Lens of love

A windy and chilly December afternoon set the scene for a couple's engagement photos that celebrated a Flyer love story five years in the making. ​​

Makenna Kaniewski ’20 and Anthony Blum ’20 met just a few weeks into their first year at the University of Dayton. Kaniewski’s hometown friend, Jeanie Freeby ’20, was in Blum’s orientation group, and she introduced the pair. The three of them learned that they were all from South Bend, Indiana, but Blum and Kaniewski had not before met.

The couple’s time at UD was complemented by the community they built out of their roommates and friends. Their friend groups melded together quickly, and Kaniewski remembers the fun environment created within the packed dorm rooms of Stuart Hall. 

“This school and Makenna [have] taught me that relationships are what create meaning and measure someone’s happiness throughout life.”

“This school and Makenna [have] taught me that relationships are what create meaning and measure someone’s happiness throughout life,” Blum said. “Makenna and I often talk about how grateful we are to experience such a place and start the beginning of our lives at."

The two moved back to Indiana after graduating in the middle of the pandemic. Blum proposed to Kaniewski on Nov. 19 under an arch inside the wedding venue owned by his parents. She said the proposal was “super cute,” and both of their families were waiting upstairs after she said “yes.”

Kaniewski and Blum said they knew they wanted to get their engagement photos taken at UD because of how meaningful and foundational the campus was to their relationship. 

Along with photographer Nathan Phillips, the pair went up to the spot they met outside of Marycrest and other picturesque locations around campus for their engagement photoshoot. 

“It was just kind of nostalgic to go walk around campus and be there,” Kaniewski said. “I just wanted a place that had a lot of meaning, and it was just a really fun day being there for the photos.” 

The couple have set their big day for Sept. 24, just a few days after the anniversary of their meeting. The plan is to get married at a church in South Bend where Kaniewski teaches kindergarten and host the reception at Blum’s parents’ venue where he proposed. 

Although they won’t be holding the wedding on campus, the wedding party is stacked with Flyer alumni, including Freeby, who will serve as the maid of honor, and four other graduates.

“We just really had like, such a great experience [attending UD], and I seriously still miss it every day. Everybody always says that but it's really true,” Kaniewski said. “We just loved it there.”

Photos courtesy of Nathan Phillips Photo.