San Diego Proposal Photographer: Williams and Ale

"You have no idea how much this man loves you," is the first thing I told Ale, right after Williams pointed at me, the photographer who just captured his proposal to her. When Williams contacted me to document this momentous occasion, he gushed about his fiance to be: this patient, hard working woman who works with at risk youth is the woman he can't live without.

Commence the planning! Williams knew he wanted to propose at Balboa Park during their two year anniversary getaway, but this would be their first time to the park as they were coming from out of town. Enter, me, who knows Balboa like my own backyard. He researched locations and showed me what he liked. I presented ideas. I drew maps for him. We were truly scheming behind the scenes ha! Williams' mission was to ensure this proposal and post celebratory photoshoot would be perfect. His love for Ale, his attention to detail, and his huge heart made me a true fan of Williams!

When it was time, Williams got on this knee and asked Ale to marry him. Without hesitation, she said yes! To celebrate the momentous occasion, I documented Williams and Ale as a newly engaged couple!

Williams, any man who goes above and beyond to plan every detail behind the ultimate gesture of a proposal is a winner in my eyes! Thank you for being so amazing to plan with! Ale, I felt like I knew you before I met you: you are so kind! Know you both now have a friend in San Diego! xo, Evelyn

Balboa Park Sunrise Engagement Session: Vivian and Dale

Love languages include words of affirmation and physical touch, so when you state your preference on a dating profile, you hope you find someone who truly understands you. This is exactly what happened to Vivian, except that she wrote, "Cheese is my love language." A girl with good taste AND a sense of humor? Dale could not resist. Their romance began with a first date where Vivian brought along her dog, Pippa, as a companion, and led to an engagement with a light blue, custom sapphire engagement ring from Montana.

When Vivian initially inquired with me for an engagement session, she sent me a photo of the formal black dress she wanted to wear at her engagement session: a woman with a plan after my own heart! When we decided to capture Vivian and Dale's engagement photos at an outdoor San Diego brewery, in fact, the place where they had their first date, Vivian changed up her outfit to reflect the casual environment.

With the latest Covid restrictions in San Diego, that plan got remixed to a sunrise engagement session at Balboa Park (hello 6am meeting time!) Not only would we run into fewer people as Covid safety precautions, we would also have iconic park spots to ourselves, AND Vivian's elegant black dress was back in the picture! Even better is that we began shooting while the Balboa Park market lights were still on in the background of the Lily Pond, right by the Botanical Building, a background request from Vivian. Pippa is a part of this family, so it was only right that she was also included in this session!

Vivian and Dale, thank you for being so much fun to plan with! Getting up early was 100% worth it! Please keep posting cooking videos as I love them :) - Evelyn

Cactus Garden San Diego Engagement Session: Ivy and Bryan, Part One

Ivy and Bryan are a couple who's interests I can relate to: lovers of travel - they got engaged during their second trip to Thailand! - and complete foodies, often making intricate dishes themselves at home, these two have been together since college. Having met at Arizona State University, they wanted a southwestern vibe for their first engagement session location and I immediately thought of the Cactus Garden at Balboa Park. With plenty of dirt paths and cacti greenery, the Cactus Garden is as much 'desert vibe' as we can get in San Diego proper, and Ivy's red-orange dress completely popped and coordinated so well with Bryan's chambray button up: please file these two under 'super chic engagement outfits' Ha!

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Downtown San Diego Engagement Session

Ivy and Bryan, Part 2

Balboa Park Engagement: Kristen and Justin

Kristen and Justin: amazingly warm, uber classy, all smiles, and romantics! Completely heartwarming, Justin proposed at a location to their home in San Diego so that they could visit this place over and over again in their future. As San Diego residents, Balboa Park made the perfect iconic backdrop for their engagement session that will soon be followed by their wedding at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, followed with a gorgeous reception at the San Diego Botanic Gardens!

Kristen and Justin, I cannot wait to document your day! I'm looking forward to every detail we talked about! xo, Evelyn

Balboa Park & Sunset Cliffs Engagement: Carly and Alex

A first date over sushi set off a passionate love between these two. Together they value spending quality time with one another - especially while traveling internationally - and sharing in each other's interests: Carly has a background in winemaking, so very early on in their relationship she asked Alex to serve wine at an event she was hosting. Not only did he oblige, he enjoyed it, demonstrating a clear interest in one of her passions which won her over.

Calling San Diego home, iconic Balboa Park was the perfect backdrop for part one of their engagement session followed by Sunset Cliffs with their fur-babies, Duke and Dakota, who seriously loved the camera! 

Carly, from the moment we spoke I loved your energy! Alex, from the moment we met I loved how clear it was you love Carly: how you spoke highly of her, your 'Wine Princess,' and how you dote on her niece. Together, I adore you! Thank you for your laughs, care, and trust: you had zero questions about jumping and climbing over a few rocks to get to just the right location which led to fun and even more laughs. I am SO excited to photograph your fall wedding! xo, Evelyn