Some sessions just feel easy from the very beginning—and Ruthie and Grant’s was exactly that.
They first found me the way so many couples do… scrolling through Google, not realizing that behind the search result was someone who shared more of their story than they expected. Not only are we all graduates of Drake University, but we also attend the same church. It felt like one of those quiet, full-circle moments before we had even met in person.
And honestly, that same feeling carried through their entire session.
Ruthie and Grant are the kind of couple that doesn’t rush anything—not their story, not their time together, and not even a spring evening that threatened rain. They met in college, spending years in the same spaces, building something steady long before making it official near the end of their time at Drake. There’s a calm confidence to the way they love each other… the kind that doesn’t need to prove anything.
Even as spring in Iowa did what it does best—clouding over and sending in a light sprinkle—they never wavered. Instead of seeing it as something to work around, they simply leaned into it.
At Water Works Park, there was only one tree still in bloom… but you would never know it from the way they stood beneath it. It became the moment. The focus. The perfect reflection of how they move through life together—making the most of what’s right in front of them without needing more.
Walking through campus at the tail end of Drake Relays weekend (which, if you know, you know—it always seems to rain!), everything felt nostalgic. The Painted Street still fresh, the familiar paths, the quiet corners that hold years of memories. We walked near Ruthie’s favorite dorm (which just so happens to have been mine too), and documented pieces of their story woven into the Business Building and the iconic Old Main.
It wasn’t rushed. It wasn’t overdone.
It was simply them.
Ruthie and Grant are both incredibly driven—Grant working his way through actuary exams and Ruthie earning her master’s in Health Informatics and Analytics—but what stands out most isn’t what they do. It’s how they live. Steady. Thoughtful. Grounded.
Their wedding day is already shaping up to reflect that same heart—laid back, intentional, and full of joy—with a celebration at Smash Park in West Des Moines where their people can relax, connect, and maybe even sneak in a game of pickleball.
And if their engagement session was any indication… it’s going to be one of those days that doesn’t try too hard, but ends up meaning everything.
Ruthie and Grant—your story is a reminder that the best things aren’t rushed. They’re built over time, in shared places, with quiet, steady love.
I cannot wait to capture the next chapter, you two!
Take care,
Carrie
