Amber and Michael’s UCR Botanic Gardens Engagement Session

Amber and Michael are probably two of the nicest people I’ve ever met.. everytime we get together or chat, 5 minutes later I get a text or email telling me how lucky they are to have found me.. 😭… I feel the same way!! I have the best clients, for which I am beyond grateful!! We started our engagement session at the UCR Botanical Gardens. The gardens were bursting with spring color and everything looked so lush and green. Our time, however, was limited because the park was closing. So we made our way to Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park and man oh man!! what a gorgeous view! The hills were aglow with wild mustard blooms and it felt like these sweethearts had found their own special corner of the world all to themselves!

Amber and Michael shared with us a little bit of their love story.. 💕

Chance Encounter, Set Up or Swiped?How did you meet?: We happened to meet on set back in 2015. It was truly by chance because Michael is an Engineer and doesn’t typically work in the film industry. He was helping his friend that weekend, and I was the Script Supervisor. We hit it off right away. I said I wasn’t looking forward to the long drive home, and we discovered that we lived ten minutes away from each other. So Michael asked if I would like to carpool to set for the rest of the weekend. I don’t typically agree to something like that with someone I just met, but he must have left an impression because I actually agreed right away. After carpooling all weekend, we decided we liked each other enough to keep seeing each other. And the rest is history!

The Big Proposal: Michael proposed at midnight on Christmas Eve in 2017 at my parents’ house while we were visiting for the Holidays. It was just us, so it was private, and so sweet. It was perfect and a wonderfully special moment for us both.

How Long Has This Been Going On?: We have been together for almost 4 years now.

3 Things You Love About The Other:

From Amber…

 1) From that first weekend, I loved how intently Michael listens. It still surprises me when he remembers little details that I brought up weeks prior.

2) I love how Michael cares and goes out of his way to do things for me that I never asked him to do. It could be something little, like getting me a glass of water, or something bigger, like stopping by the store and picking up ice cream for me after a rough day! :D

3) I love how Michael makes me laugh, even when I don’t feel like laughing. 

From Michael..

1) I love how genuine and caring of others Amber is. She is always conscious of others’ feelings and goes out of her way to make sure everyone is happy.

2) Amber is intelligent and driven; always seeking new challenges and always making the best of any situation.

3) She felt like family from the moment I met her. Our personalities clicked perfectly, and bringing her home with me for the first time truly felt like it was meant to be.

3+) And she’s super hot!

Location, Location, Location: We chose to go to UCR Botanic Gardens. We both love the outdoors and we couldn’t go to any of our other locations. In the end, I’m so glad we went there because it turned out perfectly!

Feeling: We were both very very excited! After our first phone call with Carrie, we couldn’t stop raving about how wonderful she sounded and how comfortable we were with her. I think because of that, we were never really nervous at all. Carrie is AMAZING and we had so much FUN!! Weeks later we are still reminiscing and laughing about our time together. It was a very special afternoon!

Advice: Have fun! Our session was wonderful because it allowed us to take a breath and remember what all the wedding stress was about: our love for each other. I think the engagement session is more than just taking photos, it is about making memories and having a truly special moment with the person you love without any other distractions. So if you are a little nervous, that is ok. Carrie makes it comfortable and fun! You just have to be yourself. :)

There were so many amazing photos from this session.. Here’s a collage we shared on our Instagram story.. Be sure to visit our Instagram for more amazing images from this and all our sessions!