This winter Lake Gregory engagement was pretty special! I’ve known Brian and Ashley individually and together for several years now. There were a few indications that there might be something between them and I asked if they were a thing (because let’s face it I was dying for them to date). Ashley told me that they weren’t “not a thing” and within no time it became official.

While stationed in Japan, Brian found the perfect engagement ring and had to go through all the hoops at the airport to get it safely home to propose. A day later I got a text from Ashley that just said “KRISTEN” and I responded with “I better get a picture of a proposal or a ring!”

And so the planning began! One of my favorite quotes from them trying to find a venue was Ashley saying she wanted the desert but without dirt. Eventually they narrowed down a venue to The Homestead in Oak Glen which is one of my favorites! Don’t believe me? You’re going to want to check this wedding out!

With Ashley’s photos for her graduation from college finished, a date set for the wedding, we started in on the engagement session. There was lots of back and forth about outfits and locations. There might or might not have been a panicked text all in caps about how much a dress looked like an old timey nightgown. I always send out blog posts of engagements in similar locations to help a couple get an idea of what they were going for. They settled on a winter Lake Gregory engagement.

Don’t let the changing leaves fool you! It was quite chilly and had already snowed before we made our way up there.

There were lots of antics, unending laughter, some wardrobe malfunctions, a little groping, and a slight clarification on what was putting your arm around someone’s waist should look like. I definitely can’t leave out the possibility of frostbitten feet and a weirdly bubbly lake that we didn’t want to question too deeply.