A few weeks ago we got to roam the beach and take engagement photos in La Jolla for Jillian and Blake. It was such a blast hanging out and talking about how they met and plans for their wedding, here is a quick look at a few of their engagement photos and a short story of how they met.

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

A: Technically met in college, but didn’t start dating until 6 years later when we ran into each other at a bar in Newport Beach.

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: Even though this sounds cliche we are best friends. I have never dated anyone who was truly my best friend like Blake is.  Yes there are times I need my alone time, but I love just spending time with him and traveling and just being outdoors together. He makes me laugh so hard sometimes, never a dull moment with him.

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 I can remember the exact moment, but I did fall hard and fast for Blake. I do remember attending my cousins wedding with him and that made me feel all the feels. We had only been dating for 5 months at the time, but the thought of us breaking up at the moment absolutely killed me.

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: Little did I know, Blake had bought the ring a month in a half before he asked me. One thing we had talked about prior to him asking me,  was that he needed to ask my dad for permission.  I told him I would feel weird getting engaged without my dad knowing.  But we went on a camping trip to O’neil Regional Park. Blake was acting a little weird that day so I kind of thought something was up but also not because I was the one who planned this trip. But the moment we got to our campsite Blake wanted to go hiking immediately and I said no because I wanted to set up camp. I felt that was strange because usually he wants a drink when we get to our camp site. So long story short we set up camp and than went hiking. I did glance at his front pockets to see if I saw  box in his pockets but luckily I saw nothing but phone. So I stopped wondering if he was going to propose and just enjoyed our very hot hike (it was like 85 degrees) so we got to the highest point of our hike and Blake wanted to take a picture. So I got my phone out so we could take a selfie and he said no let’s do a self timer photo. Little did I know , he set up a self timer video and he got the full proposal on video for us. It starts out as us posing for a picture and than after 10 seconds he turns to me and I think I blacked out. All I remember him saying is how much he loved me and wants to spend the rest of his life with me. Of course I cried my eyes out because I’m the most emotional person ever. We face timed both our families after and then spent the rest of the day / evening together. It was the best camping trip ever.

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

A: Blake did the best job on my ring! It’s a yellow gold band with an oval solitaire diamond. It’s exactly what I wanted. We had been looking at rings and I showed him what I didn’t like and what I really liked. So I can not complain

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

A: And wedding planning is a lot. I’m not gonna lie ,  it’s not my favorite thing in the world. We are now 3 months out to the wedding date and it’s making me super excited but also I get stressed thinking about little things. Good advice I have gotten from friends who are married have told me all that matters that day is Blake and I and that we are married at the end of the day. Things might and will go wrong and don’t to worry about it. Just enjoy the day together as husband and wife.

Thanks a ton for checking out our blog and recent engagement shoot. If you are new to our work we are wedding photographers in San Diego and love getting to explore new areas along the coast capturing engagements and weddings! If you are a local or visiting California for the first time and searching for a local wedding photographer we would love to chat and see if we can help capture the moments of your big day. This career has led us to some incredible places, but has also allowed us to meet some of the most amazing people. We love connecting with new couples and hearing about how they met and all the planning that goes into an engagement as well as the wedding planning. Whether you are thinking of a beach wedding in San Diego or a mountain elopement in Big Bear we are up for the thrill and love capturing unique weddings in California. Feel free to reach out and hope to connect soon!