Engagement photos at Torrey Pines State Park

A few weeks ago we got together with Chris and Bri to take engagement photos at one of the best locations in San Diego: Torrey Pines. With endless trails and massive cliffs that wind their way down to the ocean this is by far one of the top places to explore.

Q: Let’s start at the beginning. How did you two first meet?

A: Here's how we met from Chri's point of view..... I woke up, had a cup a coffee and pulled up my Bumble app to start swiping for potential dates. unbeknownst to me, Bri was staying at her best friend Pauline’s house for the weekend about a mile a way from where I was living at the time in Cardiff, doing the same thing. The only difference was that I was alone doing my swiping, and Bri had Pauline over her shoulder giving her advise on who to swipe yes on. Lucky for me, my profile came up on Bris phone. Pauline immediately said, ‘I know that guy’ and before Bri had a chance to swipe left- Pauline convinced her that ‘I was a good guy’ and to swipe right. Boom, we matched. For everyone that is not familiar with how Bumble works compared to other dating apps, with Bumble, the ladies have to initiate the conversation. Again lucky for me, Bri said hello and asked what my plans were for this beautiful Encinitas day. We chatted back and forth for a couple of hours before I asked her for her cell number. We both had our separate plans to go to the beach that day with our different groups of friends. Naturally, that is when I tried to start convincing Bri to have our groups of friends meet at the same beach. I failed at that attempt. We continued to chat throughout the day and talked about the possibility of meeting somewhere for a drink later that evening. Once the evening arrived, Bri texted me saying that her and her friends are going to Culture Brewery and that I should come join them. I started getting ready to head that way when I got another text from her saying those plans were no longer their plans. I was bummed to say the least but kept my composer. I ended up heading down to the the world famous dive bar in Cardiff called the Shanty with one of my buddies to play some pool instead. I let Bri know that I was there but didn’t hear back from her. We stayed at the Shanty for about an hour before calling it a night. As I was on my walk home from the Shanty I get a text from Bri saying she just got to the Shanty! At that point I debated whether to turn around or just to head home. I turned around and bee lined right back to the Shanty. There, we shared a beer and talked for about 30 minutes and I knew immediately that this girl was special and different than most. She was confident, smart, and stunningly beautiful. We had a great conversation and then it was time to head home. Bri asked me if I wanted to walk her out. As we were headed to the exit, I ran into a friend I hadn’t seen in awhile and chatted with him for a minute. When I brought my attention back to Bri, she calmly stated' 'are you going to walk me out or not.' That was the moment I definitely knew I wanted to see this fire cracker again and the rest is history!

Q: What makes your relationship special? Tell us some things that you both value in your time together. (example: pushing each other to new limits, love to travel, huge comic book fans, foodies, etc.) What makes your relationship unique?

A: What makes our relationship special is that we greatly enjoy pushing each other to try new things or to improve our lives and/or relationships. We both value camping and being outdoors with our dog Parker. Being outdoors helps us reconnect to each other but also reset us. What makes our relationship unique is that we have made a pact to make sure that no matter what we also have fun!

Q: How did you know your partner was the one? When did you first know this in your relationship? (these may often be the same moment, but aren’t always)

A: I can't say it was one defining moment but if there is a moment to reference it was the first time we went camping together at Jalama State Beach with some of his friends. I realized I just adored his passion for the outdoors, his kindness, support, and his authentically kind heart. He's the best person I know.

Q: Give us all the details about the proposal. How and where did it happen? Was it a surprise? What was the planning process?

A: We were in Mammoth Mountain for about a week during the most intense blizzard Mammoth had seen in years! I had been sick practically the entire time but the on the second to last day, I was finally feeling better! So Chris decided to randomly plan a snowmobile tour for just the two us. He packed some Champagne and a few snacks for the ride. As we started our ride out in the back country of Mammoth, Chris got the snowmobile stuck in some deep snow! I was freaking out to say the least haha. We were in the middle of the mountain, no one near by, just stuck. Luckily, for us, I was able to wave someone over to help. We got the snowmobile unstuck and we were back on the trail and on our way! About a half mile in, Chris stops and suggest we eat and take in the scenery. We open the champagne, cheers, as I was in the middle of taking a selfie of him and I when I noticed he had chugged his whole glass of champagne. I was like OK are we sending it?! Haha. That was when he grabbed my hand, starting saying very sweet things (at this point - I still had no idea he was going to propose), and then he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him!! I was in complete shock and said YES!

Q: We’re all about the bling… Tell us all about that ring!

A: The ring is gorgeous!!! It is a 1.55 carat 4-prong solitaire round with a white gold band. The band was created from my Grandmother's wedding ring. So it's even more special to me because of that personal detail. It's the most sparkly ring I've ever seen! Love it!

Q: Are you excited to start planning your wedding day? Do you have any ideas in mind yet?

A: I am very excited to plan our wedding! We are having our wedding on Catalina Island in Avalon, Ca in October 2020 with 150 of our closest family and friends. Our style is more modern tropical with greens, champagnes, and whites. Simple but beautiful! Ceremony will be on the lawn facing the ocean and Reception will be inside Catherine's Terrace. We can't wait to celebrate with the everyone!

When it comes to choosing a location for engagement photos in San Diego there is no right or wrong choice, especially along the beach. From the coast to the mountains, San Diego has just about everything you could imagine. When it comes to choosing a location along the coast, from Oceanside to Imperial Beach there are so many iconic locations, as beach wedding photographers in San Diego we have mapped out or favorites for engagement photos and would love to share ideas with you! It is so nice to work with couples before the choose their wedding photographer in San Diego as it gives us a time to work with you and build a bond before your wedding day and we have met and connected before hand. If you are recently engaged and thinking of engagement photo ideas it all comes down to your style and what it is you are looking for! If your into the boho look and love to surf let’s hit the beach to capture your love for the waves, if you are more into hiking or camping and have a favorite mountain, we are always down to venture out and explore new trails and scenery! Or, if you are just a simple fan of the beautiful nature here locally that a park like Mission Trails has to offer then we can stay local and hit up places like Sunset Cliffs or Annie’s Canyon in Encinitas, that’s one of the best parts about our job is having a variety of places to shoot at! If you are wedding planning and looking to schedule a date for your engagement photos we’d love to get together and see what ideas you have and how we can bring your vision to life! Looking to make a little road trip and get out of town and do something epic? Let’s do it! From Yosemite to Death Valley and all spots in between, California has some of the most amazing scenery and National Parks to take full advantage of for your engagement photos.

Helllloooooo! We are Andy and Brittney, local San Diego wedding photographers and videographers. We grew up in Temecula, California and moved down to the beach right after we got married and have been loving every moment. We have been able to meet so many incredible people who have tied the knot and met so many amazing people in such a tight knit community including coordinators and wedding planners. If you are planning your wedding and looking for recommendations here locally or throughout California we would be stoked to share some of our personal favorite vendors! We live here in PB so if you are looking for a local Pacific beach wedding photographer or local San Diego videographer we would love to meet and grab drinks! Hope to connect soon.