There are some sessions that you just know you’ll never forget — and Kalie and Connor’s engagement at Monahans Sandhills State Park is one of them.
My photographer friend Jessica and I made a little road trip out west for this shoot, and we were so excited to meet up with Kalie and Connor in the rolling sand dunes of Monahans. The sandhills are absolutely surreal — like something out of a dream!
We started shooting with a soft golden light and wind sweeping through the sand, which added so much movement and drama to the photos (and to our hair, let’s be real!). But as the evening went on, the skies started to shift. That famous West Texas weather rolled in quickly, and before we knew it, we were in the middle of a thunderstorm — and not just any thunderstorm. We’re talking hail, power outages across half of Monahans, and the kind of wind that makes you double-check your car doors are locked tight.
One of the most memorable moments? The four of us sitting together in my car, waiting out the hail while laughing, sipping cider I had planned to enjoy later that night, and praying the storm didn’t get any worse. It wasn’t exactly what we had planned, but it was so memorable — and somehow made the whole experience even better.
Once the hail stopped, we found the one restaurant in town that still had power and was open. It felt like the entire town was there, and we all shared a meal that was the perfect ending to a wild and wonderful evening.
Despite the chaos, or maybe even because of it, this session was seriously one of my favorites ever. Kalie and Connor were total champs through it all, and their easygoing nature made every second — from the wind to the weather to the last bite of dinner — so much fun.
Scroll down to see some of the magic we made in the middle of the sandhills, the storm, and the story we’ll be telling for years to come. I hope you enjoy these images of Kalie and Connor’s Engagement at Monahans Sandhills as much as I had creating them!
More From the Couple
How did you two meet?
We met on Bumble. We originally matched in July 2023, and hit it off on the app. After several days of talking, Connor quit responding despite the fact that Kalie asked him a question. Kalie didn’t think too far into it, but would think about how much she enjoyed talking to Connor. Fast forward to December 2023, Kalie randomly received a message from Connor one night stating that his email had been hacked, which locked him out of all social media and even Bumble. Due to the severity of the case, Bumble was the last thing that he was able to recover. Not talking to Kalie in months Connor took a chance and sent Kalie a message on Bumble wishing to continue with their conversation, but via text message as talking on the app didn’t get them anywhere lol. A few days later they finally met in person and hit it off!
What was it about your significant other that first attracted you to them?
From Kalie (About Connor): I really enjoyed Connor’s wit and found it so easy to talk to him.
From Connor (About Kalie): She was laid back and fun to spend time with.
Tell us your engagement story!
Connor asked Kalie to go to Red River for Oktoberfest to celebrate his birthday. Connor was insistent on going early to make sure that they saw all of the events. On the way to downtown, Connor parked far away from the event and wanted to show Kalie around. Despite the fact that Connor wanted Kalie to leave her jacket and purse in the car (on top of parking far away), and going to look around, Kalie didn’t really think anything of it as Connor’s parents just bought a condo on Red River and the two of them had a conversation the weekend before to postpone the engagement until Kalie’s sister got married in the end of March. Connor started to lead Kalie towards the river to look around. She started to sense something was going on as he started to become nervous, wouldn’t let her walk behind him, and she noticed a photographer make contact with Connor. Before she could ask, he knelt down on a knee and of course she said “Yes!” They spent the day taking pictures, going to Oktoberfest, and going to a winery. Later that evening Connor made reservations at a restaurant and surprised Kalie with their families and close friends.
What has you most excited when you think about your wedding day?
Spending the day celebrating with those that mean the most to us
Do you have any advice for other couples planning their wedding?
Find what is most important to you and make it unique to your personalities.
How was your overall session experience?
WONDERFUL! When we were thinking of where to take engagements, we could not think of a place that stood out or was meaningful to us. When Kim mentioned Monahans Sandhills, we instantly said yes! Connor is from West Texas, and a lot of our roadtrips have involved us going out west, so it fit us perfectly. Kim and Jessica were extremely organized and efficient throughout the session. From the very beginning they made posing feel natural and made it fun! Many memories were made during our session- especially the thunderstorm which blew in good ol’ West Texas fashion!
The pictures are lovely of a very special, beautiful couple. PS—Connor is my grandson🥰 We love these two and we’re so happy to welcome Kalie to our family.