kory + elise | kualoa ranch oahu, hawaii couple session | adventurous destination hawaii photographer

Kory and Elise hired me for a couple session on their vacation to Oahu, Hawaii after they had gone through a 9 month long deployment. Kory is in the Air Force, and after his job took him away from Elise for that long, he surprised her with a Hawaiian vacation with a couple of friends when he got back. I met them on the beach with a 6 pack in hand, and over beers they told me their story, one that was so good I HAD to share it with you all. So here we go; I’ll try to make it brief. 😉

Kory + Elise’s love story is legit straight out of a movie. They met when they were toddlers and grew up together in the same town. In the 4th grade Elise mustered the courage to ask Kory out (yes 4th grade, you read that right), and Kory denied brave little Elise and her pig tales as any 10 year old boy probably would. It’s cool. Elise was just ahead of her time. Then as time went on they slowly became best friends, doing everything together. In high school Kory started to realize he liked his best friend as more than just a friend… And she wasn’t having it.

“I’m so glad you’ve never tried to kiss me. You’re such a good friend Kory.”

Ouch. Friend-zoned. Then one day, everything changed. Maybe it was the wind, maybe it was that first spark she finally felt when he glanced her way, or maybe it was God finally opening her eyes to the boy who had been by her side all along. They started dating and never looked back.

Fast forward years into their relationship they were both going to college in Arizona. Kory woke up one day, and realized he couldn’t wait any longer. He decided he was going to propose to Elise, bought the ring, asked her dad, and actually got down on one knee ALL IN ONE DAY. I guess the man knew what he wanted and wanted it immediately. For being hella spontaneous, Kory’s day of plan went off without a hitch. They were meant to go to a Hibachi restaurant that evening so before he picked her up, he headed over to the restaurant and gave the manager a special kind of fortune cookie…. you know.. one with a lil bling in it.. He returned later with Elise and as they finished their meal, their fortune cookies came out. She noticed Kory looking nervous but brushed it off and opened her fortune cookie to the biggest shock of her life. Then her childhood best friend asked her to spend the rest of her life with him. And she said… YES!!

Doesn’t their love story make you feel like you’ve just read a romance novel? FOR REAL. Maybe knowing a little bit of their story will now make these photos that more vibrant as you scroll through them. I sincerely hope so.

And tell me below in the comments, do you have a cute childhood-best-friends-to-lovers story OR a dang good proposal story like theirs!? I wanna know, because you guys KNOW I’m a sucker for all the love feels!

Lindsey Roman is an adventurous, destination wedding and intimate elopement photographer based out of Oahu, Hawaii but travels worldwide. She lives for outdoor adventures, intimate moments, and candid images. Her style is raw, passionate, and authentic. She believes in chasing sunsets, laughing too hard, and most importantly: capturing genuine moments that evoke feeling over perfectly posed photographs.