Craig and Heather’s fall engagement in Lake Arrowhead started off at my favorite local coffee shop Lulubelle’s before we headed into the nearby forest in Lake Arrowhead. Craig and Heather met while volunteering at a toy drive and some flirting ensued. He asked her out for coffee but she declined…but armed with the knowledge of where she worked he found her the next day. She was working at an ice cream shop when she saw a guy on the cameras that looking awfully like the guy she had met the day before. So she popped out and he invited her to coffee again since there was a Starbucks just next door. Six years later and they still celebrate their anniversary every year with a trip to that very Starbucks…even though it turns out that Craig isn’t a big coffee drinker…he just wanted to get to know Heather. It seemed very fitting to start their session with coffee! Check out this engagement where we included their love of breweries too!

After many years about hearing about Craig, I finally got to meet him in person! We found a little corner of the busy mountain coffee shop and got to know each other, warming up for our fall forest adventure that we were about to embark on. After fully caffeinating ourselves, I had them follow me to a secret spot I knew of where they could play in all of the leaves and enjoy the view as the sunset.

Heather told me that her favorite sound in the entire world is the sound of crunching leaves. She will go out of her way to step on almost any leaf she can for that satisfying sound. With the golden leaves surrounding them, she indulged her impulses a bit before we jumped back into our session (you want to see a more interesting take on throwing fall leaves you need to head over to this Oak Glen engagement session for a laugh). I think that’s why I love engagement sessions so much. Yes you get pretty pictures out of the deal, but above all I really want it to be a fun experience. So many times I hear that one or both of them hate photos or feel awkward. It isn’t about posing and forcing you to make out. It’s really about having fun, sinking into who you are as a couple, and really getting to know one another. Taking a break to crunch some crispy leaves is exactly what I’m all for! Needless to say, at the end of every session I hear about how much fun a couple has had with me. Pictures don’t have to be torture!

Check out another mountain engagement here! And if you liked the coffee shop aspect of this fall Lake Arrowhead engagement then you’ll love this brewery engagement too!