Lake Tahoe Wedding Photographer | Donner Lake Engagement Session

“We really don't have any picture besides our normal go to side-by-side self-timer poses (granted in some really cool places), so we were both a little nervous about how the whole thing would go. I think being in a long distance relationship for the first 3.5 years and having to do a lot of third wheeling with others while we were apart has made us really conscious about showing minimal PDA around others, so I nervous that that may be awkward or uncomfortable. It honestly wasn't that bad at all though and we had such a fun time!!! We were really excited to get some awesome shots and it helped that we were shooting in such a beautiful location with a photographer who knew exactly how to make two awkward goofy ducklings look like we really do like each other!”

“Jeffrey and I met our freshman year of college at the University of Nevada. I was a soccer student-athlete and he played baseball, so our paths were bound to eventually cross. Jeffrey and my roommate became friends in the fall, although I was oblivious to their friendship for that first semester. He says he remembers seeing me running around the dorms in a penguin onesie and knew he was interested at that exact moment. It was a tradition every year around the holidays for the baseball team to throw their annual cocktail party (essentially your typical college party, but with a “fancy” dress code). The night before the party Jeffrey messaged me on Facebook asking if I was going and what I was going to wear. I believe I said a simple black dress to which he responded something along the likes of “that’s boring, you gotta standout!” Charmed me from the get-go. The next night at the cocktail party was the first night we officially hung out. Other than the Facebook messages the night before, I had never really talked to Jeffrey, but we ended up together most of the night dancing and talking (and even maybe kissing a bit :)). Little did we know, dancing at a college party as an 18-year-old freshman would be the start of a 6-year relationship, with three years of long distance, 4 cross-country road trips, countless adventures, and ultimately one very memorable proposal.”

“I'm a self-admitted "Wannabe adventure/very calculated risk-taker." By that I mean I'm alot of talk when it comes to adventuring and hiking and all of that kind of stuff. I'll be the one organizing a hike or an adventure day, but then take 4X as long as everyone else to scale any sketchy parts and then have the rest of the group laughing as I make my way up or down a mountain or across a river. I was straight up exposed during our session with Elsa in the best way possible, which was quite hilarious. She had me climbing rocks in tall wedges (which I already walk like a baby giraffe in), but I'm super thankful she got me out of my comfort zone to get some unreal shots! So - don't underestimate her adventurous spirit and trust that she knows exactly what she's doing! We couldn't be more thankful for how our engagement session turned out and can't wait for July!”

Future goals:

1. Get a dog. Our parents are probably rolling our eyes at this one, but we may or may not venture over to the local dog park at least once a week for a "walk" and then end up sitting and just watching all the doggos play for hours. 1a. Before that, we definitely are trying to move into a place with a good backyard!

2. Kids. Definitely kids. We're both really excited to (unsurprisingly I'm sure) be a baseball dad and soccer mom.

3. MORE TRAVEL to fun places! We're always looking for suggestions.

4. More than anything, we're just really looking forward to continuing on adventuring in life together.

Fun facts about K+J:

“1. We met in college at the University of Nevada, Reno our freshman year. Jeffrey played baseball and I played soccer.

2. We dated long distance for 3.5 years after really only knowing each other/dating for 6 months. Shortly after we met, Jeffrey transferred to a junior college in Oregon and then to West Virginia to finish out his college baseball career.

3. We've driven across the country together 4 times. I flew out to West Virginia to bring him back home (he's from the Bay Area originally) for two summers in a row. Our first trip took 10 days (Morgantown to Nashville to Little Rock to Oklahoma City to Albuquerque to the Grand Canyon/Phoenix to Las Vegas to Fresno to the Bay). Our second trip took 21 days (Morgantown to Charlotte to Myrtle Beach to Jacksonville to Panama City to New Orleans to Houston to Austin to San Antonio to Las Cruces to Albuquerque to Sedona to Las Vegas to Fresno to the Bay). The last two trips were for our move from Reno to Indianapolis and back, so for those we made stops in Salt Lake City, Cheyenne, Omaha, Des Moines.

4. Between the two of us, we've been to or driven through 42 of the 50 states. Thanks college athletics! (We're hoping to step up our international travel game one day!).

5. We're big jocks, but also big dweebs at the same time. We'll get super competitive at any sport from basketball to golf to swim races in our apartment pool, but also LOVE a good board game night with close friends. Everything from Monopoly to Catan to Scrabble to random card games we find online.”

“Wedding planning is honestly going pretty smooth. It helped that we got engaged in November 2018 and aren't getting married until July 2020, so we have plenty of time to plan! I was also just recently in my maid of honor's wedding, so it that was super helpful to see what goes on behind the scenes. We have a great support system of friends and family helping us stay on track as well and we've checked most of the big bucket items off the list (venue, date, florist, caterer, an AWESOME photographer), so now it's working on all the fun little details for the big day. I guess my biggest piece of advice is to make sure you know you're budget going into wedding planning to avoid alot of stress in the future. Know the 2-3 things that are most important for you as a couple and invest your money in those things. Also, bounce ideas off of friends and family, but make sure you are tuning into what YOU and your future hubby see for yourselves and don't be afraid to be confident in your decisions and ideas. Also, there's a good chance your guy really does want to be involved and feel included, so don't leave him in the dust when it comes to decision making!”

About their proposal: “Haha - it's quite the story, but I'll try and keep it simple. First, a little bit of background: Jeffrey went to school at West Virginia for his last two years of college. We had been planning on going to a WVU football game while we still lived in Nevada, but it just didn't work out with timing and money and all of that. When we moved to Indiana last year, we took advantage of only being a 6 hour drive from Morgantown! So, we picked a weekend in November and packed up the car for a weekend of football and fun. We planned on hiking to this really cool lookout that everyone in Morgantown goes to (and Jeffrey hadn't been able to while he lived there) as soon as we got into town that Friday. The short version of the story is we walked out to the lookout spot and took pictures on the edge of the cliff. I was terrified I was going to fall off so I was reluctant to be out on the edge, but Jeffrey was adamant about taking pictures on this rock. Our buddy, Frank (also a WVU alum) was along for the ride and offered to take the pictures. I put up a bit of a hissy fit because I didn't want to walk to the edge, but eventually Jeffrey convinced me and we took a couple pictures. As soon as Frank got some shots, I immediately darted off the rock at which point Jeffrey said "We need one more!" to which I responded "No we don't." At this point, Jeffrey raised his voice and very sternly replied "WE NEED ONE MORE." My initial reaction was who does he think he is talking to me like that? followed by an immediate flood of emotion as I realized what was happening. I turned back around and saw him down on one knee. I think I said something along the lines of "I'm already crying!" (which I was from being scared/frustrated), followed by the easiest yes of my life. :) For the more complete and much more entertaining version, feel free to pick and pull from our proposal story!” You can find it here: Proposal Story

I walked away so stoked that our paths crossed! Hanging out with Kels and Jeff was easy. Although, they claim to be awkward they’re so easy at making you feel comfortable. Conversations with them didn't feel forced. It felt like I was hanging out with old friends the whole time and they’re super cute together (which made for some adorable photos). SO stoked to be their third wheel next year!!