Ben + Brooke

It's impossible to spend even one minute with Ben + Brooke without laughing. They have this zany zest for life that seems to overflow into every detail of conversation. They're excited about wedding planning and Portland living and their adorable pup, Sadie. And while their joy is addicting, the most wonderful part of it all is that beneath the layers of laughter and happiness and smiles, nothing compares to the love they have for one another. I was honored to get to spend the afternoon at Brooke's family cabin near Mt. Hood where we were able to capture this sweet season of life beneath towering trees and the fresh crisp air of the Cascades. Brooklynnnn, what would I do without you?! You exude life's joy and I hope you know just how blessed I feel to get to be your wedding photographer. Anytime a bride becomes a friend I feel like the richest, luckiest, most special wedding photographer in the world. I hope it goes without saying that you have absolutely become a friend to me. And Ben, thank you for loving this lady with all of you. I can't wait to watch you two say I Do in just a few short months!!!

M.

I would be remiss if I didn't send a huge thank-you to Nicole Wagner of Powder Inc. Makeup in Portland for working her magic on Brooke. Brooke is gorgeous as is, but Nicole is a true artist and did an incredible job of allowing Brooke's most naturally gorgeous self to show through for engagement photos.

After leaving the picturesque views of Trillium Lake we completely changed scenes for a little cuddling in the woods. I've already given Brooke fair warning that at any time she might find Colton and I trying to sneak in to the cabin for a weekend getaway.

Maybe I have just a small, tiny, teensy (read enormous) bit of ring lust over Brooke's bling.

Ty + Gina

Here’s the thing about Gina – she’s the type of bride a photographer can only dream of having. She’s the girl who lets you be a part of her big, big plans as she tells you her colors and her bridesmaids and all of her gorgeous little details. She’s the girl who, at her engagement session, asks when would be the best time to take pictures on her wedding day (I almost died and kissed her, all at the same time). But most of all she’s the girl who loves her boy more than anything else in the entire world. And her boy? Well, I only met Ty for the first time at the engagement session but it was easy to tell he is equally as wonderful as Gina. Which means that I am the luckiest photographer in the universe to get to photograph these two when they say I Do come August.

There’s one other thing about Ty + Gina that I think is important to know. We met at Bend’s Shevlin Park on New Year’s Day for their engagement session and while it was the most beautifully crisp and clear day we could possibly ask for, it was also one of the coldest days I’ve ever had the joy of photographing. The sun was doing that dewy, glowy thing it does and the snow seemed even more stunning and sparkly than normal. But along with our absolutely perfect day came a thermostat that read 19. Nineteen!! Nineteen degrees!! As in one-nine. And here comes Gina, happy as can be, in a stunning little dress and tights.

It was far below freezing for their entire session but Ty + Gina were such troopers. They smiled and laughed and had I not been there to see (and feel!) it myself, I’d never have believed the air was chilling them to the bone. Things like this leave me knowing that come rain or shine, nothing can keep Ty + Gina from sporting those gorgeous smiles of theirs come the wedding day.

A little blingbling...

...and some fun in the snow to end our session!

Cody + Kelly

I’m not entirely sure how to introduce you to Cody + Kelly. Colton and I have known these two for years and have always hoped (but really kind of knew) that that they were in it forever. When said together, they’re names are most often followed with an ‘aww, I love those two!’ – or some similar sort of cooing and swooning. They’re the type of couple that makes you especially angry because you cannot possibly find one bad thing to say about them. This, in turn, is annoying to the umpteenth degree. Furthermore, they’re the type of couple that insists they take you out for dinner after their engagement session and absolutely, positively will not take no for an answer (thankyouforthebestsushiever!). So yes, we love them.

Cody + Kelly are getting married next September and while I’m a little miffed I have to wait nine months until their big day, I couldn’t possibly be any more excited for them and this crazy wonderful season of life that they’re in. A few days after Christmas we bundled up and met at downtown Bend’s Drake Park for an afternoon of fun pictures and lots of laughs. And fortunately for me they invited the world’s second cutest puppy…

Enjoy just a little taste of Cody + Kelly’s Bend engagement session!

Don't you just LOVE Charli?! I want her and Conway to be best best friends.

At the end of our session we hopped into the nearby coffee shop, Bellatazza, where Kelly used to work. It was the perfect timing for a warm cup of coffee and a little cozying up in the corner.