Couple Gets Engagement Photos Where Their Love Began: Methodist Hospital

“I had a strict policy that I was not going to date anybody at work,” he said.

Then Kacey Coenen, BSN, RN, OCN, joined the same floor in August. 

Her arrival kicked off a chain of events that led to their upcoming wedding – and some unforgettable engagement photos.

A Couple That Almost Wasn’t

The attraction was instant, and the pair clicked whenever nurses from the floor would get together.

“I always had a crush on you,” Kacey said. “And I think I told a couple of the girls we worked with. I’m pretty sure that got spread around the floor pretty quickly. I didn’t think you knew, but I was always saying I thought you were pretty cute.”

Alex stuck to his guns at first, even telling other nurses about his rule. That got back to Kacey. 

“Of course I was kind of mad,” she said. “I was like, ‘Well, fine. Never mind.’”
She started dating another guy, but Cupid would not be denied.

Friends Take the Next Step

Alex ran into Kacey at a College World Series game in June 2015. They hung out. Not surprisingly, everything still clicked.

“Obviously we were just friends, but I think at that point you decided that you were going to break your rule,” Kacey said.

Said Alex: “There were a couple of nurses up on the floor who were like, ‘Don’t blow this. She likes you. You like her, obviously. You might as well just try going for it.’ They basically called me an idiot for not asking her out.”

He finally did ask, and the relationship that was meant to be started with dinner at Marks Bistro and a walk around Dundee.

Love Takes Root

The couple’s love blossomed. Three and a half years later, they both knew they were ready for the next step. With family gathered at his parents’ house, Alex asked Kacey to marry him in December.

How did they know their relationship was destined to be something more?

“She was funny. She was smart. I just saw how compassionate you were with everybody,” Alex said.

Kacey: “For me, ever since I started dating you, I don’t think there was a moment that I doubted that you could be somebody that I could get married to. I really do think I just always knew.”

One-of-a-Kind Engagement Photos

When it came time for engagement photos, the couple knew exactly where to go.

Methodist Hospital wasn’t just where they met, but also where they bonded over the emotional highs and lows of nursing.

“I think we connected so much over those moments and over working on 6 North on the Progressive Care Unit,” Kacey said. “We knew exactly what the other one was going through. That was a big part of how we connected and how we grew to love each other.”

After some photos in the breezeway on the sixth floor, their photographer had the idea to head outside. The result: Alex and Kacey’s photos include unforgettable images from the helipad atop the Methodist garage with the hospital in the background.

Part of the Methodist Family

Alex and Kacey have since moved on from the Progressive Care Unit. Alex now works in the hospital operating room while Kacey has joined the oncology research department at Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center. 

The couple is planning a Sept. 21 wedding and a lifetime of memories to come. But they’ll never forget how they met or what Methodist has meant to them.

“We were like a family up on 6 North,” Kacey said. “Huge credit to the teamwork and the team there. That was a huge part of our relationship.”