Matthew had the perfect surprise proposal planned for his girlfriend Athena. It was going to be in Carmel Valley, at a special spot with an absolutely majestic view of the valley below. Record-breaking wildfires had ravaged the California countryside and clouded the skies with smoke just days before the proposal, but that wasn’t going to stop him — if the coronavirus couldn’t keep them from getting engaged, then neither was the smoke. And so the stage was set for one incredibly beautiful Carmel Valley Ranch surprise proposal. [ read more … ]

Conor and Kristin made the drive down from Sonoma to meet up with us for an early morning engagement shoot, even though it was right during the middle of raging wildfire season. (You can even see the haze in some of the photos.) We started off at a completely empty beach, as if it was reserved just for them, and then headed over to Lovers’ Lane in time to catch the morning sun peeking through the trees like we were in a magical forest. [ read more … ]