We hit the desert around 4am to make it out to Joshua Tree for sunrise, after Cole demanded we stop at McDonalds for his egg Mcmuffin we waited in the parking lot for 10 minutes slowly watching the darkness fade to morning as McDonalds finally opened at 6. With Cole chowing down his sandwich we made our way to the park, just in time for the sun rise beyond the massive boulders in the distance. Here’s a look back at our time in the desert!

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

Cole and I met at a wedding in Orange County, we were both placed at the singles table. After dinner he asked for a dance once the party started, and it’s been history from then on!

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?

I would say the most special thing is that we love each other for our rawest selves, and we push each other to be our best selves even when it’s not easy sometimes. Cole is truly my biggest fan, he supports me in all my dreams.

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)

I knew that Cole was the one on Fourth of July! We had the best day, we didn’t do anything special but the way I felt with him the amount of laughter and joy that he brought out of me I just knew.

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

I had planned to meet my girlfriends in San Diego for my birthday, so Cole asked if we could go on a drive to the beach for some coffee before we met with our friends. I say of course, sounds great! So we pulled up to a cliff in La Jolla and we just took in the ocean breeze and next thing I know Cole says, sooo I really brought you here for another reason. And then I blacked out haha, I just remembered saying yes and balling my eyes out. Little did I know the surprises weren’t done, he then drove me to our favorite restaurant/bar where all my friends and family were there to celebrate us. It was the most epic day ever.

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

The ring, is pretty much a dream boat. The main diamond is a marquee, with a custom halo of small diamonds around it. The ring itself is all gold as well. I had a friend explain it as “a ring you would find on the bottom of the ocean in the titanic boat.” Hahah, let’s just say he killed it.

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

Yes! We are having about a 15 month engagement, so I just now started the planning and it’s been so much fun. We got super lucky with our venue, it’s called Oakridge Farmhouse in Murrieta CA, and it’s all outdoors and so beautiful.

The desert is single handedly one of our favorite places to get out and explore. We fell in love with the desert years ago when we first got married and took every free weekend possible to get out and roam the desert from Arizona to Utah and hitting national and state parks on the way. Sedona was our spot and a place we found ourselves visiting annually. If you are planning your engagement photos and thinking of a new location we’d love to share some of our favorite spots. Joshua Tree is so nice because it is here in California and just a short 2 and a half hour drive from San Diego. We’re always down for a roadtrip, so make sure to hit us up and lets brain storm ideas to make the best possible photos for your engagement pictures!