Holy moly! That’s all I can say to what ended up being one of my favorite engagement session ever! I had known Liz as a coworker of my hubby, and always loved how joyful she was, but then I got to meet her fiance Jake, and they two together are dynamite!

We met at Desert Botanical Gardens when they were in town for Christmas two weeks ago, and I could not have loved our time together more! The they warmed up to each other almost immediately was incredible, and then just a few minutes in and they were already laughing, getting close and showing so clearly how much they adore each other! I could not click my camera fast enough! Hearing the story of their cross country love, and details they are planning for their day, we strolled the gardens with cacti all around and ended just as the sun began to set! It was so much fun and made me so excited for their wedding day next fall! You have to read their story below of their proposal, its so cute !

Hugs Jake and Liz! Much love, Jenn

“I first knew I was in love with him when…..   After dating for about six weeks, Jake and I were out on the town with friends one Friday night. We had gone out to dinner at  and then to a karaoke bar, and we were having such a good time! Although there wasn’t an “a-ha” moment, it was that night I realized that no matter what we were doing, whenever I was with Jake my heart felt so full and happy. That whole night long, I couldn’t stop thinking about how I should tell him, or if I should wait longer– my mind and heart were both racing! At the end of the night, he walked me home and as I was saying goodnight, I couldn’t help but blurt out, “I love you! You don’t have to say it back, I just had to tell you!” As we often are, Jake was on the same page and quickly reciprocated the sentiment. I think I finally was able to exhale once we exchanged our first of many, many “I love you’s”. ” – Liz

“Our relationship works so well because we trust and feel secure with each other. Our favorite and most memorable moments are when we are alone… together, just us two.  We love to travel and explore new places, and we also share a love for food and dining experiences. Most importantly, our relationship works because we constantly cha llenge each other to make ourselves better and grow with one another.” – Jake

“Our proposal was a big surprise to me! We finally decided to check a trip to New Orleans off our bucket list to celebrate my birthday! Since neither of us had been there before, I wasn’t expecting any surprises. We spent our first day eating our way through the city, indulging in shrimp po’boys and t beignets. For the second day, Jake made reservations for a “birthday dinner” at Restaurant R’evolution (he let me know this in advance so I could bring a nice outfit). He mentioned he wanted to get drinks before dinner at a bar in the Omni Royal Orleans. We arrived at the Omni and were headed toward the bar– or so I thought. Jake led the way and we hopped into an elevator and found ourselves on the pool deck on top of the building. “Maybe we should go back to the elevator..” I said to Jake– thinking that we made a wrong turn since there was no bar in sight. He continued to lead the way and guided me up the stairs to the observation deck, where we could see the Mississippi River on one side, and overlooked the French Quarter on the other. It was only in this moment, when it was about to happen, that I suspected it was going to happen!! Van Morrison music was playing in the background, there were beautiful votives with greenery and candles, and Jake got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. As I gasped for air through my happy tears, I, of course, said YES to my best friend!!” – Liz

“My favorite thing about Liz are her eyes and her heart.  Yes her eyes are stunningly beautiful and bold, but something special happens when you look into them.  I feel so at ease and relaxed when I look into her eyes. Liz also has such a big heart.  She loves so hard and is so genuine with her love which makes me feel incredibly special.  ” -Jake

“While Jake had tried to kiss me sooner (lol!), our first kiss happened after our fourth date. We had been out to a nice dinner and then went to a comedy show to celebrate Jake’s birthday. The whole evening was so fun and full of laughter. When it was time to say goodnight, Jake hopped out of the car to give me a hug. As we were in each other’s arms and gazing into each other’s eyes, Jake went into for the kiss and five years later I still can’t get enough!” – Liz