You have no idea how much I am looking forward to Ashley & Danny’s wedding this summer. First of all, they are getting married at my absolute favorite place to shoot portraits and I have been there many MANY times. It is gorgeous year round and the light will be exceptional for their evening outdoor ceremony. What better place to have your engagement photos taken than where your ceremony will be? Secondly, they are such a seriously cute couple. I couldn’t quite place it, but about 15min into the session I realized who Danny looked like. Mark Paul Gosselaar. You know, Zach from Saved by the Bell? Do you see it? After another 15 or so minutes of shooting I realized that Ashley looks a bit like Tiffani Amber Thiessen, she played Kelly – Zach’s girlfriend. Am I crazy? My husband doesn’t see it, but I do. Anyway, the thing I loved the most about watching Ashley & Danny together was the way they made each other laugh. Take it from someone who’s been married for a handful of years… making each other laugh, having inside jokes, even sharing the occasional glance that is sure to result in a big smile is a necessary component to a happy marriage.

Ashley & Danny – your wedding will be spectacular and I can’t wait to capture every moment for you!

This is the exact spot these two will be standing hand in hand this summer, sharing their vows, surrounded by all of their friends and loved ones.

I love this series. One of many moments where they completely made each other laugh.

Okay, this one might not end up as a 24×36 canvas above the fire place, but it was one of my favorite photos from the session. I asked them to make some funny faces. Ashley couldn’t even try because she was laughing so hard at Danny’s face. I’m surprised I was even able to take this shot because I was laughing so hard. I think in this one he has one eye going forward and the other completely turned in… a skill I am not talented enough to achieve myself.

Have you ever met a person that was so nice you had to ask yourself, “Is it really possible for a person to truly be that nice?” That happens to me from time to time when I come across someone who is genuinely nice and I always find it refreshing to get to know a person with such a good heart. I’m fortunate to have crossed paths with people like this over the years, but I was a bit shocked when I met Nicole and Todd because both of them have a heart of gold. They were both so incredibly nice and easy going, I wasn’t quite sure how to react! I mean, how often do you find a couple where both people are 100% sweet and good natured. Maybe my surprise comes from my own relationship with my husband. I’m the sweet and good natured one and my husband can be… um… how can I say this lovingly… a little tough to handle. I just figured every relationship was like mine. Opposites attract, right? I just couldn’t get over how deep down incredibly genuinely NICE both Nicole and Todd were, and what a great pair they are.

Allow me to back up my claims with some examples. Nicole and Todd live in Northern Washington, very close to the Canadian border. We’re talking a 4+ hour drive from Portland. When I booked their wedding, I didn’t know how we were going to do their engagement photos and they said they would come to me. I felt bad that they were traveling so far for the engagement pics but they said it was nothing and they used it as an excuse for a weekend getaway. I thought that was so nice. Guess what. It was raining for their entire session. Like a constant steady rain. Any other local session would have been rescheduled but we couldn’t. I was so worried. Did they complain? Not once. Every time I told them how bad I felt, they just told me how much they love the rain! They didn’t care if they got wet. They didn’t care the sky was grey. They were just happy to be together. Now, if those examples didn’t convince you, get this: we went down to Nob Hill for a Mayan Mocha from Moonstruck (because you can’t visit Portland without going to Moonstruck) and some dude backed into Todd’s truck while we were sitting in it. I, Mrs. Nice-pants, would have been pissed at the dummy who backed into us but Todd didn’t get mad at all. He saw that his truck wasn’t damaged and he didn’t get mad at all. Lastly, I had it was a real battle for me to buy Nicole and Todd a mocha. They wouldn’t let me treat them and I pretty much had to fight them to the cash register.

Okay, okay. So a long blog post about how nice they are, but I’m sure any of their friends and family reading this will agree. These two each have a heart of gold, and together they are a rare find. I feel so privileged to be able to photograph their wedding this September.

This one cracks me up because he actually carries her on his back all the time when there are puddles or mud.

I think I love Ashley and Nick. Maybe that sounds a little weird, but read on and you’ll probably love them too by the end of this post. First of all, if you saw the way Nick kissed Ashley, you’d get shivers up and down your spine. I don’t know what it is, but there is some pure magic there. Second, you will just melt when you hear the story of how he proposed. There were down at the Portland Waterfront on a warm sunny summer day. Nick convinced Ashley to run through the fountain with her clothes on. Right in the middle of the fountain he got down on one knee and proposed to her. Romantic, right? Now get this. He had secretly hired a professional photographer to capture the whole thing. The photographer stayed far enough back that she never even noticed. Then, that Christmas, seven months after he proposed, she opened up her gift and saw a beautiful black and white photo album showing the candid photos from that special day. It was titled “you should have seen it in color”. I personally have something in common with them too. When I got married, my husband’s son was about the same age that Nick’s two kids are. We included my stepson in our engagement session just like Ashley and Nick did with their kids. I totally love and respect that because she’s not just marrying Nick, she’s marrying his kids too. Finally, they’re getting married this spring up at Timberline Lodge. A beautiful snowy wedding, gorgeous bride, rustic lodge, sealed with that oh-so-hot-and-steamy kiss – a photographer’s dream!

See? You love them now too, don’t you?

Ashley and Nick are two incredible people and will certainly have a fun, loving, and romantic life in front of them. Congratulations to you two!!!

What did I tell you? H O T !!!

If you have kids, you know this feeling.

Gorgeous ring.

Not only does he make her laugh, but he grabs her tooshie while doing it.

Doesn’t Nick’s son look just like him?

This was their idea. I love it when the kids tell me what shots to get. They usually end up being my favorites.

Super hot. There was such passion between these two.

I’m melting right about now. Are you?

Only in Oregon. Those leaves are real.

For my photographer friends out there… these were taken at ISO5000. No joke. It was pretty much dark outside. I love my D700.