Jessica and Aaron’s Scenic Fall Oak Glen Engagement Session

Jessica and Aaron met with me at one of my favorite locations for engagement session. Oak Glen is so scenic anyway, but with the fall colors dripping from the trees.. it can’t be beat! Here in Southern California, we don’t really experience fall during the typical fall season.. often times, Sept thru Nov can still be quite toasty and everywhere you look, you just see brown from the dry, summer months. But just a short 30 minute drive to Oak Glen, and that all changes.. the temperatures drop, the trees burst into shades of amber and gold, and suddenly, I’m ready to pull out my sweaters and cuddle up with my favorite person..

Well, that’s just what Jessica and Aaron did during their engagement session (the cuddling part) and it was such a pleasure getting to know them and see their love for each other thru my lens.

Here is are few words from Jessica and Aaron:

Chance Encounter, Set Up or Swiped:

We met at a mutual friend's Friendsgiving party where we immediately had a connection and hung out with each other all night. We didn't see each other again until St.Patrick's day, when we hung out with the same mutual friend, where we had the same connection and ended up exchanging numbers. Our first date was as soon as we could schedule it, which happened to land on April Fool's Day. My work kept me late from meeting Aaron at the restaurant on time, and his waiter kept making comments as if he was being stood up on April Fool's Day, but had to eat his comments once I arrived.

The Big Proposal: 

We drove to Monterey Bay for the weekend as an early celebration of our 4 year anniversary. On our last day there, we went to the Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, which we pushed to the end of the weekend because the rain was supposed to let up by then. The weather had a mind of its own though and it didn't stop raining, to the contrary it actually picked up, but we still went ahead with our plans. We were walking a trail that went along the cliffs and due to the rain we would huddle for shelter under sections where the trees covered the trail. There was a lookout we came across, where we had to climb some rocks to get to where the view was. Once there, I was distracted by the view, and when I turned around, Aaron was on his knee, with the ring, and asked me to marry him.

How Long Has This Been Going On?

When we got engaged, in March 2019, we had been with each other for about 4 years, so now it's about 4.5 years.

3 Things I Love About You

I love learning what my clients love about each other… here’s what Jessica and Aaron had to say…

Aaron about Jessica:
1. How happy she makes me. No matter what we're doing, even if we're just watching TV at home together, I always know I wouldn't want to be anywhere else but right there with her.
2. I love her eyes, they are an amazing blue with gold in the middle. They are unique and beautiful, just like her.
3. Her determination and how strong-willed she is. She knows what she wants and will work hard for it, and doesn't rely on anyone else to get there. When she sets out to do something, I know it's going to happen.

Jessica about Aaron:
1. His curiosity. If he doesn't know something then he will research until he does, which I love because he's always wanting to gain more knowledge and better himself.
2. His convictions. I love that he has his own opinions and he's not afraid to speak them even if they differ from mine.
3. How secure he makes me feel. I have never doubted what he tells me, or our relationship, because he's never given me a reason to. We're very open and honest, and our relationship was the first time I truly felt I could trust the other person without any doubts.

Seriously?! I have the best clients!! I love how they love each other!! I know that’s mushy, but I don’t care!! 💜

Let's Go Shopping: For our engagement shoot, we wanted our outfits to fit with the weather and the fall theme. We shopped around a lot, preparing for the shoot, at Nordstrom Rack, Lucky, Target, Lulu's, Francesca's, and Off Broadway. My orange cardigan, Aaron's green pullover sweater, and his grey cardigan are from Target. My rose sweater is from Lulu's, my white shirt is from Francesca's, along with all my jewelry worn with my rose sweater outfit. Aaron's white shirt, his jeans, my shoes and my jeans from the rose sweater outfit, are from Lucky. My other jeans are Paige's, from Nordstrom Rack, which is where Aaron also got his shoes. My tall boots are from Off Broadway.

Location, Location, Location: Aaron and I both love fall, so we were able to quickly agree that we wanted a fall engagement shoot. Our favorite part about fall is the cooler weather, but also the changing of the leaves so we wanted a place that would embody all of that. We also wanted lots of foliage and trees so when Carrie suggested Homestead, we knew that would be the perfect place since we already knew about the venue.

 We were both nervous about the shoot and afraid that would come across in the pictures, but Carrie made us feel so comfortable. After the first few pictures, we both felt at ease, and we were able to be in the moment with one another.

Advice for future Carrie Vines couples: Just go with the flow. The first pictures may feel uncomfortable, or awkward, but focus on being in the moment with your partner and it'll become easier.

Gah… aren’t they the nicest!! I can’t wait to photograph their wedding next year!! There were so many amazing photos from this session!! Which ones were your favorite?

Here’s a collage we shared on our Instagram story.. Be sure to visit our Instagram and Facebook for more amazing images from this and all our sessions!