Care to know a fun fact about this darling VRP bride and groom? On Saturday, July 20, 2019, Jaxson was the best man in Wyatt and Kaelyn Willson’s wedding (which I had the pleasure of photographing), and the very next day, he and Kendra went on their first official date.
Now, almost four years later, Jaxson Stage and Kendra Donaldson are getting married, and I’m so excited to share their Holcomb Gardens spring engagement photos on the blog!
Kendra & Jaxson had countless connections; however, they didn’t really “know” one another.
Back in 2019, Jaxson and Kendra had countless mutual friends and their paths crossed often; however, they didn’t really “know” one another.
You see, their moms went to the same hair salon where they discussed their kids. They had too many mutual friends to count. And, their families were very involved in the same county fair.
When you look back at Jaxson and Kendra’s lives and their seemingly endless connections, it’s clear that God always planned for these two to end up together. But, He didn’t reveal that plan until the summer of 2019.
You see, no matter where they went, Jaxson and Kendra ran into each other that summer—at friends’ houses, when Kendra’s parents hired Jaxson for a welding project, and at the fair.
While they saw one another seemingly everywhere, they didn’t necessarily realize how much they had in common until fate resulted in just the two of them grabbing lunch at the fairgrounds one day.
Since then, they’ve been “keeping the lights on” at Beef ‘O’ Brady’s in Peru, Indiana; running and building businesses (Stagecoach RV Sales and Kendra Lain Hair); purchasing and remodeling a home; seeking out delicious burgers (which Kendra says is all she really needs to be happy); camping; and combining their friends and family—many of whom happened to already know one another.
Jaxson’s proposal didn’t go exactly as planned, which just makes their story even better!
While Kendra and Jaxson had certainly been discussing marriage and rings, Kendra had no idea when Jaxson would pop the question. However, in November 2022, she and Jaxson planned a trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee with Wyatt and Kaelyn.
Kendra thought Jaxson might pop the question during the trip, but nobody was acting suspicious, so Kendra tried to put that thought out of her mind.
Then, as the foursome was driving along one day, Wyatt pulled over by a path and told the group, “Jaxson and I were looking and there’s a waterfall not far from here that we should go check out.”
Poor Kendra said, “I’d love to, but I really have to go to the bathroom first.”
“It isn’t far, and there will be a bathroom when we get there,” Wyatt assured her.
Well, friends, the Internet lied. What Jaxson and Wyatt thought would be a quick detour and an epic spot to propose turned into a two-mile, uphill hike without any bathroom stops. Then, when they arrived, the waterfall was PACKED.
According to Kendra, the waterfall was beautiful. But, still needing to go to the bathroom, she couldn’t understand why Jaxson wouldn’t stop staring at the waterfall or why he wanted to stay so long. She just thought, “Wow. He must really like this waterfall.”
In reality, however, Jaxson was trying to figure out plan B for popping the question. He’d been envisioning a more private proposal, and he had no idea that the waterfall would be so packed.
Eventually, the four started walking back to the truck. And, when they spotted an epic photo spot, Jaxson said, “Wyatt and Kaelyn, we’ll grab your photo if you take ours.”
Kendra took photos for Wyatt and Kaelyn. Then, the couples switched places.
Now, Kaelyn and Wyatt were in on the proposal plans, and in an attempt to give Jaxson another chance in a spot that happened to be both beautiful and private, they just kept taking photos.
According to Jaxson, “I thought they surely had enough photos by that point, but they just kept taking them and looking at me. Then, I looked around and realized that this was exactly the right place.”
So, while Wyatt and Kaelyn captured the moment on both photo and video, Jaxson got down on one knee and asked his best friend to be his wife. And, she said, “Yes!”
Side note: Kendra jokes that at this point, it had literally been hours since she said she had to go to the bathroom, and it basically just “reabsorbed” in all of the excitement. Ha!
Jaxson & Kendra celebrated their engagement with Holcomb Gardens spring engagement photos in Indianapolis.
Kendra and Jaxson will become husband and wife this September with a wedding on Kendra’s parents’ property. (They’ve actually hosted several weddings on their property, which I think is so cool!)
With a fall wedding, they decided to take April engagement photos, and like I said, I’m thrilled to share their Holcomb Gardens spring engagement photos on the blog!
Now, while I’d met Kendra and Jaxson separately, I have to say that it was so much fun to finally get to spend some time with the two of them. This darling VRP bride and groom are such good sports; they light one another up from the inside out; they showed up ready to crush their engagement photos; and they clearly have fun together wherever they go.
Kendra and Jaxson graciously let me drag them all over Holcomb Gardens—which is on Butler’s campus in Indianapolis—so we could utilize the areas with the most spring greenery. This is one of my favorite Indianapolis photo locations, because there’s so much variety within about 300 yards, and if you want a nature-like location, it really doesn’t get any better than this!
Congratulations, Jaxson & Kendra!
Jaxson and Kendra, I was excited for your big day before, but now, after your engagement photos, I cannot wait to get you in front of the camera again for your wedding photos!
Thank you so much for making the trip to Indianapolis and for trusting me to be your wedding photographer. Your full gallery will be ready very soon, but in the meantime, I hope you love these previews from your Holcomb Gardens spring engagement photos!
Are you loving this photo location?
See other VRP engagement photos taken at Holcomb Gardens!
