If you’ve never been to downtown Madison, first, I highly recommend you go, and second, there is an adorable little park that I love taking my clients to. This is where I told Haley and Derek to meet me. Theres a gazebo, a gorgeous 3-tiered fountain, large grassy area, and plenty of little spots for great photos! Plus, its downtown, so its very easy to walk to all sorts of other great spots.

After lots of rainy weather and not so optimal temperatures I was so happy (and relieved) to see the sun in the sky and warm weather, which caused me to start sweating after I had walked around a little bit scouting out spots to shoot. Haley and I had met for coffee several weeks before, where we got to chat and just get to know each other a little bit. I learned quickly how amazing Haley is. I had brought my kiddos with me and she was soooo gracious and sweet with them! In light of that, it totally makes sense that Haley is the Directors of Children’s Ministries at a local church. When Haley and Derek arrived to their session, I of course had to give her a hug, because I was genuinely excited to see her!

We started chatting while walking to our first spot, where I showed them some core poses. Let me tell y’all, they were pros from the start! Seriously! I know Derek and Haley may not have felt that way, but they rocked it from the moment we started to the moment we finished.

Haley and Derek’s Story

Facebook. Lol, who would’ve thought Facebook would play such a huge role in our love stories?? Caleb and I started talking because of Facebook, but that’s a different story for a different day 😉

Any ways, Haley and Derek started out as Facebook friends with lots of mutual friends. They officially met in May of 2017. Haley was finishing up college and preparing to graduate. Derek was a police officer in a nearby town. Between May and August they played lots of phone tag, but never made a point to go on any official date. Well, that all changed August 17, 2017 when Derek asked Haley to go on a date with him. Dinner, then back to Derek’s house, where they rode four wheelers and hung out!

It was touch and go after that first date, since neither of them were sure if they were ready to commit to anything super serious. Still they never let each other get out of their sights. October, 2017, Haley’s family was planning their annual vacation to Florida, and decided to invite Derek to join them. Haley said, “He was so nervous it was almost annoying!” However, after that trip they both knew that their relationship was far more than something short-term. In October, 2020, Haley’s family went back to their spot in Florida. After dinner one night, Derek took Haley on a drive to show her his “fishing spot for the week”. Little did Haley know that Derek had ulterior motives to their little drive. They got to the “spot” and they soaked in the beauty of the sunset over the bay.

Haley was enjoying it sooo much that she didn’t even notice Derek’s impatience for her to walk to where he was. Once she finally got to the “spot” she turned again to enjoy the sunset. “Haley”, Derek said. She turned to find him on one knee. “I mean, I had NO clue, I didn’t think it would ever happen at this point! I was a blubbering mess!”, remembers Haley. Through the emotions and “blubbering” Haley was finally able to say “YES!”.

The Session

Haley and Derek’s story is so sweet! Their love for each other was so evident during the session. The way Derek looked at Haley was just the sweetest, and the laughter they shared at the session was so genuine. I could tell that they genuinely enjoyed every second together during our time.

After a little while in the park downtown, we moved onto the sidewalks, where the sun created a beautiful glow. Causing the charming streets of Madison to be transformed into something straight out of a romance novel! To finish our session we headed to a local field that is peppered with tons of young Bradford Pears. I was literally melting over this dreamy location!

I could go on and on about Haley and Derek’s engagement session, but I know you’re ready for me to stop talking so y’all can enjoy all of the images! So please, enjoy them!

Xoxo – Sarah B.

Haley and Derek,

I enjoyed every second of our session together! I cannot wait to get to know y’all better over the coming months and am so excited for May!!

Xoxo – Sarah