STEPH + ANDREW BIG BEAR LAKE

We love destination engagement shoots for MANY reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is how much time we get to spend with our couples–and this destination engagement was one of our favorites yet!!!  We planned an epic shoot in Big Bear Lake with Steph and Andrew. We started out the day with lunch in the cute town of Big Bear (because nobody should be hangry while shooting) we then hopped in the car and stopped at several locations around the lake shooting until the sun set and filled the sky with the most stunning light/clouds/reflections EVER…  It was beyond incredible!!

Steph and Andrew chose Big Bear for their engagement session because the two love the mountains! Steph grew up in Lake Arrowhead with her parents–She loves nature, being outdoors and hanging around the lake–her fiance, Andrew is from the midwest, but moved to Colorado in his 2o’s to ski, work and play in the snow–the two are adventure soulmates to say the least!!! 

During these far + away destination engagement sessions we get the opportunity to really know our couples on a deeper level–The four of us shared stories, adventures, and laughter all together… After our shoot we did a group dinner with Steph’s family and continued to make memories throughout the night! It was an engagement session we won’t soon forget and we couldn’t be MORE excited to capture these two lovebirds in Temecula on their wedding day coming up this April!!! 

Get to know Steph + Andrew–their story is BEYOND adorable!!!

It all started on Lake Lizzie in Minnesota, where Andrew noticed the hot blonde in the blue bikini. A conversation about travel sparked mutual interest, but the first meeting was short and sweet. Andrew was headed home the next day, but he couldn’t leave without asking for Steph’s email. Steph’s response was “Email? Who emails???” A few short Facebook messages later and Andrew finally got her email. As Steph tells it, Andrew writes a really good email. Emails quickly turned to daily, long, late night phone calls. A month after their first random meeting, Andrew was headed on a plane to San Diego. They were both extremely nervous and excited to finally spend real time together. After a few short days of being together it was clear that there was an undeniable connection and that both had strong feelings for each other. When Andrew left to go back to Denver, it was very hard, but both knew that the long distance relationship would be more than worth it. 
The next few months were filled with fun adventures between Colorado and California. As time progressed, it was clear that they both wanted to be in the same city and not a thousand miles apart. Andrew made the easy decision to move to San Diego and did so in April of 2016. Since then they have had many amazing travels and the relationship has only grown stronger. They love their life in California having both the beach and the mountains, the best of both worlds. 
The time finally came when Andrew and Stephanie were ready for the next step in their relationship. Andrew asked Tom for Stephanie’s hand in marriage while celebrating Christmas 2016. Tom couldn’t have been happier and the dozen or so hugs he gave him were proof of that. With a ring burning a hole in his pocket, Andrew proposed while on a ski trip to Mammoth Mountain in February. Stephanie was shocked and asked if it was for real. She didn’t look away from her hand the entire drive home the next day, still in disbelief and full of excitement. 
Now they are getting ready for the next chapter in their lives and couldn’t be more thrilled to share it with their family and friends!