Pacific Northwest Engagement Session: Bellingham Nursery & Deception Pass

Hannah+Tylor /// First of all, I AM SO EXCITED TO BE THEIR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER. When I picture #dreamcouple, it's these two. They have the coolest style (I don't feel nearly cool enough to be photographing them) and all the plans they've told me for their wedding make me do a happy dance. They also like each other A LOT which makes my job of photographing them hella easy. :)

This is a prime example of a perfect + successful engagement session. Hannah sent me a list of photos ahead of time of engagement images that inspire her and Tylor. I was able to look at those images and create a plan for our shoot that hit all of the things they were excited about while still keeping it unique to them. The images she showed me weren't even from Washington (most of them were from my California sessions!), but I was able to figure out what she was most excited by and find places that matched those vibes. They also sent me their outfits ahead of time also helped me plan where we should be and when and with what outfits. Protip - before engagement sessions, if I ever ask you for inspo pictures or to see your outfits, it's not because I'm a control freak! It's because I want to help plan the shoot of your drrrreams.

We started in Bellingham, where Hannah+Tylor met and currently live (and also where I met her working my coffee shop job in college!). They are both huge music lovers+musicians, so I took them to a record store to start our shoot off. I've been dying to shoot a couple in a record store but wanted it to be the RIGHT couple (H+T were IT). We stopped by the Woods Coffee at Boulevard Park (where her and I met awhhhh I KNOW IT'S NOT ABOUT ME OKOKOK I JUST LOVE HER), then we headed to Christanson's Nursery in Mt. Vernon (my favy fav fav nursery to shoot in) and ended at Deception Pass for sunset. This session was about 4-5 hours including driving around to the different places and I am OBSESSED with the results.

ENJOY Y'ALLLLLLLL! And I can't freaking wait to shoot the crap outta their wedding this fall... it's going to be LIT as the kids say (but for real it's going to be so dope).

Joshua Tree Engagement Session | San Diego Wedding Photographer

Heather&Tanner ///

Photographers shootin' photographers... it's a good thing y'all. Heather is a wedding photographer herself (which means I was equal parts excited+nervous to shoot them). A love story 8 years in the making, these two have been together since high school. These hockey and theme park addicts are getting married this fall in Lake Arrowhead and it's going to be SO wonderful.

Shooting in Joshua Tree is always my favorite. It doesn't matter how many times I go there, it still feels new every time. Each time I find a different little part of the park to focus in on and every session turns out different. I always do a little happy dance when people say they want to do their shoot in J Tree - FOR REAL I will never say no. :)

Julian Engagement Session | Hannah&Robert

Hannah and Robert and my favorite kind of engagement shoot day. The kinda day where we spent hours exploring Julian and driving around before we started shooting, got a meal together - we didn't even start shooting until we had spent, like, 6 hours together. They have an easy kind of love that is fun to photograph and I can't WAIT to shoot their wedding this November.

Engagement shoot tip: When a session involves more than an hour drive, I like to drive together! It gives us time to chat and get to know each other en route (which is the biggest point of engagement shoots for me). I like to take our time, get there early and explore, and MOST OF ALL make sure my couples are well-fed and have had a drink or two if they want. Oftentimes the mornings before shoots are stressful and hectic, running around getting last minute things done, so things like a good meal or beverages get forgotten. HANGER IS REAL and I don't want anyone hangry during our shoots! I try to leave room in the schedule for those necessary+helpful things that often get forgotten on engagement shoot day.

Hilary&Jamin | San Fransisco Engagement Session

Hilary and Jamin invited me to join them in San Fransisco for their engagement session. As fellow WA--->CA transplants, it meant so much to me to be able to photograph them in their new city they get to call home. We spent the WHOLE day adventuring around together sightseeing, eating, shooting and hanging out. I love the images that resulted from spending the entire day together and I seriously cherish time like this with my couples before the wedding day.

Devon&Ben | Cannon Beach Engagement Session

Devon+Ben / Cannon Beach, OR

Ashley&Josh /// Lake Cushman Wedding Preview

09.03.17 /// Ashley + Josh. A photographer planning a wedding on a campground in Lake Cushman... I KNEW it was going to be good. I have been looking forward to this day for so long and it did not disappoint. I can't wait to share more from this one, but in the meantime, here's a lil preview. :)

Matt & Paige | Maui Session

In July, I had the honor of officiating some of our closest friends wedding in Maui. The last time I was in Hawaii I was getting married - so it felt right to be back there to marry friends of ours. Hawaii is such a magical place. I couldn't leave without getting a couples session in of my own (because helloooooooooo I can't pass up the opportunity to photograph a beautiful couple in paradise). Matt and Paige are friends of ours (Matt is the grooms brother of the wedding we were attending) and Paige has become a great friend of mine over the last year. They got married in Maui LAST year, so it was extremely special to photograph them together just shy of their one-year anniversary in the place they got married.

My husband and I location scouted ALL over the island and I found this place. I knew this was "it" as we were walking through and I couldn't wait to bring these two here. YAY! I love how these turned out and I am so thrilled to finally be sharing them.

Enjoy. Mahalo!

Jamie & Amanda | Anza-Borrego Desert Engagement Session

Jamie+Amanda - A day spent exploring the Anza-Borrego desert, followed by a long drive home listening to true crime podcasts together. Dream day.

Andrew & Ashley | Mt. Adams Engagement Session

Ashley + Andrew /// These high school sweethearts took me to Mt. Adams for their engagement session. And let me tell ya, this kinda thing is what I live for. There's a reason I don't charge my wedding couples extra for "adventure sessions" or anything extra for the distance. I want to take the time and hang out, to shoot in new places, to go to places important to them. In this case, a mountain they've spent quite a bit of time on and the place he proposed to her. I want to leave the session better friends than when we entered it. Spending 12 hours together for a shoot is a reeeeeal good way to do that - even if that means spending the entire day together after a double wedding weekend. :)

Featured Stories