A couple of foodies’ engagement session in Madison, WI
Danielle and Tommy are true foodies: they love to cook, go out to eat together and experience new restaurants and tastes. They wanted their engagement session with BellowBlue to reflect their love of food, so they went with a sushi-inspired session in an industrial area of downtown Madison.
Tommy and I met freshman year of college at the University of Wisconsin. Finally, on a Friday night in the 2nd semester, Tommy came up to my room to ask if I would attend a White Russian party in his dorm room. I did. We spent most of the night playing Tommy’s electric keyboard, trying to speak Spanish to each other, and breaking down the plot points of Star Wars, all while the party went on around us. We stayed up late talking and the next day he asked me out on a date.
We were pretty much inseparable after that. We stayed together as he moved from one disgusting college house to another, even when I spent a semester studying abroad in Italy, and even when I decided on a whim to shave my head for a sociology project (he was not happy about that). After I finished my four years at Madison, I moved to Chicago to pursue a masters in Interior Design while Tommy finished school and began working as an engineer in Madison. For those two years we did our very best to see each other every other weekend, sometimes more, sometimes less. The long distance was really difficult at times, but it strengthened our relationship. Every moment we spent together was more exciting and every moment we spent apart was a moment of self-discovery.
Last fall, we began talking more seriously about getting married and being in the same city. Tommy had been searching for jobs in Chicago for about a year, and I was quickly wrapping up my masters work. I was preparing to defend my thesis, and Tommy called and asked if I wanted to move to KC with him. Tommy was due to start work on the 3rd of January. So after a friend’s New Year’s Eve wedding, we packed up the car and began our drive from WI to KS. We spent the night in historic Hotel Julien in Dubuque, Iowa, where after taking a brisk evening walk in dark Northern winter we went back to the hotel to cozy in for the evening. As I was brushing my teeth, Tommy came up behind me put his arms around me and began to tell me how even if he looked for the rest of his life he’d never be able to find a woman as perfect for him as I was. He got down on one knee and asked me if I would marry him.
We’ve spent the last 8 months settling in to a new city, learning how live in the same space, and planning our celebration for August 10th of next summer. We love coming home to each other, cooking together every night and exploring Kansas City through its restaurants. We are partners in life and in the kitchen. -Danielle
Artists
- Photographer: BellowBlue
- Restaurant: Restaurant Muramoto
