Karisa & Bryce Big Bear, CA

We left San Diego early in the morning to head up to the mountains where we were meeting Karisa and Bryce for their engagement photos. Big Bear was a special place for the both of them as this is where the spark for them first started back in high school. They were both on the track team and were in different grades, but both were on the same track team and would run through the mountains and trails around the lake. Fast forward a few years later, and this was exactly where Bryce proposed to her. It was only right that they had their engagement photos taken here as well. Here are a few sneak peaks from their engagement session, we are so excited for their wedding this year at Peltzer Farms in Temecula.

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

A: Bryce and I met on our high school cross country team years ago.  After staying good friends over the years and moving off to college, we rekindled our friendship after both moving back to our hometown. All it took was a weekend at Stagecoach and Bryce's sweet dance moves, to know that I really liked him. Falling in love was the easiest and most natural thing and it was worth the wait knowing God brought us together at the right time.

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: Laughter. There is never a day that goes by where Bryce doesn't make me laugh or smile. He is the biggest jokester and he has made my type A personality a little bit more easy going. He truly is my better half and complements all the qualities that I lack.

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: Bryce is the most selfless person I know. He continuously does heartfelt things for me just because. I knew I wanted to marry him because he continuously does things not because he feels like he has to but because he wants to do it. I knew I wanted to marry him a few months into dating.

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: Bryce proposed to me in Big Bear where we cherished some of the best memories together from high school cross country camp. Bryce being the sneaky man he is planned the whole weekend flawlessly over several months even involving our closet friends for help. We went up with two of our best friends for a weekend getaway and started the day with a hike up Cougar Crest trail. The one thing about Bryce is he always does thoughtful things for me, so when I saw sunflowers along the trail with my name on them I honestly thought nothing of it because he just does these things!  At the end of the trail was Bryce waiting to ask me to spend the rest of my life with him. Of course I said "ya." Bryce surprised me by inviting all of our closest friends and family  to witness the special moment and celebrate with us the rest of the weekend.

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

A: I love simple elegance and Bryce couldn't have picked a more perfect ring for me. He sought the advice from my best friend and pick out a rose gold solitaire diamond months before the proposal and even before we really started talking about spending the rest of our lives together. What made it even more special is he engraved my last name on the inside of the band so that even though I'm changing my name I will always be a Reynolds.

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

A: We are pretty much in full wedding planning mode now. It's been a whirlwind of decisions and planning but it is all coming together now. We are looking forward to September celebrating our love with our family and friends!

It was such a blast being able to roam around the mountains with Karisa and Bryce a few weeks ago, although we just missed the main snow storm that just hit, we were able to find patches of snow for their engagement photos and make the most out of it! We spend the night and enjoyed the town of Big Bear and went for our own little adventures, here are a few photos of us roaming around the lake.

About us: We love meeting new couples and getting to hang out with them and learn how they met and hearing about different life stories. Being a part of capturing wedding and engagements is a very intricate time in people’s lives and we like to make it as laid back as possible, if you are engaged and looking for a San Diego engagement photographer that is easy to get along with, we would love to help capture your love! There are so many talented wedding photographers in San Diego and we try to be unique by making you feel as comfortable as possible and capturing the moments as they come. We have come to be close friends with so many of our clients that we have worked with and it is truly such a rewarding industry to work in. If there is any advice you are searching for about you wedding, or places that you have questions about, we would love to help in any way possible. We have worked at so many amazing wedding venues in California and have worked with some of the best vendors that we are always able to recommend for couples’ weddings. Feel free to contact us, hope to talk soon!