About their shoot: "I always knew I wanted to have our engagement photos taken in Santa Barbara since it's such a beautiful place and it's where we live, but also because we're getting married out of state. It didn't take us long to figure out some amazing locations because they're all places we've spent time in or around, and we wanted each location to feel very different yet still show our personalities.
We chose Butterfly Beach because we both love the water and it's a beach I spent a lot of time at as a kid. Going under Stearns Wharf was a last minute suggestion by Nick which turned out to be so cool. We also chose The Funk Zone because of its hip and funky ambiance, and we headed to Alice Keck Park because of the variety of trees and foliage. It's just a very picturesque park that we like to go to while on walks with our two dogs.
We ended up meeting our photographer, Lisa, the day of the shoot since she's based in San Luis Obispo and we hadn't had the opportunity to meet prior. Lisa was fantastic. Not only was she up for anything, but she made us feel completely at ease and like ourselves in front of the camera. It was like we had known her forever! We had SO much fun during the shoot and can't thank her enough for capturing the day. We hit it off with Lisa so much that we ended up asking her to shoot our wedding this summer!"
We chose Butterfly Beach because we both love the water and it's a beach I spent a lot of time at as a kid. Going under Stearns Wharf was a last minute suggestion by Nick which turned out to be so cool. We also chose The Funk Zone because of its hip and funky ambiance, and we headed to Alice Keck Park because of the variety of trees and foliage. It's just a very picturesque park that we like to go to while on walks with our two dogs.
We ended up meeting our photographer, Lisa, the day of the shoot since she's based in San Luis Obispo and we hadn't had the opportunity to meet prior. Lisa was fantastic. Not only was she up for anything, but she made us feel completely at ease and like ourselves in front of the camera. It was like we had known her forever! We had SO much fun during the shoot and can't thank her enough for capturing the day. We hit it off with Lisa so much that we ended up asking her to shoot our wedding this summer!"
The proposal: The day we got engaged was a typical Friday except for the fact that Nick and I took the day off work. Over breakfast at one of our favorite restaurants, Nick told me he had something planned for us that day and as we got in the car I figured out we were going wine tasting.
Soon we pulled up to a winery we had visited several years before and hadn't been to since. We had our tasting and then
walked around the gorgeous property. Nick was acting a little funny and I was wondering if there might be a proposal in the works, but I tried not to read into it. We walked over to a bridge that overlooked a small waterfall and pond and he started to say something, but then we both looked up and saw a man standing on the rock above us, staring at us. Not exactly romantic.
Nick then led me off the property onto a dirt road and up a hill into the vines. At this point all I could think about was how sweltering hot it was (about 99 degrees), where we were going (it was a huge hill!) and joking that we'd get in trouble if we got caught. Half way up the hill I stopped to take a picture and when I turned around there he was getting down on one knee with a ring! At that moment I was completely shocked and surprised... and couldn't believe how surreal everything felt. Apparently Nick had always wanted to propose to me in the middle of a vineyard because wine is such a big part of my life and work, and it was absolutely perfect. One of the happiest days of my life!
About their upcoming wedding: Nick and I are getting married in Idaho overlooking Lake Coeur d'Alene. We've spent a lot of time on that lake and can't wait to celebrate our marriage in a place we enjoy so much, surrounded by our friends and family. We both love to have fun, so we want our wedding to feel like a big celebration of life and love! We're so looking forward to starting our journey together as husband and wife and feel so blessed we found each other.
Vendor: Photographer: Lisa Mallory Photography