We believe every single person in the world is unique and a bit extra ordinary, no one being exactly alike and yet all special. That makes for a numerous amount of couple personality combinations! Some couples prefer to stay inside a cozy home, watching their favorite show, while cooking a nice meal together. Others prefer to go out with friends for a night on the town, dancing, with tasty food and drinks. Then there are those that leave everything behind and hit the mountains for a camping trip, roughing the elements together. Is that you? Then yeah, this post is definitely for you!
Don’t get us wrong, we love all of those things too, but our hearts truly land in the outdoors. If there’s an opportunity for an outdoor adventure, we’re there!! Just recently we had the absolute pleasure of joining a couple, A+E, with a similar spirit for their adventure engagement session in Rose Valley – Piedras Blancas. When “A” reached out enquiring if we’ve ever heard of the location, we were so stoked!! It was funny because we definitely had, it’s one of the hiking trails we hold closest to our hearts! We totally understood why she would ask too, since it’s not the most accessible location.
Since we had this knowledge about Rose Valley, we asked A+E to meet us in Ventura so we could caravan together, as to make sure we could connect at the trailhead. Good thing we did, because the rain we had experienced down in Ventura had been SNOW up in the mountains! The roads were a little icy, so we decided to pull over and check in with A+E to make sure they were still comfortable. They were on the same page as us: shocked by the snow, but down to keeping going forward! We loved their energy!!
Once we got to the top, we finally got to hug and connect!!! It was a beautiful moment, because “A” brought up a great point that we hadn’t considered: She didn’t know if we would be open to hiking deep into the trail after seeing the snowy conditions. We responded with, “OF COURSE, WE’RE HIKING THE TRAIL!!” and they were elated!! It didn’t immediately cross our minds that not every photographer would necessarily want to push forward, or maybe just keep the session closer to the trailhead.
Some might have actually turned around… With snow, came water! And lots of it!! The Sespe Creek was’a flowing!! We stood at the water’s edge for a couple minutes contemplating the best stepping stone route to take. We personally didn’t know if A+E would want to go any further. Suddenly, “A” just went for it and started splashing through the frigid water in her boots and stockings!!! It was amazing!! “E” took the approach of removing his socks and boots, which we also highly respected! We were ecstatic these clients were riding the same wave of excitement!!
There was a total of 3 frigid crossings, and once we got started, it was nothing but magic! A+E had us laughing the entire time, the views were spectacular, and the shots were epic!! We were all blown away by the wintery scape and collectively having a new perspective on a place that was familiar to all of us. It was such a special engagement session. Not to mention, A+E were happy to let both of our Husky pups, Isla and Roadie, cruise around us off leash with us while we shot with them! They were so overjoyed to be apart of the fun 🙂
No joke, it was the PERFECT engagement session. There were numerous laughs, absolutely beautiful moments, and warm feelings all around. A+E are such a sweet couple who backpacks, camps, and gets outdoors whenever they can; our kinda people! They made conversation so easy and simply fun! It was bittersweet parting ways in the parking lot as the last bits of light dipped beyond mountains, but we knew we’d see each other again for their wedding in October. A+E made their way back to Ventura and we switched into our cozies to get ready to spend the night van camping at the trailhead. That night we made spaghetti and meatballs with our camping stove, and cuddled up with the pups for extra warmth. Our stomachs and hearts were extra full going to sleep. Definitely one of those nights we were beyond happy to fall asleep “at the office”.
The next morning we woke up to a freshly frosted, icy wintery valley. We giddily brewed coffee and grabbed our cameras to capture the unexpectedly glorious morning! Isla and Roadie enthusiastically sniffed around, eating and rolling in the snow! We reflected on how grateful we were to be able to work with such beautiful people in such a glorious place. The gratitude continued through the editing process of their photos. We know A+E had a similar experience after seeing the super sweet review they left for us! (See Below). We are SO excited for their wedding in October!!!
If there’s anything we want you to take away from this blog post, it’s this: Don’t limit your sense of adventure for your engagement, elopement, or wedding. There are photographers out there that will happily and readily do it with you, and we’d personally be more than stoked to join y’all!! Do you want to get out of Ventura and hit the mountains in Ojai? Are you dreaming of an adventure elopement, or adventure wedding?! Not sure how to plan an adventure elopement? Hit us up!! We’d be excited to help you curate the magical session of your dreams! Whether it’s in Ventura County, or beyond!!
Warmly,
Trev + Laur
