09/26/2026
|| SHANIA + DAKOTA || Surprise Engagement
*sorry this will get a little lengthy π
I've known Shania's family for many years - I started off as their bartender in the Holyland, and they welcomed me in like family of their own. Shania's Mom, Tracy Hochrein, is like an older sister and one of my close friends. I watched her kids all go through high school, many graduations, and other life moments. But this one was pretty special π€
Shania's boyfriend, Dakota, reached out to me a couple weeks ago after seeing them at the county fair. He said he wanted to propose to Shania, but he didn't want anyone to know, and was wondering if I could offer a "couples photoshoot" to them as a housewarming gift so she wouldn't get suspicious π€£ (if you know Shania, she pays attention to any and all details/actions/etc.) Of course, I agreed and said I would make time to fit it in while I was home this round. The whole week, he was super nervous - He was convinced she knew but then played it off a few times throughout the week. After multiple messages back and forth, we had a plan and were convinced we could still pull it off.
It started off at our local ball diamond, where these two met. We then went to the infamous St. Cloud bridge, and finished up on some family property - where Dakota successfully popped the big question! We then had to figure out a way to surprise Shania's sister, Kiara, and Tracy. Tracy's husband, Scott, and Kiara's boyfriend, Quintin, successfully kept the two of them at home and mostly unsuspecting. The look on their faces when we pulled off that surprise too, was priceless.
Dakota - thank you so much for including me on this special moment for you guys. It's hard splitting my time between my Wisconsin/Holyland life and my life out West and I've had to miss so many things or celebrate through a phone. Thankfully, I didn't have to do that for this and this session was so special to me. I am so happy for you both! π€ππΈ
(Momma Gail was also along working on her photography, so some of these are hers as well!)
Shania Shea
Dakota Krupp
Tracy Hochrein
Kiara Shea
Gail Ulezelski