Cara + Kye at Phil Hardberger Urban Ecology Center
February 19, 2020
Cara and Kye met through mutual friends in undergrad and hit it off right away, hanging out a LOT for the months to follow. Though “relationship status” wasn’t in the plan, they were practically dating with how much time they were spending together. Instant soul mates! At their University in Illinois, there was an annual homecoming soccer game that was a pretty big deal. All their friends love to go and even though most had graduated and moved away, Kye knew they would still see them at the game, so he put a plan together to propose. He arranged for everyone to go out to lunch before the game and hang out. When lunch was over, they began walking down one of the many incredibly beautiful paths on campus. During the walk, Kye got down on one knee in front of some of their closest friends.
August first has become even more of a special date for Cara because they were able to share their wedding date with her late grandmother’s birthday. Cara + Kye wed in 2015 at Glen Carbon, but their reception was in Grafton, IL, an adorable little town overlooking the Mississippi River. BONUS. It is full of wineries and magnificent views! Crazy to think that 10 years ago their journey began as a beautiful, organic friendship, morphed into “dating status”, Cara graduated from Pharmacy School and Kye from Dental school, they got married 5 years into dating on Cara’s grandmother’s birthday and today they face a new chapter. They get to become parents!
Brigston came about through a process of collaboration and lots of thought. They had a few names they loved, but they wanted their baby’s name to be unique so as not to duplicate names with friends they know. I love the fact that they thought about their childhood and what it was like having short first names because they missed out on having nicknames. Cara has always wanted a nickname (and not just “Cara S.” because of how many other Cara’s were in her class). Their baby name was going to be unique, longer and have a cute nickname… so after a long search, Cara came across “Briggs” which thankfully they both fell in love with. Since it was too short but perfect for a nickname version, Kye suggested Brigston! It was perfect! Of course, he’ll be called Briggs for short and his middle name he’ll share with Dada. Brigston Kye.
Ready in their Amazon Fashion and Banana Republic get-up, it was time to photograph Cara + Kye at the Phil Hardberger Urban Ecology Center! And Cara did something none of my mamas have EVER done! Half way through the session, during the outfit change, Cara ALSO changed her HAIR STYLE! WHAT?! It was so adorable and the best way to rock out a new look! Hanging out with these two and getting to know them and their two year journey in starting their family was the perfect way to spend my Saturday evening. These two are so in love and were the cutest to watch as they giggle kissed, touched noses and enjoyed the heck out of becoming a family for the first time. Thank you so much, Cara + Kye, for trusting me with these memories! Y’all are on my favorites list for sure!! <3
