Jolene + Michael | Engaged

Lema Ranch & Camden House Engagement Session

I feel so blessed to get to work with amazing couples like Jolene & Michael! The way we got connected with them was awesome! I’ve taken a lot of education courses with Katelyn James and also Amy & Jordan Demos and am part of several Facebook groups with other students of theirs as well! Well…Jolene’s sister-in-law, Julia, is also an AJ student! She posted in the group that they were looking for a wedding photographer in Northern California, so I shared my website link and it ended up being a great fit for all of us! I’m so excited to be working with them and I can’t wait for their big day!!! The venue they chose for the ceremony and the venue for the reception are both absolutely gorgeous and epic! I won’t say where just yet, so you’ll be caught in suspense until April 2021!! :)

One of the locations that Jolene fell in love with when searching through my past sessions was the Olive Tree Pathway at Lema Ranch. That’s one of my favorite places as well! It’s just so gorgeous there! Lot’s of options and beautiful light. Michael and Jolene were pros! They did so well and caught on to all my posing instructions perfectly! I love Jolene’s laugh. You can definitely tell how happy these two are together and I’m so excited for them both!!! Their outfit choices were spot on as well! I loved her black floral romper!

Halfway through the session, we moved locations to Jolene’s second favorite spot, the bridge by the Camden House in French Gulch! This spot was PERFECT for their second outfit! I was just freaking out with how awesome they looked and how the light was shining there at the bridge and the big white house! :) Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned yet that it was nearly 100 degrees that day in Redding! But these two were troopers! We had an amazing breeze that helped a lot so we all were thankful for that. :)

I just love proposal stories! So I asked Jolene to share how Michael proposed to her. They had been together for 2 years and 2 months before he popped the question. They had discussed marriage often and even went ring shopping before he proposed so it was no surprise to Jolene that they were going to get married at some point. But…the surprise was, she didn’t know when he was going to actually propose! After Christmas, they decided to book a weekend getaway to the Fort Bragg and Mendocino areas to go see Glass Beach (which is soo cool!), Point Cabrillo Lighthouse, the Botanical Gardens and ride the rail bikes there. The thought crossed her mind that maybe this just might be the weekend he’d propose! But as the weekend went on…no proposal. She started to feel a little disappointed until the last stop of the weekend, a long walk out to the lighthouse cliff with amazing views and beautiful sounds of the ocean waves. She turned towards Michael to see him on his knee and asking if she would be his wife! Through joyful tears she cried “yes!” but that wasn’t all! She then turned and saw a family running towards them that they didn’t even know and they asked if they could reenact the moment. That family then took pictures for Michael and Jolene so they could always remember that special moment! Jolene went from a secretly pouting little diva to the happiest princess!!!

Jolene and Michael, we are so happy for you both! And we cannot wait to be with you again for your wedding day!!!!

Love, Jen & Matt