Their Engagement Session: Jemez Mountains – Santa Fe, New Mexico

Caitlyn and Zack flew me out to New Mexico for their Santa Fe engagement session, and to say it was a dream would be an understatement! Not only are they the kindest and sweetest humans out there, they’re also a freaking blast to hang out with. It was so much fun getting to see their neck of the woods *ehem, desert* and explore some beautiful landscapes with them!

Within my quick trip to New Mexico, we grabbed brunch and hiked around for these epic photos! Being out in nature in the Jemez mountains somewhere totally new and different from the New Jersey landscape I’m used to was so creatively fulfilling. I’m so thankful these two were up for an adventure and found some awesome spots for their session. I ADORE the images we created and loved getting to get to know them even better on our long drives!

They scouted out these locations ahead of time, and knew they wanted to go to a hot spring that they stumbled on! When they visited the first time, there were SO many people around that it would have been really tough to shoot there, but I told them we should give it a try just in case! I can always find a way to make it look amazing – that’s my job! When we got to the hot springs, though, it was absolutely EMPTY! We were in luck with the most peaceful, serene evening where they could feel totally comfortable to throw on their bathing suits and swim around in the hot spring together! Such a dreamy way to end their engagement session!

Their Love Story

Zack told me all about how they met! He said his friend needed him to wingman for him at a fraternity party basement party and distract Caitlyn so he could romance the girl he wanted to talk to! So, Zack drank two cups of beer because “Caitlyn was very attractive and I was nervous.” 🙂 They totally hit it off and as Zack says “bada bing, bada boom, we’re getting married now.”

Over Labor Day Weekend in 2019, Caitlyn & Zack were home visiting family because they had a friend’s wedding in Rhode Island! None of their parents had met before, so they wanted to get everyone together for lunch at the Jersey Shore. Great excuse to get everyone together for this surprise!

Zack wanted the proposal to be a big surprise, of course, so figuring out what type of ring Caitlyn wanted took a secret spy mission! When his sister had come to visit before, he tasked her with figuring out what Caitlyn would want for her ring! While Caitlyn was out, his sister asked if she could borrow Caitlyn’s laptop because “Zack was working on his” – she just needed an excuse to check out Caitlyn’s secret boards on Pinterest for hints! Funny enough, she pinned so many different kinds of rings, it was almost impossible to tell what she might want! Caitlyn had some suspicions when she got home, so she checked her browser history and realized they checked her Pinterest! 😋 She just didn’t know when it would be happening!

Back to Labor Day Weekend and getting the families together for lunch – it was the perfect excuse to get her all dressed up with hair and makeup! His mom told them that she wanted a picture of everyone on the beach so they scouted out a spot with sister trailing behind them. They went down to the water where Zack was able to pop the question and she could get photos of the moment!! And, of course, Caitlyn was stunned by the perfect ring he chose for her!

They got to celebrate with everyone for lunch and get started with all the fun wedding planning from there!!

Caitlyn & Zack,

Thank you so much for choosing me as your wedding photographer and bringing me out for your Santa Fe engagement session! I’m beyond grateful to know you two and truly feel like friends now! <3 It was so amazing getting to see more of New Mexico and I can’t wait to capture your love again on your wedding day in Jersey City this October! xo