park Engagement Session in Davenport, Iowa
3 words to describe Maria, by Michaela | quirky, beautiful, easy-going
3 words to describe Michaela, by Maria | beautiful, artsy, dedicated
I knew I wanted to spend forever with my love when…
Michaela: “She would do anything to see a smile on my face.”
I knew I wanted to spend forever with my love when…
Maria: “It wasn’t a sudden or singular moment. There were small ones that we shared during the year leading up to our engagement.
When we’d first started dating, I was still in school, so it meant the world to me when Michaela would drive to Iowa City to visit. And I’d do the same and drive to Davenport whenever I wasn’t too busy with schoolwork.
If I HAD to pick the first moment I started having the feeling that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Michaela, I’d honestly say it was probably the first time I told her that I loved her.
After weeks of planning, I’d finally found a job in Davenport at Walgreens and was able to move into the apartment Michaela had found.
The first night there, right before we went to bed, I told her how I felt, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else for the rest of my life than with her.”
What is something you both have in common?
Michaela: “Our love for Disney, board games, and our puppies.”
Maria: “We both love Disney movies, playing board games, and doing any kind of arts and crafts. I’m more of a knitter, and she crochets whatever she can think up next.”
What is something totally different about the two of you?
Michaela: “Our organization styles. I am very type A and have everything organized to a T. She is the exact opposite and very scatterbrained about organizing anything.”
What is something totally different about the two of you?
Maria: “I love being active and working out. Michaela would just prefer to relax inside or at the pool outside.
I also can’t cook without a recipe, but she comes up with things on the fly all the time!
I’m also a huge clean freak, and someone else isn’t very neat when she cooks in the kitchen. So I’m the one who vacuums and cleans the house. Thankfully, we split turns when it comes to the dishes.”
What is a fun fact/something people might not guess about your fiancé?
Michaela: “She is notoriously late to everything and super indecisive. It’s cute, sometimes.”
Maria: “She physically can’t kill bugs. Whenever there’s a spider or any fly in the house, I’m the one who has to kill it.
And although she’s the tall one, I’m the handy one who does all the heavy lifting because Michaela is the biggest softy (and I can’t say no to her puppy dog face). She’s also the little spoon!”
It was so fun spending time with these two! I can’t wait for their wedding tomorrow at Tangle Wood Hills in Bettendorf
If these photos resonated with you, & you’re getting married in Iowa, Illinois, or Wisconsin, click over to my contact form & drop me a line.
