You guys. South Dakota weather has been through like, all four seasons, in one week. How is this even possible?! Seriously, I’ve lived here my whole life and I’ve always known the weather to be crazy, but wow! Saturday was beautifully warm, the sun shined bright; I even thought about not wearing a jacket for a while!

And then Sunday night came, and there was THUNDERSNOW. For those unfamiliar with this word, thundersnow is literally defined as “snowfall accompanied by thunder and lighting”.  Seriously! I remember waking up in the middle of the night thinking, “No way can that be thunder right now!” But it was! Mother Nature coated us with freezing rain, followed by inches upon inches of snow for the next few days! To top things off, we had wind gusts that were 40-50 mph. Obviously these things can make for some pretty dangerous driving conditions right? The whole state essentially shut down. All of the interstates, all of the highways… all of the schools, businesses… These last couple of days were crazy. But that’s South Dakota for ya!

Anyhow — the day before this huge snowstorm hit us, Kendra and Brady took advantage of the beautiful weather and met me in Mitchell for their engagement session. We first met downtown and took some cool urban portraits, and then went off to Granite Springs, which is the hunting lodge that their wedding reception will be at, and you GUYS. This is one of South Dakota’s hidden gems! Who would have known all of this beauty was down in Alexandria, South Dakota? You know that emoji with the heart eyes? I think that’s literally what my face looked like when we pulled up! It was a little muddy from all of the melting snow, so we drove down to a small walking bridge that went just over a creek. Their little Australian Shepherd/Poodle mix puppy, Piper, joined us as we walked across the bridge. You could hear all of the running water from the creek while we walked over the bridges to the most beautiful hidden lake. It was a gorgeous location for their engagement photos! You’re going to want to see for yourself. Their adorable giggles and the beautiful surroundings might just be the ideal recipe for a perfect engagement session.

 

Where was your first date?

Kendra + Brady: “It was our first Christmas Break as a couple. We went to Falls Park in Sioux Falls.”

For the BRIDE: What things do you love the most about him?

Kendra: “He is independent and hard working. I can count on him for anything. He is selfless. I love his family and how easy going they are.”

What are your hobbies and interests together?

Kendra + Brady: “Because we both were very active sports players in high school and college, we enjoy watching sports together. Especially the Vikings and the DWU Tigers! We love spending time with our families whenever we get the time to. Trying new recipes together and cooking is also something we enjoy doing together.”

Tell me about how he proposed!

Kendra: “We were on our way to the cities for the weekend to attend a Vikings game. The game wasn’t until Sunday so we had all day Saturday to do whatever we wanted. We did some shopping at the outlet malls and stopped at an Irish Pub in downtown Minneapolis before heading to our hotel. We had a plan to go eat at the Rock Bottom Brewery that night and take a walk on the Mills Ruins Bridge. Other than it being FREEZING cold, it was perfect. Brady dropped down on top of the bridge over looking the river and city lights.”

Picture this: You both have a free day with no work needing to be done. What do you spend the day doing?

Kendra + Brady: “To be honest.. we would spend a majority of the day cleaning (we are clean freaks) and napping :)”