He was hunched over a jumbo margarita swirling the blended drink with dirt coated fingers and a red print straw the first time Mackenzie laid eyes on him. For Phil's part, he had carefully hedged his bets and did a bit of homework (via Facebook stalking) on the sister of his best friend. After viewing pictures and stealthily seeing what groups Mackenzie belonged to, he agreed to let her brother Brad arrange a casual get together.

Their collective calendars were filled with wedding invitations for the remainder of the summer and assuming Phil and Mackenzie hit it off; they had planned to piggyback as plus ones for each other. So their initial meeting was more of an arrangement than a first date per se. You're nursing your drink, she teased, and Phil quickly responded by poking fun at his apparent drink monitor. It was hard for the self-professed clean freak to get past the dirt that had collected underneath Phil's fingernails. And hard for Mackenzie to figure out if he was really tan, or still just filthy from a day playing with soil, (he's a landscaper) but by the end of the night Mackenzie had charmed her way into Phil's thoughts. Not long after that initial meeting, Phil texted Mackenzie to hang out again. Mackenzie tosses her head back and laughs when Phil recounts the super suave text he crafted to hang out at a bonfire because it didn't actually come from Phil, but from her brother Brad. He had so much game back then, she says in between fits of laughter.

And that's the thing about Phil: he makes Mackenzie laugh with little to no words at all. Maybe it's because he spends so much time outside sweating as a landscaper that he doesn't sweat the small stuff and finds the bright, humorous side to everything in life. Whenever they're together, Phil is always making Mackenzie laugh and this October he plans to spend the rest of his life bringing a big smile to his bride's face that equals his smile every time he looks at her.

Phil and Mackenzie are marrying at the Blaisdell in Minneapolis in a few short months, and I couldn't be more excited to hang out with them again soon. We had a blast at their engagement session and although I've known Mackenzie from our time together slinging coffee as barista's long ago I really enjoyed my chance to get to know Phil better and watch the two of them interact as a couple. We spent the afternoon for their engagement session roaming the adorable alleyways of their neighborhood in St. Paul that housed so much character and history, and it was the perfect start to what's shaping up to be a perfect wedding day.

Phil and Mackenzie have a soft spot for cobblestone streets and the architecture of St. Paul, so revisiting a place where their love has grown made their session extra special. It also provided a perfect background for engagement photos.

I don’t think it needs to be said, but I’ll just go ahead and admit how beautiful I think Mackenzie is…and not just on the outside. This girl has a gorgeous soul, too.

I’ll end on this photo, one of the reasons I like the photo below so much is because Mackenzie admits to being a touchy-feely type of girl and it’s common for her to be seen casually rubbing Phil’s back or neck. Just to let him know she’s there. Smiling and in love.