I met Alix and Alex at Red Rocks National Park to get some beautiful portraits with the gorgeous Colorado scenery and to celebrate their one-year wedding anniversary.
This was my first shoot in Colorado after moving from NYC and I was so excited!
Alix shares, “Hello my name is Alix Naber. My husband’s name is Alex Naber. Ya, that happened. Alex and I were both born and raised in Cincinnati, OH. We met near the end of our senior year of high school. He went to an all-boys school and I went to an all-girls school; a fairly common thing in Cincinnati. People have asked me, “Was it love at first sight? Did you know you were going to marry him?” I always answer the same way, “Of course not. We were 18 years old and we have the same name!” I always knew Alex was an awesome guy but I didn’t know until we got older that this relationship was going somewhere. After high school, we both went to Miami University in Oxford, OH–not to be confused with University of Miami (Little known fact: Miami University was actually founded in 1809 when Florida was still owned by Spain). After college, we had a long-distance relationship. Alex had studied biomedical engineering and got a job in Warsaw, IN – The Orthopedic Capital of the World. I got a job in our hometown of Cincinnati.
We had a four-hour drive to see each other, so maybe it was a medium-distance relationship. For two years, we made it work and I actually think it made our love stronger. We appreciated more the time we did have together, phone calls, and even time apart. During this time apart is when we both realized we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. On December 23, 2015, Alex was home for the holidays – like he normally would be – and we went out to lunch together. After lunch, he took me on a stroll through our favorite park. It was there that he asked me to be his wife! It took me completely by surprise. He had recently had surgery on his shoulder and had kept the ring tucked in his sling the whole day. Shortly after, I moved to Warsaw.
We lived there for another year together and made great memories with lifelong friends, but we knew
we wanted to get away from the small-town life. Alex was lucky enough to get a job with his company
that moved us to Denver. It felt like home right away! I’ll never forget how fake I kept thinking the mountains looked. They still do sometimes!”
Alix adds, “Alex and I had to plan our Cincinnati wedding from Warsaw, IN and then Denver, CO. We definitely had our challenges but having a long engagement helped and families full of super heroes helped even more. Whenever we couldn’t be there to meet a vendor or do something, they were there! And when we could be home, they made sure the dates worked for them to meet us with the vendors and help us get a lot done in short windows of time. People ask me if wedding planning was extremely stressful and I honestly tell them no. It has its moments, yes. But if you just take it in chunks and make it fun, you will have the day you want! Our actual wedding day was a dream. I remember waking up and thinking, this is the best day ever! It really did go so smoothly from start to finish. It felt like a blur. I wouldn’t change a thing. We had Alex’s uncle, Deacon John, perform the ceremony. We danced the night away at our favorite brewery, Rhinegeist, with our favorite people surrounding us! If you are ever there, try a Cougar (my favorite beer) or a Truth (Alex’s favorite beer). After our wedding, Alex and I spent our honeymoon driving the California coast from San Francisco to L.A. on Pacific 1 and making stops in cities along the way. We rented a cute convertible and put the top down whenever the weather allowed. I think our favorite few days were spent a short drive north of San Francisco in Sonoma Valley, drinking delicious wine for 3 days. The entire coast was gorgeous, though, and we plan to go back.”
The couple just celebrated their one year anniversary. Alix continues, “Married life hasn’t been much different than being engaged! We had already been living together. I just had to remember to say, “Alex, my husband,” instead of “Alex, my fiancé.” The biggest change has been sharing basically the same name! Our insurance company and doctors’ offices have gotten a kick out of it, with me being on Alex’s insurance. “Yes, I’m looking to confirm the time of my appointment tomorrow. My name is Alix Naber.” “Ma’am I’m not seeing an appointment for you tomorrow.” “Oohh. I’m actually the other Alix Naber.”
Some of our favorite things to do are rock climbing, hiking, wine tastings, trying new breweries, going to Red Rocks concerts, listening to vinyl, and being outside whenever we can! Some of my favorite moments are coming home after work and dancing in the kitchen to one of our records. As I reflect on our first anniversary, I feel thankful more than ever for the partners we’ve become as well as the individuals we’ve become. I see us as very strong and supportive people for each other that make this life a lot more fun! I feel so incredibly lucky to get to spend this life with Alex and I can’t wait to see what it brings for us here in Denver.”
Alix and Alex are so sweet, kind and easy-going. It was such a pleasure to work with them and I hope to see them again soon and get some tips on fun places to check out in the Denver area. Happy anniversary you guys!
If you have any favorite places to visit, eat, or have fun in Colorado, please leave me a comment below or share with me on instagram at: photosbyjs.
You can also read more about our big cross-country move here.
If you liked this post, check out some more engagement sessions:
Aspen Trees Engagement
Mt Falcon Engagement
Barr Lake Engagement
How to plan your engagement session
